A youngster in the squad of non-league club side, 1472 FC, Ajibola Joel is picking positives from his team’s participation in this year’s Lagos State FA Cup, which he described as a fertile learning point for grassroots footballers, sports247.ng reports.
Although 1472 FC dropped out of the annual competition, which is officially known as Federation Cup, after losing 2-0 to Inter Lagos FC on Wednesday, Joel declared that it was a wonderful experience that has prepared him for future challenges as a potential professional footballer.
Joel noted further in a chat with Sports247 that many other young players who are currently growing with youth teams in the grassroots like him have also been able to use the FA Cup as a learning point and prepare themselves for things to come.
He added, “It’s either you win or lose, but you just have to take the positive things that are in the game for yourself, and you learn from it. That’s why I say this tournament has been wonderful, because we have been able to gather a lot of experience from it.”
The soft-spoken lad then focused on the outcome of the match with Inter Lagos, which he stressed was a very progressive endeavour, as it provided him and his teammates with useful tips that will help them do better when they take part in the same competition next year.
Joel philosophised, “Getting a loss today does not mean we must mourn. The guys fought very well and put in a lot of effort. The lessons we learnt will help us bounce back better next season. We are out of this one, but we learnt from it and, hopefully, we’ll do better next year. We defeated FC Bethel 3-2 in our first match before losing this one. So, we hope to do better next season.”
He concluded by projecting into the future, with a view that competing against higher placed clubs, especially those that are in the national league, is a good stepping stone towards making his mark as a top footballer in years to come.
“I signed for this club at the start of this season, and I am here to prepare myself for the future. Like every young player, I’m here to develop myself. So, despite the loss, I will just take the positive things into me and build on them. I’ll work on them and see how they can be useful for me in the future.
“This is a very good tournament, because there are a lot of young players like me who don’t have the opportunity to gain enough experience. Participating in this competition will help us to feel the intensity of playing against a league side. It will prepare them ahead of future challenges. So, when they get the opportunity to play in the league or even travel out, they will be ready.
“This type of tournament prepares grassroots players for the future. For example, this match that we lost was the most challenging one for me as a player. They are the best side that I have faced so far. Kudos to their coaches and their management. They’ve done so well for Inter Lagos, great,” Joel submitted.
