The assistant coach of El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri, Mohammed Mohammed has tagged his team’s next fixture in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) as a ‘must win match,’ in order to stop the North East side from sinking into relegation waters.
This follows the 2024 Federation Cup winners’ 2-1 loss away to Bayelsa United of Yenagoa on Sunday, which Sports247 checks revealed left The Borno Warriors 16th on the NPFL table with 43 points and just one step out of relegation zone.
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In his post-match comments, Mohammed lamented how things suddenly turned around for the visitors and pointed out that it could have been a better story at the end of the week 35 fixture in the Bayelsa State capital.
The down-to-earth gaffer praised his players for giving their hosts a tough fight, but conceded that it was not a favourable day for his side and the result went against their plan.
Coach Mohammed recounted: “Actually, the plan was for us to get the three points. That’s football … you plan, but other things may happen. We were then thinking that we’ll run away with one point, but, again, suddenly, it happened this way. That’s football for you.”
He refused to put any blame on the match officials for the setback suffered by his squad in the dying minutes of Sunday’s game, but simply posited that they have to head back home and quickly start planning how to beat new champions, Remo Stars of Ikenne in their next game.
“I don’t want to go on the issue of officiating. All I know is that we were defeated. We were defeated, and that’s all. I’ve not seen the table, but other teams were also playing. So, we just face our own fate, and we know this is not good for us.
“That was why the boys were fighting. They were fighting hard so we could get at least a point on the road; then we’ll return home against Remo and complement with three points. As things are now, we can not compromise that match at home against Remo. That was why we made some changes in this game,” Mohammed Mohammed submitted ruefully.
