Buruj Sports Academy lost their first preparatory game to Handsworth Football Academy on Friday evening but there were so many positives to be taken from the impressive display of some youngsters led by 17-year-old United States of America-born, Fawaz Tijani, who scored from the penalty spot midway into the second half.
In a build-up game that was organised to test the match fitness and readiness of some of the young players who the management of the academy have penciled down to feature in their upcoming foreign tournaments, the English Super Cup defending champions showed the glimpse of their bright potentials while one of the new boys, Ntare Victor Arekam, also dazzled the football fans inside the Gbagada Grassroots Development Centre.
The more matured Handsworth boys capitalised on the team’s defensive mix-up to score their two goals in the first stanza, while the Buruj Boys reduced the tally courtesy a well taken penalty strike off the boot of the highly impressive centre midfielder, Fawaz, who shone like a million stars in the middle of the pack.
Had striker Chuks Emperor and Noah Salaudeen manage to be more calm in front of goal, the final result would have been different. While Chuks missed two clear chances, Noah’s final touch deserted him in what was the final action of the very entertaining match.
And while reacting on the performance of his players, the CEO of the academy, Salaudeen Waheed expressed satisfaction despite what he termed as noticeable lapses and vowed that he will work closely with the technical crew to make the necessary corrections.
He is also full of praises for the quality display of Handsworth, saying they gave a good account of themselves to expose the deficiency in the overall performance of the young side.
“It was a good game. The purpose for which we organised it was fully achieved because despite the fact that we lost by 2 goals to 1, I saw some glimpses of hope from some of the boys- including those who are playing with us for the first time.”
“Our young midfielder Fawaz Tijani impressed me so much and it shows they are all learning very well. The new striker, Victor, who played the second half was also a delight to watch and with what we saw of him, he is one of the players who we are looking up to to hold their own when we get to the United Kingdom.”
“The rest of the players also tried their best and we shouldn’t forget some of our regulars are on injury list. We also missed some very good chances that could have swung the result in our favour. By the time we gel the boys together very well, we will be ready to go,” he enthused.
Meanwhile, the final list of players who will make the team to this year’s edition of English Super Cup in Manchester and Welsh Super Cup in Cardiff will be released in the next coming days, while another friendly game is expected to hold next week Tuesday against Sunshine Football Academy.
