Ahead of Sunday’s Oriental derby against Enugu Rangers, Enyimba coach, Usman Abd’Allah says the playoff spot is the priority of the Aba Giant and not first position.
Enyimba are second on the log and sit six points adrift of league leaders, Rangers, while MFM FC are third in Group A.
Abd’Allah stated that it’s not necessary to displace Rangers – but staying away from fourth position is paramount for the seven-time league champions.
“We are only trying to qualify (for the playoffs) … Nobody gets a trophy when you come first, second or third; so, it’s just to qualify.
“The most important thing is that I only want to look at the fourth position of the table. The more Enyimba is far away from the team that is in the fourth position, the safer we are.
Only three teams each from the two groups will make it to the Super Six, where the winner of the Super Six would be crowned the champions of 2019 NPFL season.
“It doesn’t matter if we finish third or first because if the person in the fourth position climbs up, he has to displace somebody from the top three and we don’t want to be part of that.”
He added: “So, the most important thing is to keep on moving so that we can be very, very far away from the position of fourth, and that’s the only way we can guarantee our place in the playoffs.
“The playoffs are going to be a totally different scenario. I think we are getting there slowly, gradually. We are not there yet but we will keep on working until we reach the playoffs,” the Enyimba coach concluded.
