The NPFL League Match No 65 Day 7 played yesterday 08/12/2019 at The Warri Township Stadium between Warri Wolves and Lobi Stars was marred with fans intimidation and threat.
It started in the morning of the match day when Lobi Stars management team arrived the venue of the pre-match meeting and were greeted with threat of violence and intimidation by the fans of Warri Wolves, the pre-match threat reached a crescendo when the miscreants interrupted the proceedings of the pre-match meeting to the knowledge of all match officials. Special commendation must be given to The Centre Referee for his match management ability and ingenuity.
The game started on a promising note with Lobi Stars looking undoubtedly as potential winners of the game despite the stress effect on the team as a result of exhaustion of tidious trip to Warri with no allowable recovery period to guarantee optimum performance.
It would have been worse if the team was under motivated. Thank God for the adequate motivation of The Team by Mike Idoko led management which was an added impetus to earn Lobi Stars a point in far away Warri, Delta State.
The first 45 Minutes had a lot of chances for Lobi Stars through the attacking prowess of Abdulwasiu Mahmud, Alimi Sikiru, Chinedu Udeagha, supported by Nzube Anaezemba and home boy Douglas Achiv which were checked by brilliant defensive efforts of the Warri Wolves tutored by Benue born and former Lobi Stars FC gaffer Evans Ogenyi. The occasional incursions by the opponents were properly checked by the brilliant defensive ability of former CHAN Eagles Adeleye Aniyikaye.
The incessant push up by Ebube Duru on the left side and John Lazarus on the right made it more tough for the opponents, who were operating from a tensed and desperate position, having lost their last two games at home and away and basking in the euphoria of a 200 Million Naira boost by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 24 hours to the game. The stakes were quite too high to gamble.
Lobi Stars had upper hands in the first 45 minutes and dominated play, upon resumption there was a balanced performance by the two teams, the resultant fatigue set in and Lobi Stars held the game with experience to take it to a successful end.
Coach Gbenga Ogunbote showed tremendous confidence by strengthening the attack line when an average away team with such seeming challenges would have been plotting for a draw. He brought out Nzube a midfield player and replaced with a the wonder boy and former NNL highest goal scorer Abdulkareem Mumini in the 47th minute and Samad Kadiri for Abdulwasiu Mahmud in the 67th minute to add bite to the attack.
Team Captain Ayagwa Raphael had to complete the substitution chances in the 72nd minute as his stand in assistant Alex Aghahowa was taken out after been examined by the medical team from a an aerial clash with a wolves attacking player.
The show of confidence from Coach Ogunbote almost paid if TheCenter Referee had not deny Lobi Stars an obvious penalty when Alimi Sikiru was brought down in the penalty area in the 85th minute of the game to avoid escalation of an already charged and fragile match atmosphere. Not even the refusal of the fans to allow the reserve referee display the added time by seizing the board could make a difference. The match was as a result extended by six minutes without any visible advantage to the Wolves.
The Referee finally blew the final whistle but despite all his match management techniques had to be guided out amidst tight security.
With league leaders Plateau United having suffered a 1-0 defeat in the hands of Heartland in Owerri, the outstanding home game against Rangers Int’l considered a win for Lobi Stars could comfortably place them on top of the league table with a convincing goal difference of +6.
Lobi Stars will be going back to Makurdi to lay ambush against Abia Warriors in match day 8 in the comfort of their home which has been of late a den of goal harvest against all visiting teams.
Full time Warri Wolves 0-0 Lobi Stars
