BY MFON PATRICK
Four Akwa United players; striker Ndifreke Effiong, defender Sampson Gbadebo, goalkeeper Adewale Adeyinka, and midfielder Seth Mayi have been presented with Coach Kennedy Boboye’s Award of Excellence for best performance following their superlative display in the first stanza of the 2020/2021 NPFL season.
The four players were voted as best performing players in their respective positions by the coaching crew led by coach Kennedy Boboye and the two-time Federation Cup winning Captian Otobong Effiong after a careful review of the team’s performance in the first stanza of the current season.
NPFL joint-leading scorer Ndifreke Effiong emerged as the club’s best striker after netting eight (8) goals with five (5) assists in 18 first-round matches.
Goalkeeper Adewale Adeyinka received the award after putting up impressive performances which saw him kept nine clean sheets in fourteen games for the Promise Keepers.
Sampson Gbadebo was named the best and most consistent defender after the first stanza of the season. The center-back started eighteen of Akwa United’s nineteen first-round games and had two assists to his name.
Seth Mayi was voted best midfielder of the first stanza following his brilliant display since arriving at the club at the start of the season. Seth was ever-present in Akwa United’s midfield, featuring in all nineteen games and made two assists.
Coach Kennedy Boboye in a remark said he alongside the Captian instituted the award to help motivate the players for their outstanding performances and also to encourage them to do more in the second stanza of the season.
“The coaching crew and the captain met and came up with this initiative of awarding our best performing players after the first stanza of the season and I’m proud that the four players were unanimously voted as the best in their different positions. They were consistent and dedicated.
“If I have the opportunity of awarding all my players I will gladly do so because they all gave their best to the team. Finishing third after the first round is a clear indication of how hard they worked, judging from the slow start we had. This is just a token to encourage all my players to put in more efforts for the task ahead”.
Chairman of the club Elder Paul Bassey commended coach Boboye for instituting the award and stressed that the initiative will help boost the player’s morale in the second stanza of the season.
Elder Bassey who supported the award with cash incentives also congratulated the four players for their outstanding performances and charged them to keep up the good works.
“I must say that I’m really impressed with this wonderful initiative instituted by coach Boboye to award excellence. This is just another way of encouraging the players to put in their best as we look forward to the second half of the season.
“It’s a thing of joy and honor to be celebrated for doing a good job. I want to especially appreciate Coach Kennedy Boboye for putting this up and I will not hesitate to support this award. I want to sincerely congratulate all the winners for their exceptional performances and I also wish to encourage all the players to step up their game so we will all have something great to celebrate at the end of the season”.
Akwa United will resume the second half of the current season with a home fixture against Sunshine Stars on Sunday at the Nest of Champions.
