The 2023-24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season returns with Matchday 20 ties this weekend after the break due partly to the participation of the Super Eagles at 2023 AFCON and the desire of the league organisers to have all first stanza matches completed before the commencement of the second stanza.
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One of the top games to be played this weekend is the Saturday afternoon fixture between Heartland FC and Kano Pillars billed for the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba. Both teams have nine league titles won combined even though they have become sleeping giants in recent seasons. Heartland’s fifth title while then still known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale was achieved in 1993 while Sai Masu Gida’s fourth title came in 2014.
The game ended 2-1 in Pillars’ favour in Kano last month with Rabiu Ali’s 85th minute spot kick the difference with late Clement Ogbobe free kick goal coming as a consolation for the Naze Millionaires.
A lot of changes have taken place and Heartland FC have gone for quality players to shore up the team and ensure the club leaves its current relegation zone while players deemed surplus to requirements have had their contracts terminated by mutual consent.
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It is going to be a new Heartland FC in the second stanza and team head coach, Christian Obi shared that thought when he challenged the players to go full throttle and ensure the Owerri side start the second stanza with a bang against Kano Pillars on Saturday.
He said the mistakes of the first stanza won’t be repeated in the second and that he expects players to give their all against Kano Pillars irrespective of the weather condition and other challenges faced prior to the fixture or when the game is on.
“We have tried to assemble more quality players to ensure that all hands are on deck for the team to remain in the premier league beyond the end of the season. We have trained very hard and have played friendly games too to keep the team in shape. We are confident we can do it and the players have proved from the test games that they shared the same sentiments,” Obi disclosed while addressing the team after a recent training session.
“We made some mistakes in the first round but those mistakes have ended with the first round. We gave opportunities to the players that earned us promotion from the lower league to the Premier League but not all of them could measure up with the results we got. We have opted for tested legs and we pray for God’s favour in all that we do.”
Heartland FC are at the wrong end of the league table but Obi is confident the team can rewrite its story in the second stanza with Impressive results starting with the home game with Kano Pillars.
He implored Owerri fans to troop in numbers to come and support them in Aba to ensure the maximum points is achieved.
Kano Pillars vs Heartland FC Head to Head Results:
21-1-2024 Kano Pillars 2-1 Heartland
22-5-2022 Kano Pillars 3-1 Heartland
29-1-2022 Heartland 0-1 Kano Pillars
5-8-2021 Heartland 1-0 Kano Pillars
28-3-2021 Kano Pillars 2-1 Heartland
18-12-2019 Heartland 1-1 Kano Pillars
31-3-2019 Heartland 2-1 Kano Pillars
13-1-2019 Kano Pillars 1-0 Heartland
