The coach of Papa Soccer Angels FC of Lagos, Michael Olamiji has blamed injuries to key players in his team for their inability to gain promotion to the top-flight Nigerian Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership.
His team’s fate was sealed with a 4-0 loss to Unification FC in the NWFL Championship play-offs at Saint Patrick Stadium, Calabar, on Friday, but Coach Olamiji refrained from scolding his players for the heavy defeat.
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Rather than hold his players accountable, the youthful tactician told sports247.ng in an exclusive interview that the lasses gave their best when the competition began, but noted that the output dropped when injuries set in.
Olamiji added, “Thank God that we were able to get three points when the competition started, not knowing that things would later turn around for the players.
“At times, we ought to follow the authority’s instructions. They said we should register enough players, but we came with just a few.
“The little number of players we registered had to play all the matches like that, even when they started having injuries.
“There was no solution than for me to use them like that, because it’s a match that you cannot call off, or the national organisers’ hammer will fall on you.”
Olamiji went on to explain how he tried to motivate his players in an attempt to get the best out of them in their tight situation but admitted that all the efforts they put up were not good enough.
“The best thing for me to do was to encourage my players to still showcase themselves on the field of play.
“Thank God that they earlier scored enough goals that made us have plus-one difference before we played the final match.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think there is anything else we can do now, because our other group opponents got a better result.
“So, at the end of the day, we found out that we are still in the championship. All the same, to God, be the glory ”
He ended with a declaration that he has picked positives from the competition Calabar, and he will return to Lagos as a better coach, with deeper ideas and well exposed players.
“I’ve learnt a lot of lessons from this tournament. A lot of lessons that I learnt from the players, and a lot of lessons I learnt from the technical crew.
“In fact, with those lessons, one needs to go back to the drawing board, sit down, think very well, and see how we can come out buoyantly in the next tournament,” Olamiji concluded.
