‘Katsina United won’t fade away in second round’
Katsina United inspirational midfielder, Destiny Ashadi has assured that his team will maintain their impressive performance in the second round of the 2017 NPFL season. The former Kogi United star spoke to SHOT! on his blossoming career and what he wants
How are you enjoying the experience of playing in the topflight of Nigerian football league? It is not very easy but I am enjoying the experience. I am getting used to everything and I believe that it will only get better. The first round has ended and I can say it has been interesting. I have also scored two goals to be among the goal scorers in the league and that is another plus. Don’t forget it is not every player in the league that has scored.
Have you set any goals target for yourself ?
In order not to put myself under pressure, I have not set any target but I want to keep working hard. I believe that I will score more goals before the end of the season. I have scored against FC IfeanyiUbah FC at home and against Wikki Tourists in Bauchi. The most important thing for me is for my club to do well. It is not an individual thing so we play for one another in Katsina United.
As one of the newly promoted teams, are you in any way surprised by what Katsina United have achieved so far?
Personally I am not surprised by our performance because I know that football is played on the field not on paper. Of course before now, only a few people gave us any chance to compete against the big boys in the league. However, before the league started, our former Technical Adviser, Bala Nyiku told us that football is a man to man thing so we should not be afraid of anybody. He said if we maintained the form we exhibited in the Super 4 in Gombe, we would do well in the NPFL. It is such confidence that has given us important victories over big clubs like FC IfeanyiUbah and Enyimba FC. In fact we have surprised most of the clubs that
underrated us.
Don’t you think Katsina United would be in for a tough time in the second round considering that clubs that underrated you would play you with more seriousness?.
I share in your view but we are not afraid of what is going to happen in the second round. Of course clubs will take us more seriously but we have also grown in confidence. We have improved on our game and as much as our opponents would like to change tactics having realised that we are not as cheap as they imagined, we would also remain defiant in the face of challenges. We are not going to rest on our oars because we don’t need anybody to tell us that the second round is going to be a different ball game.
What makes you think the second round would be a different ball game?
Well, I know that it is during the second round that clubs fight to avoid relegation. The struggle for points sometimes gets dirty and it takes a lot of guts to stay afloat. We are therefore going to redouble our efforts. To survive, we would try not to drop points at home while hoping for few points away from home. In the first round, we picked two important away draws and also came close to winning. So we would work on getting at least an away win and some draws to be safe even when the fight for points becomes tougher.
Which match would you say was your best in the first round?
I will say our match at home against Enyimba FC was the toughest but the best for us in the first round. As you are aware, Enyimba are the most successful club in the league. They have a strong side so when we played against them, we were under pressure. They took the lead and we were forced to chase the match. It made things very difficult for us but we kept fighting until we equalised and also won the match. It was a massive win for us but it did not come on a platter of gold.
And your worst match in the first round...
Our match against Sunshine Stars in Akure is the worst so far because we played very well but still lost the match. We wasted so many scoring opportunities but when they got their own chance, they took it and that was how we were defeated. So I will say our defeat against Sunshine was most painful.
What is your assessment of officiating in the Nigerian league? Are you very satisfied with the performance of referees?
No, no, I cannot say I am very satisfied because there is still room for improvement. Some of the referees have refused to change. We struggle to win our home matches but when we pay away referees intimidate us. We get yellow cards that are questionable. I am not saying all the referees do the same thing but majority don’t provide a level playing field for us. Before the end of the first round, most of our players had collected at least two yellow cards. And when you are on yellow card, it becomes difficult for you to play because the next thing will be a red card. So let them adjust in their officiating so that the league will be more competitive.
When you started did you believe by this time you will be playing in the Nigerian Professional Football League?
To be very honest with you I didn’t want to play in the Nigerian league. When I was playing amateur football in Lagos officiating of matches was very discouraging. It was compulsory to lose 3-0 once you were playing away so that kind of discouraged me so match. So right from that time, my dream was to instead play outside Nigeria. However, when I joined Imperial academy in Ogun State, we played some friendly matches against big teams like Enyimba and 3SC and they wanted to sign some of us but our chairman did not release me. They wanted to sign like 11 of us but the academy said if you pick 11 how many players will remain?. They said they did not want us to play Nigerian league because they were working on something abroad for us. In the end, I had to go to Kogi United where I played for two seasons.
You definitely sound like someone who is not happy with what he has got in hand. Don’t you think a bird in hand is worth two in the bush?
Well, I am managing what is available. It is said half bread is better than none so one has to make use of what he has found. My eyes are still on Europe where I hope to play and make some money for my family. Everybody knows that football in Europe is better organised. The Nigerian league is also improving but it will take years for us to attain true professionalism. What is your dream club in Europe? Hmmmm!, I can play for any club in Europe because the worst European club is far better than the best club in Nigerian league. So for now I cannot say this is the club I want to play for in Europe. Moreover, it is always good to start from somewhere. I may start with a small club but move on to bigger clubs. How did you get into Katsina United? This is my first season in the Nigeria professional Football League. I joined katsina United from Kogi United Football Club. Like I said, after spending some years in an academy Ogun State, I joined Kogi United where I played for two seasons before moving over to Katsina United at the beginning of this season.
We are not afraid of what is going to happen in the second round. Of course clubs will take us more seriously but we have also grown in confidence