Plateau United win 2016/2017 NPFL title

Plateau United Football Club of Jos have completed one of the remarkable stories in the history of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by winning the league title for the first time in the history of the club.

They achieved this feat by beating the defending champions Enugu Rangers football club in Jos to take their points haul to 66.

Plateau had only managed just one win against their visitors in their last five NPFL meetings and it was expected to be an uphill task.

However, goals from Emeka Emeh on the 25th minute and Benjamin Turba on 89th minutes against the highly spirited visitors were enough to secure title for the tin city boys.

United started the game on the front foot lunching attack after attack, but the Enugu Rangers goalkeeper Itodo Ayor’s good reflexes kept Plateau at bay.

Itodo was breeched when Emeka Umeh latched on to Kabiru Umar’s prodded pass at 25th minute.

Umeh also came closed after he nodded Peter Eneji’s cross at 54th minute, before Eneji cleared Enugu Rangers’ Olusese Tope’s close range shot at 60th minute.

Coach Kennedy Boboye introduced Benjamin Turba later in the game and his decision paid off when Turba scored the second goal at 89th minute.

Plateau United finished 8th last season but went into the final day of the season this time around sitting at the top of the table with one point separating them and second- placed Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM).

The Church boys were however, unable to pick the points in Maiduguri on the final day. A win for them and draw or defeat for Plateau would have delivered the trophy to them.

Plateau had stayed glued to the top spot for almost the entire period of the season except on four occasions when MFM deposed them.

MFM who had largely depended on their home form at the Agege Stadium to stay in the title race knew they must do the extraordinary to defeat El-kanemi Warriors in Maiduguri.

Seventeen of their 19 victories have been in Lagos. Their two away victories came against Sunshine and Remo Stars in Akure and Sagamu respectively.