Can El Kanemi Halt Insurance NPFL Unbeaten Run?
Wallowing rock bottom of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, Group A and in desperate attempt to escape relegation, El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri are set to cart away the three points at stake at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, today and thereby halting Bendel Insurance unbeaten run in the league.
Bendel Insurance are only four games away from equaling the longest unbeaten record in the Nigeria Premier Football League. The Benin Arsenals are yet to taste defeat after 14 games in the NPFL this season.
Akwa United, who won the NPFL title in the 2020/21 season, holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak (18) in the Nigerian topflight.
Insurance have won seven and drawn seven games this season.
Monday Odigie’s side will look to equal the record by avoiding defeat in the remaining four games in the regular season.
They could then go on to set a new record in the NPFL Super Six.
Insurance will host basement club, El-Kanemi Warriors at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, tomorrow.
On his appointment as Technical Adviser of El-Kanemi Warriors, Coach Hamza Abdul’azeez Abara, had stated that his mission was to save the team from relegation.
The former Head Coach of Plateau United said it was destiny that had taken him to El-Kanemi Warriors where he is faced with a daunting task of keeping the former FA Cup winners in Nigeria’s topflight.
E-Kanemi Warriors who returned to the NPFL last season are neck deep in relegation waters as they presently sit last on the Group A table with a paltry five points from nine matches played so far in the abridged season.
However, coach Abara who is confident that El-Kanemi Warriors will survive the relegation battle said he will immediately change the mentality of the players and the character of the team for more positive results in the second round.
Although he admitted the task before him was not an easy one, the former Niger Tornadoes and Enyimba coach said he was not new to such rescue operations.
According to him, Niger Tornadoes once found themselves in a similar situation but when he was called upon, he rescued them from relegation.
“Life itself is a risk. One must be ready to take risks to succeed. Rescue missions like the one I have embarked upon are not new to me. I did it at Niger Tornadoes so I am confident that I will achieve the same feat with El-Kanemi Warriors.
“I will do my best to psyche up the boys whose morale is down. It is necessary to change their mentality and also ensure the character of the team is right.
“What I can say is that my present assignment is a difficult one but keeping El-Kanemi Warriors in the NPFL is not impossible. Together we shall survive the relegation battle,” he assured.
Player Club Goals
Chukwuemeka Obioma Enyimba 10 Robert Mizo Bayelsa 8 Imade Osarenkhoe Insurance 8 Usman Musa Doma 6 Cyril Olisema Akwa 5 Joseph Atule Lobi 5 Emmanuel Onyebuchi Plateau 4 Sarki Ismael Insurance 4 Kumaga Suur Lobi 4 Bello Lukman Idowu Abia 3 Mustapha Ibrahim Plateau 3 Ebube Duru Rivers 3 Guda Mohammed Wikki 3