Shooting Stars Supporters Football Club, Ibadan, are in pole position to cut Kano Pillars to size in their Nigerian Professional Football League match scheduled for tomorrow, after surprisng their teeming fans with a 2-0 victory over Lobi Stars last weekend.
The Oluyole Warriors never put anybody in doubt about their mission to excel this season, from the blast of the whistle.
It was a match every soccer pundit gave the hosts a very slim chance of winning, going by the result in the similar fixtures last season, where Lobi shocked the Oluyole Warriors 0-1 at home, and thus snatched the maximum points away in Ibadan, according to Jubril Arowolo, the club’s Media Officer. But it was a different kettle of fish last Saturday, as soon as Shooting Stars got the match underway shortly after a minute silence observed for departed soul of Izu Joseph.
The combination of Shooting Stars’ attack line of Afolabi Waheed, Ebitimi Agogu and Jide Apena with timely support from Babalola Ibrahim, Adewale Adigun and Adebayo Abayomi put Lobi Stars’ rear guard in trouble and in the 22nd minute, the pressure paid off when Afolabi Waheed jabbed in a sublime finish from a cross by teammate, Apena.
He nearly made it two just at the death of the first half, but was too much in a hurry to play it over the bar after a supply from Abayomi. By this time, the fans had been kept on the edge of their seats, with almost a balanced game from the two sides.
On resumption, Lobi Stars gave a hint of a good fight back immediately after the restart, beating the hosts’ defence line, but for the alertness of 3SC’s Suraj Sodiq, Olabisi Samuel and goalie Adamu Abubakar, who saved from a rebound!
The introduction of Nwagwa Nyima by Lobi Stars to support David Tyavkase in the attack added pep to their ability to fight back, keeping Samuel, Suraj and Omololu Waheed on their guard till around the 66th minute, when Sunday Faleye came in to replace hardworking Agogu.
Earlier, in the 72nd minute, Ayobami Junior had come in to replace equally enterprising Adigun. And hardly had Sunday Faleye come in, than he latched on to a long pass from Suraj from the defence and outran Lobi’s defender, Gaza Lillian, to tap in the goal, which caught goalkeeper, Lawrence John, napping in just five seconds. Meanwhile, Shooting Stars are billed to take on embattled Kano Pillars tomorrow, before their date with the Mountain of Fire and Miracles next Wednesday in one of the matches slated for the midweek fixtures.
