Abia win first game on the road

Abia Warriors Football Club of Umuahia recorded their first away win in the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League with a 1-0 victory over Mountain of Fire Ministries football club at the Agege Stadium in Lagos.

Ndifreke Effiong netted the only goal of the game with a composed finish in the 54th minute after he snatched the ball from his marker, raced towards the post and buried the ball at the bottom right corner of the net with MFM goalkeeper Isaac Jerry watching helplessly.

Before the goal came it was equal forays for both sides leading to a goalless first half but when play resumed, MFM Head Coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu introduced playmaker, Chukwuka Onuwa and the petit midfielder made his presence felt with some incisive passes which could not be utilised by Sikiru Olatubosun, Chijioke Akuneto and Nojeem Akinyemi.

MFM actually piled pressure on their guests in search of goal gaining four successive corner kicks in the process but Abia defence of Abiodun Adebayo, Ayinde Kabiru, Chisom Osuji and Ozor Chinedu, was equal to the task.

And in a rare moment of artistry, Ndifreke completely outran his marker and from almost the centre circle, never looked back until the ball rested in the net for his eighth league goal of the season.

Jimoh Oni had the opportunity to make the game safer for Abia Warriors in the closing stages but he blasted the ball over the upright with the MFM goalkeeper at his mercy.

With the further introduction of Balogun Muyiwa and Chukwudi Ekeocha by MFM, they had several other corner kicks and free kicks at promising positions, but Sikiru Olatubosun could not put any away as Abia Warriors goalkeeper, Uche Okafor, produced yet another man-of-the-match performance.

Abia Warriors Head Coach, Emmanuel Deutsch effected only one substitution as he brought in Arinze Nwangwu for Obi Samson in order to produce more stability in the midfield and the ploy worked as the Warriors from Umuahia closed loose ends to record their first away match of the season.

The Umuahia capital team which have lost just once in their last  11 matches, now occupy the 8th position on the 20- team table with 29 points from 21 games and will next host El- Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri in a Week 22 encounter at the Umuahia Township Stadium this weekend.