Abdallah noted what he considered their act of bravery and charged them to sustain the momentum in subsequent games
Heartland picked their first win after three matches and an impressed head coach, Hassan Abdallah commended the players for their spirited effort at snatching the 1-0 win against Dakkada.
The MatchDay 3 fixture, one of the midweek matches of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) took place at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, Wednesday, December 29.
Heartland lost 3-0 to Remo Stars last weekend and needed to bounce back in front of their fans. They were rewarded with a goal scored in the 69th minute through a half volley from Jonas Emmanuel which a video assistance needed review before it was awarded.
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In praising the squad, Abdallah noted what he considered their act of bravery and charged them to sustain the momentum in subsequent games.
“I’m happy that we have been able to get our first win of the season. I’m grateful to God and looking forward to the next game,” Abdallah told npfl.ng.
“The players fighting spirits should be commended. They never gave up. They were never relaxed until they got a goal. They kept on fighting until the very end. The work rate is very high”, he further eulogized the players.
He looked back at the 3-0 defeat to Remo Stars and blamed it loss of concentration in the defence in the early parts of the game played at Ikenne.
Going into the fixture against Dakkada, Abdallah would make a few changes and it paid off with the win that also was to be their first clean sheet of the season.
“The defence collapsed in the opening five minutes at Ikenne. We lost concentration and we allowed them to score two early goals.
“We made some adjustments and the defense turned out a little solid today (Wednesday)”, Abdallah informed npfl.ng.
Heartland will next play Plateau United in Jos this weekend and Abdallah says that he expects a better outcome than their insipid loss to Remo Stars.
“I have noticed the way my Plateau United play and their pitch is big too. I think there is no qualms,” Abdallah concluded.
In the Matchday three tie decided at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, there was not much to separate both teams in the first half.
Dakkada had the ball at the back of the net in the fifth minute but the centre referee correctly adjudged that the ball had crossed the line for a corner kick before it was lobbed to the player that nodded into the net.
In the 69th minute, a volley from Jonas Emmanuel was adjudged to have gone in despite heavy protests from Dakkada that it was not a goal.
Heartland moved to four points from three games while Dakkada are stuck on three points having lost their second game of the season.
The Owerri side travel to Jos as guests of Plateau United while Dakkada are returning home to face Remo Stars. Both games hold this weekend.
