For Kennedy Boboye, it was huge relief as his Akwa United side dug deep to record their first win of the season, coming against bogey side Abia Warriors on Saturday.
Akwa United had had the history of starting the league season rather poorly. Only once (2018) in the past five seasons had they recorded a win in their first five matches of the seasons. It looked as though the ghosts of previous years would continue to haunt the Promise Keepers but Boboye’s side successfully buried them on Saturday.
Ndifreke Effiong had scored early in the sixth minute for Akwa United but their former defender Ibukun Harrison replied in the 27th with a sweet finish. Effiong however settled the game with a well-taken spot kick in the 59th minute to end their run of six winless games against Abia Warriors.
Boboye acknowledged it was a tough game against his former employers and also his friend Imama Amapakabo whose Abia Warriors side are now bottom of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) log.
“It was a tough one between two sides that are down on the log. Everyone wanted to win but we came out better to concentrate more to get the three points.
“I am satisfied with my players’ performance. I think we did very well and that was why we fought back (after their equaliser) to make sure we got the winning goal,” said Boboye to www.npfl.ng
With Akwa United now over the bad start, Boboye, a league winner with Plateau United in the 2016/2017 league season believes the time is right for his team to start focusing on their key ambition for the season; winning the title for the first time ever.
“It is an agreement for everybody; the management, players, the coaching staff that we must go for the title and we must now put aside that bad start we had. It is now time for us to turn over everything from this game on and think of positivity,” added Boboye whose title with Plateau United in 2017 was also their first ever.
Up next for his side is a trip to Ilorin to face Kwara United on Wednesday in what will be the Harmony Warriors’ first home game of the season after their Match Day 2 clash with Enyimba was postponed.
Kwara United pulled off a shock 2-0 win away to Plateau United on Match Day One but were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Rivers United in Port Harcourt on Sunday; a game which had Boboye in attendance. His message to Kwara United is simple; it is payback time.
“They (Kwara United) came here (in Uyo) to get a win last season and we couldn’t play the return because of Covid-19. I believe it is our time to pay them back in their own coin,” said the former Abia Warriors coach.
