NPFL: Ogenyi happy that terrible schedule is over

Rivers United acting head coach Evans Ogenyi says his team will give their all in the Cup competition after they ended their league outstanding schedule with a 3-2 win over Niger Tornadoes on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.

Winger Sadiq Adamu Abubakar was the star act, providing a goal and an assist for United as they ended a run of five matches without a win with the routine victory at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.

After holding a 2-0 lead at half time, Evans Ogenyi saw his side pegged back by the visitors in the second half and ensured an open-ended game with chances at both ends of the pitch but his side ultimately held on for their win.

“No team in the league is a pushover and a game of this magnitude can go either ways, began Ogenyi to www.aclsports.com after the game.

“I salute the courage of my boys because we told them earlier that they shouldn’t underrate this team. We scored two quick goals in the first half and some of them thought we were already there and you can see they almost cancelled the deficit.”

Sunday’s game was the ninth that Rivers United have played in the last five weeks since exiting the CAF Confederation Cup. Ogenyi believes the schedule is taking its toll on his players.

“I believe fatigue also took a toll on my players because playing five matches in fifteen, sixteen days is actually terrible but we are condemned to play so I give kudos to my players for their resilience to see that we end this outstanding schedule on a good footing.

“Because out of five matches, we lost three, drew one and cap it up with this win. In some of the games, we had to have two goalkeepers on the bench because a number of our players were injured but the players are recovering now and we will give the FA Cup our all,” Ogenyi concluded.

Rivers United will face Niger Tornadoes for a second time in four days as both teams clash in the President’s Federation Cup Round of 32 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on Wednesday.