A 2nd half goal by William Sunday was the decider as Kano Pillars had the honour of scoring the first goal as well as earning the first three points of the Nigeria National Super 8 play-off.
The championship which kick started on Sunday morning at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba is to decide the four teams to gain promotion to the NPL from the NNL and in the very first match of the day, William Sunday’s solitary strike was enough to swing the pendulum of victory the way of Kano Pillars FC against EFCC FC in the Northern Conference.
The Sai Masu Gida from Kano, captained by old war horse, Rabiu Ali had their goal keeper, Joshua Enaholo, a former U-21 World Cup goal keeper to thank as he made saves after saves to keep the rampaging EFCC attackers at bay at crucial moments of the game.
Speaking after the game, Technical Adviser of Kano Pillars, Evans Ogenyi was full of praises for his side, insisting that both sides gave a good account of themselves.
“You could see it was a very competitive game. Both sides gave their all. You could see the hunger in both sides.The first match in a competition of this magnitude is usually like that and it is the team that takes its’ chances that wins. You could see the anxiety in both teams. We tool our chance and that was the decider”, the experienced gaffer disclosed.
On the chances of Kano Pillars picking a ticket to the NPL on the back of the victory, Evans Ogenyi maintained that there is nothing concrete yet.
“We will approach every match with every sense of responsibility. I can assure you that we know what is at stake and for you to win it, you must win every game. We are very alive to our responsibilities”, the coach concluded.
Kano Pillars, EFCC, DMD FC and Katsina United are the four teams in the Northern Conference of which only two will eventually make it to the NPL with two teams also emerging from the Southern Conference.
