Top flight action
in the Nigeria Professional Football League returned to the Nasarawa State
capital, Lafia, for the first time in over a year when Nasarawa United hosted
champions, Rangers, following the completion of renovation of the Lafia
Township Stadium.
It was a match day
two clash decided on Wednesday, January 18 and watched by a capacity crowd at
the compact stadium.
Wednesday’s match
afforded the fans a chance to see their team and ended the two-hour journey to
neighbouring Benue State, which served as their home ground during the 2015/16
season.
Apart from the
journey to Makurdi, fans also travelled to Abuja to watch the team in the 2016
Caf Confederation Cup.
Unsatisfied with
the state of the turf, the government of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura decided
to modernize the facility with an astro-turf surface, which is one of the best
in the country.
Despite the
challenges of playing away from home, the squad played a beautiful brand of
football and recorded decent results in Makurdi to the admiration of the state
government.
Interestingly, the
team which is under the Isaac Danladi led management and coached by Sulaimon
Kabir Dogo finished as runner-up in their first-ever Federation Cup final, in
2016.
This served as an
improvement in their Cup record after missing out in 2015 when they lost to
eventual champions, Akwa United, in the semi-finals.
On the eve of the
season, the state Deputy-Governor and ‘Pillar of Sports’ in Nasarawa State, Mr.
Silas Agara, inspected the facility to ascertain the level of work done.
Agara had earlier
expressed satisfaction that the work will be completed before the commencement
of the season.
A New Beginning
Wednesday served as
a new beginning for the young club which has recorded modest achievements in
recent years.
Trust the fans,
they were excited to see matches in the top flight after a season without
action in Lafia.
Homeboy, Adamu
Hassan, hit the curtain-raiser to brighten faces at the stadium and put his
name in the history books.
However, Rangers
denied the fans a chance to celebrate the return in style as Fortune
Omoniwari’s equalizer cancelled Hassan’s opener.
Appreciation
The fact that the
team is back in Lafia is a welcome development and well appreciated by the
players, said centre-back, Abdulbasit Shittu.
“It is good to play
on home ground because of the supporters who are always present to cheer players.
The degree of support in Lafia cannot be compared to what we got at Makurdi,
last season.
“Moreover, the
Lafia turf is modern and better than that of Makurdi”, Shittu told
naijaleague.com.ng.
Club top scorer, last
season, Abdulrahman Bashir, also expect more support in front of the home fans.
“Our fans are
excited as the team played home matches away in Makurdi for a year. The fans
need to know players in their favourite team.
“The match against
Rangers marked my first ever home match for Nasarawa United, in Lafia. It’s a
new turf and we need to train regularly to adapt to it.
“My sincere
gratitude goes to the Governor Al-Makura for making it possible for us to
return to Lafia”, he said to naijaleague.com.ng.
Ultra-Modern Modern Facility
Courtesy of the administration
of Governor Al-Makura, Nasarawa United joins the exclusive list of clubs that
play on astro-turf in the NPFL.
In addition to the
turf, the dressing and medical centre were also refurbished to meet the
challenges of modern football.
Indeed, Lafia is
back in the groove.
By OJEIKERE AIKHOJE
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