NPFL MATCHDAY 1: Kano mainstays taught my players many lessons, Ikorodu City FC coach rues 3-0 defeat

Lagos-based Ikorodu City FC coach Bright Ozegbegbe was full of regrets after his side lost their opening game in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) 3-0 to Kano Pillars.

Sports247.ng reports that the coach not only reprimanded his players for making careless mistakes against the former champions but admitted that Sai Masu Gida taught his players many lessons about the top flight league.

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“This is the NPFL,” Ozegbagbe acknowledged, “It was something we could see and be proud of, but we couldn’t get the result we wanted.

“Performance was key for us, but we lost focus. Looking ahead to the return match, that is an area we need to work on.”

Coach Bright took a closer look at his team’s weaknesses in their first NPFL match and admitted they saw many flaws that they need to work on.

Ozegbagbe added: “We allowed a mistake to happen when the boys switched off and the first goal came. The opponents took all their opportunities.

“When you play against a team like Kano Pillars, you cannot afford to give up a sloppy goal, otherwise you give them the advantage to play.”

He concluded by looking ahead to their next match, away to Kwara United of Ilorin, and admitted that his players will have to work harder to get a better result.

However, Ozegbagbe took positives from the game in Kano and felt that Ikorodu City should get a better result in Ilorin if they work on all the lessons learnt in The City Of Groundnut Pyramids.

“The boys did show some level of resilience, though. They tried to come out and dictate the game, but the mistakes kept coming. For our next match, we will be playing away again, this time to face Kwara.

“We have learned a lot of lessons and we will correct those areas in the future. Hopefully the next game will be better,” said the humble coach optimistically.

Ozegbagbe and his players will also have to pray for better luck, having had to face two consecutive away games in their opening NPFL fixtures.

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