AKWA UNITED: Atayero explains recent slip, confident of top three finish

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Assistant Coach of Akwa United, Ebenezer Atayero has given explanations for the team’s recent dip in form in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

The Promise Keepers for the first time lost 3-1 to neighbours Dakkada FC for the first time in the league, despite going in front through Samuel Amadi in the 39th minute.

Etido Dan scored the equalizer for Dakkada FC in the 42nd minute before Aniekan Ekpe (54) and Ezekiel Edidiong (87) put the game beyond the reigning NPFL champions.

Akwa United, who are in pursuit of a continental ticket missed the opportunity to go 4th with Enyimba, Sunshine Stars and Enugu Rangers failing to win last weekend.

Ebenezer Atayero, who was on the post-match duty in place of head coach Deji Ajeni with journalists in Uyo, says the team lost concentration after going in front.

“Actually, we don’t really know what happened, we had a game plan and the plan failed in the second half. In the first half, we had the game and when we scored, our boys thought it was over.

“We keep telling them, if you score a goal away, you have to score the second for security purposes, but they lost concentration and Dakkada got their equalizer. In the second half, we came out to score but Dakkada meant business, we did tell the boys that this game is a must-win for us because, if we win, we may move to 3rd or 4th, but that’s football, you lose some and win some.”

Akwa United have won three of their last ten matches and one in the last five. 

Ayeni joined Akwa United in March following the resignation of Kennedy Boboye but has not improved the fortunes of the club who remained in 8th place with continental hopes shattering with each damning result.

Ebenezer Atayero believes the result will not affect their season’s objective which is a top three finish.

“We don’t look at other people’s results, we win our games as they come. This result will not affect our standing at the league table, we didn’t bargain for this, but in football, you have to take it. We came to win but it didn’t happen. In our next game we will play to win and avoid the mistakes we made today.

“In the Nigerian league, when you win the league, if you are not careful, the following season you may find yourself at the bottom and everybody coming here come for a war against us, you saw what happened against Rivers United, Enyimba and MFM, those were points that if we had gathered them, we will not be in this mess. 

“But we can assure you that we are not giving up yet (top three) if we win our next matches, we will give it all and we are very confident to get something out of it.”

“When we came in (with Coach Deji Ayeni), we talked to the players and let them know what we are out for, but due to call up to national team assignments, it took a toll on us but we are confident we can still make a top 3 finish”.

Akwa United will welcome 2nd place Plateau United to the Nest of Champions on Sunday, June 26, 2022 in one of the remaining four matches of the 2021/2022 season.

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