After two disappointing draws at home against Niger Tornadoes and struggling MFM, and a loss against Heartland in Owerri, the stage was set for Enyimba to redeem themselves and reward the fans for their patience. Remo Stars were in town and it was an anticipated encounter, Enyimba were bound to win
For coach Finidi George, the pressure was beginning to pile up and he needed just one victory to build the team’s confidence. To do that, he needed to be bold to make decisions and he did. One of the decisions was to give Samuel Stone a start and that was probably the best he made on the day, it worked
Speaking to the media after the game, Finidi felt as if a burden had been taken off him and he could not hide how happy he was
“The team started slow, later we picked up. It was a good game, generally it was a good game for both sides. We had the upper hand to have scored even more goals in the last ten minutes but it did not happen. We are happy with the result after few weeks of not having three points, I must commend the boys for the big effort from everybody, those that came in, like Stone; they did a good job.”
The team have not scored many goals this season and that has been part of the problems. They create chances but the conversion rate is low and that is cause for serious concern for the coach. The team could have broken the jinx but were unfortunate not to get a third goal after a deluge of attack on the Remo defense. For Finidi, he wished they could have scored more but the win was most important
“We will build on this victory, two goals. We would have extended the goals tally but it did not happen and we will keep working on goal scoring to see how we can get more goals. Overall it is a happy day for us.”
The competition at Enyimba is stiff, especially in midfield and attack, hence getting the right combination would be of interest to the manager.
Emeka Obioma has been a partner for Victor Mbaoma in Finidi’s preferred 4-4-2 formation but against Remo Stars, the former Super Eagles winger decided to bring another approach to the game and Samuel Stone was ideal for his plans and the former Jigawa Golden Stars striker was brilliant, even drawing ovation from the fans.
After his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, Super Eagles goalkeeper, John Noble made his first start under Finidi George and did well, denying Andy Okpe a goal in the first half
Finidi had good words for the new starters under his rein.
“They did so well, I must commend the players that came in. Stone has not played for us, he has been playing for ten to fifteen minutes so for him to have lasted for ninety minutes, I must commend him. A big effort from him. Others should take lead from what he has done; when that opportunity rises you must rise to the occasion”
Next for the People’s Elephants is a game against Dakkada FC in Uyo on Sunday. Finidi says he will approach the game just like every other game. Enyimba got a precious victory there last season but Finidi would not concentrate on that victory
“It is going to be a battle, we all know every game is important. I am not looking at last season, for me I am looking at the present. What I am doing here, what the players are doing. We are going to approach the game just like every other game and see how we can get results. That is what we are going to do.”
Enyimba will hope to get a good result there in order to consolidate their success, especially as the team’s confidence is on the high side