Akwa United head coach Muhammed Baba Ganaru has expressed his satisfaction with securing a point on the road against Lobi Stars in their opening game of the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The match, held at the Lafia City Stadium, ended in a goalless draw. Despite the result, Baba Ganaru conveyed his gratitude for the point but admitted his team had aimed for all three.
“We are grateful to God for the one point we have gotten here in Lafia, but to be sincere we came here with a match plan, which was to get all three points the same way we did last season but it wasn’t to be.”
Baba Ganaru lamented his team’s inability to convert numerous chances during the game, noting that the players appeared anxious in the final third.
“In my general assessment, both teams played very well and created lots of scoring chances but at the end of the day no goal to show for it. The positives from this game is that we played well because if we didn’t play well.
“We wouldn’t have created those chances in the first place. I’m not very happy because in the last moments of the game we had a one-on-one chance but Mare didn’t score and that would have been the difference.
It is our first match of the season and the boys were somehow anxious. My players need to be more composed in front of goal and we will continue to work on our scoring abilities and also to improve the confidence level of the players.”
Last season, Akwa United narrowly escaped relegation, finishing 16th with three points clear of the relegation zone. This season, their aim is to avoid the mistakes of the past and secure a more stable position in the league.
