Heartland FC Assistant Coach, Charles Uzor, insists the 2024/2025 NPFL campaign is still wide open, Completesports.com reports.
Uzor spoke on behalf of his Technical boss, Emmanuel Amuneke, after the Naze Millionaires were held to a 1-1 draw by Bendel Insurance of Benin at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, in Sunday’s NPFL matchday 17 fixture.
With 21 rounds of matches remaining in the campaign, Uzor, a former defender during his playing days, believes anything can still happen.
“The league is still very much open, I believe,” Uzor said. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and continue the work.
“We believe in our next game, we’ll come out with a better result.”
He explained that a loss of concentration was the reason his team conceded a late goal, which denied them the maximum points against the struggling Benin ‘Arsenals’.
Uzor continued: “As we all can see, football sometimes comes that way. You have your game plan, you draw your match strategy, but sometimes it doesn’t really work out the way you expect.
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“We lost concentration in the very last minute of the game, and you know, in football, it’s about 100% concentration. Any split second you lose focus, anything can happen. That’s what happened to us today.”
Uzor described Heartland as a team of young players but emphasised that the players they signed at the start of the season are beginning to grow.
“For the team, like I always say, football is not mathematics where 1+1 always gives you 2,” he said.
“But then, I know they are young boys. They are growing, and they will keep improving.”
Heartland currently sit 11th in the league standings with 21 points and will travel to Akwa United for this weekend’s matchday 18 fixture at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Akwa United are bottom of the table with 16 points from 17 rounds of matches.
By Sab Osuji
