Bendel Insurance Head Coach, Greg Ikhenoba, has blamed his players’ wastefulness and lack of focus for their 1-0 defeat to Abia Warriors in Sunday’s NPFL matchday 29 fixture in Umuahia, Completesports.com reports.
Ikhenoba faulted his team for losing concentration at a crucial moment, which led to Sunday Megwo’s well-headed goal that ultimately decided the match.
“Of course, football is all about give and take. When you have chances, you take them. If you don’t take your chances, you get punished,” Ikhenoba said.
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“That’s always the situation. And if you don’t focus and concentrate on your defensive formation, you’ll be punished. That was exactly what you saw happen to us today. We had chances, to be honest, and we couldn’t take them. But we’ll keep working on that.”
Insurance sit 12th on the league table with 38 points and will host Sunshine Stars of Akure in this weekend’s matchday 30 fixture at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
Ikhenoba described the clash against Abia Warriors as a “good and well-contested game,” adding that he never expected anything less.
“It was a good game, well-contested game, and I wasn’t expecting anything less than what I saw. Abia Warriors are a very tactical side, and they play with a lot of zeal.
“We also had our own match plan, but we were unfortunate that that header from (Sunday Megwo) came, and there was nothing the boys could do as the goal decided the eventual outcome of the match.”
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When asked if he was comfortable with his team’s position in the league, Ikhenoba responded that no team is ever at ease at this stage of the season.
“No team is comfortable in this league that I see. And that’s what I tell my boys every day. That’s why we’re still playing, struggling, and fighting on the pitch, just as you saw us do today.
“We’ll focus on the next game. This (vs Abia Warriors) game is gone. We’ll now shift focus to our next game at home and work on the grey areas in the team to see how we can correct issues,” Ikhenoba stressed.
By Sab Osuji
