Plateau United Head Coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, has revealed that he obtained a technical report on Bayelsa United prior to their Matchday 31 home game, which they won 1–0 at Jos Stadium on Sunday, March 22, 2026, Completesports.com reports.
Ogunbote, fondly called ‘Oracle’, disclosed that a close study of the ‘Restoration Boys’ showed they always crowd the midfield, from where they control and dominate play against opponents.
The former Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) boss hinted that, as a result, he adjusted Plateau United’s ‘Plan B’ tactics by avoiding the midfield and utilising the flanks.
Ogunbote Strategized With Technical Report On Bayelsa United
This tactical shift proved effective, as Farouk Umar scored the match-winner, with Temitope Vincent playing a key role for the Tin City side.
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“Before the game, I had a technical report about Bayelsa United, and I knew they choke the midfield,” Ogunbote said after the match.
“So when they choke the middle and we cannot contest it with them, we left that zone for them and played from the sides. Every time we attacked from the flanks, we were on top of the game.
“When they play in the middle, they do that in their own half. In our half, they often lose the ball. I can tell you categorically that our goalkeeper didn’t catch the ball up to four times during the game, except from corners or set-pieces.
“So it was tactical — we allowed them to do what they wanted in the middle, but once we had the ball, we stretched them from the flanks, which they couldn’t cope with. Unfortunately, we didn’t convert more chances.”
Plateau United’s Tactical Flexibility Proves Decisive
The former Rangers International gaffer singled out Temitope Vincent for special praise, describing him as a ‘special player’ due to his consistent contributions.
Vincent was effectively ‘caged’ by Bayelsa United, which allowed the visitors to dominate the midfield and forced Ogunbote into a tactical adjustment.
“Vincent is a special player, no doubt about that. No team wants to lose, so you don’t allow such a player any comfort zone.
“He makes himself special by squeezing the best out of difficult situations. For him to remain special, he must keep doing that.
“Besides that, as I said earlier, no two games are ever the same.”
Plateau United Aim To Finish Season Strong Despite Away Tests
Ogunbote also reflected on his team’s swift counter-attacking play, which led to Farouk Umar’s decisive goal in the 1–0 victory.
“In football, you don’t always know how the goal will come. You must devise different tactics. If one doesn’t work, you switch.
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“I knew it would be a tough game, but we were able to get the goal. We could have scored earlier, but we thank God for the three points.”
Plateau United now sit ninth on the table with 42 points, with seven matches remaining this season.
Ogunbote remains optimistic about his side’s chances of finishing strongly, despite upcoming consecutive away fixtures against Warri Wolves (Matchday 36) and Nasarawa United (Matchday 37).
“Every team has seven games left, whether home or away. We have three at home and four away, just like others.
“Ours is that we’ll play two consecutive away games. We only pray for fair officiating like we had in this match. If that happens, we can get results anywhere.
“The players know we want to finish strong. You don’t rely only on home points — you must earn points away as well.
“We won’t go into away games looking for draws. My philosophy is to aim high — if you fall, you fall among the stars.
“If you go for a win and don’t get it, you might still draw. But if you aim for a draw and slip, you lose. For every game, we go for a win. We’ll do our best,” Ogunbote concluded.
By Sab Osuji
