28 January 2011
Sundays Oyo derby between hosts Shooting Stars and Crown FC will be a grudge battle as neither is willing to give in to the rival.
It will be a battle. I have been told that matches between the two clubs are always very keenly fought as Crown never want to acknowledge the superiority of Shooting Stars, 3SC coach, Fatai Amoo, told MTNFootball.com.
Shooting Stars won their last clash, last years Oyo State FA Cup final, on penalties.
Matches between these teams are often closely fought affairs and marred by violence among the rivals fans.
However, this latest encounter should be free of trouble as Abeokuta is a neutral venue.
Interestingly, both teams are smarting from losses the previous weekend Shooting Stars lost by a Kabiru Sanusi goal for Kwara United, while Crown were thumped 2-0 at home by fellow NPL new comers Bukola Babes.
3SC first choice goalkeeper Laide Okalanwon returned to training Thursday after he pulled out a bad tooth and midfielder Babatunde Yusuf could start after he impressed in place of the suspended Musa Raphael.
The backlash for Crown was the sacking of veteran coach Ganiyu Salami, who has now been replaced by former youth international Oladunni Oyekale.
Oyekale, who has only recently returned from a five-a-side coaching course in Egypt, faces a daunting task to rouse a very demoralised bunch of players whose heads began to drop after the narrow loss at home to Dolphin at the beginning of the year.
Crowns two top performers this season have been schoolboy international striker Egbune Harrison, who has since departed for Sunshine Stars, and combative midfielder Philip Asuquo, who has been frozen out as the team slump from one setback to the other.
There will also be no love lost between Sunshine Stars and Lobi Stars on Sunday as the rivalry between two top officials of the clubs, Mike Idoko (Sunshine) and Dominic Iorfa (Lobi), goes back to their early days in Makurdi.
Star-studded Sunshine Stars are losing ground on leaders Dolphin, who are away to strugglers Ocean Boys this weekend.
Sunshine are expected to beat Lobi so as to cut back the four-point gap Dolphin opened last week.
Ex-Pillars midfield star Rabiu Baita has a chance to return to reckoning for Kaduna United on Saturday away to lowly Plateau United after posting a stinker against champions Enyimba last weekend.
Baita was replaced midway through the second half by Fidelis Saviour, who went on to grab the match winner, his second goal in as many matches.
A home win for Rangers against third-placed Warri Wolves would see The Flying Antelopes gallop past the Wolves in the standings as two points separate the two clubs.
However, youngster Chinedu Sunday, who has enjoyed a fine run in the Rangers first team this term, will not be available for selection after he was sent off last week in Kaduna in the drab draw with Tornadoes.
It was a bad home coming for the promising midfielder who last season featured for Ranch Bees of Kaduna.
Two matches – Kano Pillars vs Gombe and Enyimba vs Kwara United – have been put off as Pillars and Enyimba are both away for the CAF Champions League this weekend.
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