8th November, 2012
Humphrey Ugbong, the captain of Messiah Football Club, that just won the Exra Joss Football Championship held recently at the Astro Turf of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, spoke about his performance and other issues with Grassroots Soccer Guide.
How would you assess your performance against the Apapa Golden Stars during the final of the Extra Joss Cup football championship?
I think I performed well and it’s a good one, which makes me happy that we won the tournament. Actually, it was a difficult game for us, especially in the second half when our opponents dominated the game but thank goodness, we won the tournament.
Tell us your toughest match in the competition?
It was the match against FC Robo in the quarter final stage, because we were fasting then. Our opponents gave us a good match. It was a match that I really gave a good account of myself. Both teams played 1-1 at the end of regulation time before we edged them out 5-4 on penalty shootout.
Before the competition started, did it occur to you that Messiah FC will win the trophy?
In fairness, I did not think we will win the tournament until we eliminated FC Robo in the quarter final match, and we began to believe in ourselves which helped us to win our remaning matches. We were able to beat the big clubs on our way to final because we played to the coach’s instructions and approached all the matches with determination.
When did you join the Messiah FC?
I joined the club in 2010 and I have been playing regularly since I joined the club. I am happy to be a member of the team that won the Extra Joss Cup, because it was a state competition, which involved all the clubs within the state.
Who do you want to dedicate this trophy to?
I want to dedicate the trophy to my mummy, Mrs. Beatrice and the entire team for the support they gave me throughout the tournament.