24th June, 2024
The Chief Coach of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan, Gbenga Ogunbote has expressed his disappointment over the standing of his team at the end of the 2023/2034 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season concluded on Sunday.
The Ibadan-based team finished fourth on the league table and were thus denied the opportunity of earning a ticket to represent Nigeria in any of the continental competitions next season.
Reacting to the outcome of the season, Ogunbote said it was disappointing that the 3SC ended the 2023/2024 NPFL season empty-handed.
According to him, his team were not happy to have been unable to clinch a ticket to play on the continent next season in spite of the efforts they put in.
A third place in the NPFL could have earned the Oluyole Warriors a ticket to play in the 2024/2025 CAF Confederation Cup competition.
It was the same thing a Federation Cup title win would have achieved.
”It was disappointing for us in spite of everything. Even though we are supposed to be celebrating today, having won today’s match and having finished fourth in the competition.
”But we set for ourselves a target of getting a ticket to play on the continent next season, and having failed to do that, we are clearly unhappy with that,” he said.
Ogunbote, whose team had earlier lost in the quarter-finals of the 2024 President Federation Cup, said it could be heartbreaking not to achieve set-targets.
”We did all we could, and tried as much as possible, even through the Federation Cup, but our best was simply just not enough,” he said.
The coach attributed their failure to their first round performance, which saw them dropping to the lower half of the league table by the end of the first round.
”We lost it in the first round really, dropping to 11th or 12th then. If we had not lost so many valuable points then, we could have finished among the top three.
”We picked up in the second round, and rallied to be in contention in the last few weeks, but it was not to be,” he said.
3SC finished fourth in the league with 62 points from 38 matches, after 18 wins, eight draws and 12 losses.
They finished behind Rangers International Football Club of Enugu, Remo Stars FC of Ikenne and Enyimba International FC of Aba in first, second and third positions respectively.
To finish fourth on Sunday, 3SC beat visiting Sporting Lagos 1-0 at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in their match day 38 fixture.
Christian Pyagbara scored the lone goal in the 38th minute, stooping in the goal area to head in a low cross from the right flank, thus taking his total league goals’ haul to 10.
The result also meant Sporting Lagos dropped to the Nigeria National League (NNL) to join Doma United FC of Gombe, Heartland FC of Owerri and Gombe United as the teams relegated.
Rangers International who beat Gombe United 2-1 in Jos won the competition with 70 points from 38 matches, five clear points ahead of runners-up Remo Stars who had 65 points.(NAN)