After a return to the top flight of Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), Shooting Stars of Ibadan seem to have settled down and coming to terms with the reality as the days go by.
Backed by the genuine love of a their State Governor and buoyed by impressive crowd attendance in home matches, the Oluyole Warriors have attracted interests in their matches from far and near where their fans have spread.
What is reality then? Reality is that after Match Day 17, the team now sit just two points above the relegation zone, winless in their last five matches, a development that is already petrifying the team’s supporters.
However, one person absolutely sure of the team’s safety at the end is midfielder, Anietie Uko, the Number 10 who has wormed himself into the hearts of the fans with some eye catching displays.
Uko was in action for the duration when Shooting Stars went down 0-2 to league leaders Rivers United in Port Harcourt on Sunday and the deep-lying playmaker admitted afterwards that the mood was not the best.
‘Nobody is happy losing a match. We gave everything in the game but the day was not for us. The feeling among the players and management is not great but we have to accept our fate and move on to the next one’, the young midfielder shrugged his dreadlocks as he spoke to www.npfl.ng.
This time last year, the Akwa-Ibom born Uko was cutting his teeth at second division side Vandrezzer, where he first experienced competitive league action.
Now in his first ever season in the NPFL, Uko has adapted to life chilling with the big boys quite quickly, And while representing a demanding side like Shooting Stars, he is making his mark already.
Uko is the club’s top assist maker this season with three assists in nine starts and is obviously relishing the experience.
‘It’s been great and I cannot be grateful enough’, he says with a cute smile.
‘The feeling is great. Playing in the top flight is amazing and I’m enjoying every bit of the experience’.
Regarding his club’s recent struggles on the pitch, Uko believes it is a phase for them to pass through. But he remains absolute in his belief that they will not go down at the end of the season.
‘It is a phase in football that we all pass through. We (3SC) are only paying a price for staying in the NNL for too long. So coming back to the NPFL, you will face some challenges, some rough edges but surely we will never go down.
‘One hundred percent I can assure the fans that we will never go down’, he said.
The journey to that assurance continues for Shooting Stars on Match Day 18 on Sunday when they host former champions Kano Pillars at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
Courtesy: LMC Media
