Rivers United have revealed plans to prosecute their five outstanding Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixtures and assume a vantage position in the standings for a continental ticket by season’s end.
Their head coach, Stanley Eguma, agrees their work is cut out but believes the team will claim pride of place on the log, being the main focus of the team and the Rivers State government.
To achieve the target, the veteran NPFL tactician stressed the need to rotate the squad by introducing fresh legs to provide pace and strength, with a majority of the players seemingly fagged out.
“As you noticed in our last game against Katsina United, our boys appeared tired, which makes it imperative to opt for player rotation because we have many matches ahead of us”, Eguma said.
He continued, “We will take the matches one after the other, and every match is very important. We know that our position is down the log, so we have to do something positive to get up there.
“This is just what we are doing. I just hope the guys don’t lose focus, don’t get distracted but remain focused until we get up there. All we want to do is get up there, it is very possible and we can’t accept a different story.
“The players deserve some rest because they are human beings. We need to do squad rotation and bring in fresh legs to provide pace and strength”.
In a separate chat with The Punch, their media officer, Charles Mayaku, corroborated Eguma’s assertion, adding that the team was well motivated to prosecute the outstanding matches and finish the season strongly.
He said, “We have the best technical crew in the league. We are well motivated and will take it one game at a time, hoping to be where we deserve to be in the standings after clearing all outstanding matches.
“The Rivers State Government, through the Commissioner for Sports, Chris Green, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the team lacks nothing, so the boys are also working hard to repay the state government”.
The Pride of Rivers, who recently exited the CAF Confederation Cup, are seeking a swift return to the continent. They are currently 12th in the standings with 40 points from 26 matches, 14 points adrift of the Enugu Rangers, who are in pole position.
They will be involved in extensive travelling, with four of the outstanding matches on the road, starting with a trip to title contenders Remo Stars on 5 May. This will be followed by trips to Kwara United on 8 May, Sunshine Stars on 11 May, and Abia Warriors on 15 May, before rounding off the assignments at home against Niger Tornadoes on 19 May.
Meanwhile, Rivers United will be guests of relegation battlers Bayelsa United on Monday, 29 April, at Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa for a match-day 32 fixture.
