It may be his first season in the top league but Ejike Ugochukwu has been quite outstanding in the defensive midfied position which has hugely contributed to Rangers International competitive run in the 2023/2024 season of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
For the opportunity to be part of a potentially successful season for the Flying Antelopes, Ugochukwu is full of appreciation for the coaches, management, and his teammates for the good run thus far which he is attributing to discipline, determination and hard work in the team.
The gifted midfielder joined Rangers from Uyo based F.C One Rocket where he was the captain and in a chat with Rangers Media, spoke glowingly about the squad which he said is in perfect shape to end the season amongst the top finishers.
For him, a major plank in their impressive performance has been the motivation they enjoy from the club management and the savvy approach to matches by the coaching crew led by Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu. Before FC One Rocket, Ugochukwu had stints with amateur side, F.C Betel in Lagos.
In a tribute to his team mates on how he has been made to speedily integrate in the first team. Ugochukwu, said, “I am thankful to God for making my coming to Rangers a success and I also would want to thank my team mates for making it possible for me to adapt to the playing philosophy of the club. It has been success all the way.”
For a player who just moved from the lower league to the NPFL, Ugochukwu has been a ground breaker, starting and completing all 90 minutes in 24 of the 27 fixtures played so far.
He also considers wearing the Rangers badge a privilege, noting that “Playing top-flight football with a club like Rangers is the best thing to have happened to my career. I owe a lot to the management, coaches, and players I met in the team for allowing me to exhibit my God-given talent even though, it has not been an easy task.”
Asked to evaluate his side’s chances of clinching another league title six years after their first win in 32 years, Ugochukwu who hails from Oji-River in Enugu State, declared, “I believe that we have all it takes to be crowned champions but we are taking the matches one at a time as there are no two matches that are the same”.
“We respect every team in the premiership but we don’t fear any. I believe that with the discipline, determination, and hard work from everybody in our team, I am very optimistic that we will end the season well.”
A match he would want to forget is the home game against Kwara United, which he considers as “one of the hardest I featured in and not being at my very best. I regret the missed opportunities in that fixture that ended goalless”.
