By Wale Mustapha
Shooting Stars Technical Adviser, Gbenga Ogunbote, has warned his players to brace for a more challenging second half of the season in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Oluyole Warriors finished the first round in third place, accumulating 33 points from 19 matches. However, Ogunbote is under no illusion about the tough road ahead.
Speaking after the team’s training session on Monday, Ogunbote acknowledged that while the first round was difficult, the second round will present even greater challenges.
“I think we do not need anybody to tell us that it is going to be a very tough second round, even though the first round was equally challenging. Our position in the first round will surely attract a lot of challenges, but we have been able to tell our players, and I am sure they are aware of that too,” Ogunbote said.
He emphasized the need for his players to remain focused and dedicated to ensuring a strong finish to the campaign: “Everything we need to do is to be on our toes, to make sure that we give our best to ensure that we represent the team and the state very well.”
Shooting Stars will kick off the second round with an away clash against Kwara United in Ilorin.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
