By Wale Mustapha
Remo Stars assistant coach Sulaiman Folarin says the reigning Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions are gradually putting an end to their habit of conceding cheap goals, as the team prepares for next clash against Barau FC in Kano.
Folarin said his side has become more defensively stable in recent weeks, after conceding 12 goals in four matches between late October and mid-November, including continental fixtures.
The Sky Blue Stars recorded their first clean sheet in several outings with a narrow 1–0 win over Kano Pillars in a rescheduled match earlier this week.
Despite the defensive improvement, the coach highlighted poor finishing as the team’s major concern heading into the weekend fixture.
Folarin urged his players to maintain their current tempo while showing greater efficiency in front of goal.
“As you can see, we are getting over the worries of conceding silly goals. The team is doing well now, and we want to maintain that tempo,” he told reporters in Abeokuta.
“We are only suffering from converting our chances. We create more but struggle to make them count, but I’m positive they will turn that around against Barau FC.”
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
