By Wale Mustapha
Wikki Tourists coach Bashir Sale says his team must remain grateful after salvaging a 1–1 draw against Bayelsa United in Sunday’s Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash in Bauchi.
The Bauchi Elephants needed a late response to avoid defeat at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in their Matchday 14 encounter, denying Abdu Maikaba’s men the chance to build on last weekend’s impressive away victory at Enyimba.
Speaking on behalf of Maikaba in the post-match briefing, Sale admitted the contest was a difficult one for his side.
“It’s painful we couldn’t win, but we need to be grateful it didn’t end in defeat — that would have caused more pain,” he told the club’s media.
“Though it was not the result we prepared for, we showed real resilience to bounce back and get something.”
The draw moves Wikki Tourists up to seventh place on the NPFL standings.
Maikaba’s team will travel to Benin City next as they prepare to face Bendel Insurance this weekend.
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.
