Bayelsa UTD Holds Enyimba In Yenegoa, As Coach Yema Switch's Focus To Remo

 

Enyimba FC maintained their unbeaten run against Bayelsa United after they were held to a 1-1 draw in Yenegoa on Sunday in an NPFL match day 10 encounter.

The People's Elephant took the lead at 29th minute of play after a counter attack started by Ifeanyi Ihemekwele's chest down and swift turn allowed him to free Ufere Chinedu in front of the box who found Alade Balogun for a cut back that Ekene Awazie rifled home for his second of the season.

The home side rallied round to equalize before the break off a free kick that was defelected down to beat Asibe Nathanial in goal.

Both sides went at each other especially in the second half with Enyimba having the ball at the back of the net of their opponents (an own goal) but the Assistants flag was already up for offside against Ismail Sarki who didn't touch the ball.

Reacting after the encounter, Coach Yemi Olanrewaju Daniel described the encounter as a game Enyimba could have won but for the cheap give away that allowed Bayelsa to equalize.

He however said they will have to manage the one point and focus on the next game against Remo Stars FC in Aba next Sunday.

"Yeah, we knew they will result to a lot of long balls as in the first half.

"So what I asked them to do was to calm the game so we can play from the back, cause our strength is to play from the back while we force them at the final third.

"We gave them lots of the ball cause we wanted them to load the balls which in the second half we did same thing.

"We sat back and let them load a lot of balls, when we pick we try to eliminate their midfield and get to final third.

"I think this is a game we could have won, because they didn't really creat anything in the second half except some long balls while we played to to get to the last third, I think execution at the last third wasn't really good enough.

He regretted the gifted goal to the home side insisting that had the first half ended 0-1 they would have come out more which would have allowed Enyimba to get another goal.

Coach Yema further stressed they can't really celebrate a draw cause they really came for the three points and Enyimba FC is a team everyone expects you to win all the time. But he expressed that they will have to manage the point and focus on the next game against Remo Stars FC in Aba next Sunday.

In his own reaction, the Technical Adviser of Bayelsa United FC, Coach Ladan Bosso blamed the outcome to his team's wastefulness in front of goal but maintained they will continue to work on creating the chances and finishing it.

He regretted that some of his players have not been fully cleared and that it's affecting their preparations.

Enyimba after the draw in Yenegoa still maintains their 3rd position on the log with 18 points from 10 games 3 points adrift of Remo Stars and Rivers United on 21 points in that order.