Sunshine Stars captain, Abe Sunday, has disclosed that the Akure Gunners have determined to win the 2014/15 Nigeria Professional Football League title.
The coach Kennedy Boboye’s side finished the first stanza of the NPFL atop of the table with 36 points from 19 games, followed by Enyimba on the same points, but second to Sunshine on goals difference.
"We planned for it (club's league position). Before we started this season, we called ourselves and talked to ourselves that our club has not been able to win the league for some years, in fact we have never won the league before. So we made up our minds to fight for the league this season. We said, this season is going to be different. We agreed to focus on every match we have to play and go for a win no matter what. So our position is not really a surprise to us," the skipper disclosed.
Despite an eleventh placed finish, the team showed promising signs last term. They were the second highest scoring side in the league (51), second only to eventual champions Kano Pillars (56) but they were also the fifth most conceding team in the championship (47). Nembe City (73), Crown FC (56), Kaduna United (56) and Bayelsa United (54).
They posted such results last term - Sunshine Stars 3-2 El-Kanemi; Sunshine Stars 3-2 Warri Wolves; Nembe City 2-2 Sunshine Stars; Sunshine Stars 3-3 Sharks; Heartland 3-0 Sunshine Stars; Sharks 4-1 Sunshine Stars; Sunshine Stars 2-2 Heartland. Abe said the team had to do something about the ease with which they conceded goals.
"At the end of last season, the management called us, they said the way we were conceding goals we need to adjust. They said we were conceding too many goals and we bought some new players in the defence line. Right now we have a lot of players who are finding it hard to get into the team. A lot of them, central defenders, right-backs are not even playing.
"We made changes because we don't want to concede goals like that anymore. The coaches have also helped us and you can see we are better now compared to last season," he revealed.
On the title race, the 24-year-old reiterated his team's hunger to win and he says the key to beating the rivals is staying focused on their own performance.
"We have determined not to keep losing matches. When you lose, you are encouraging your next opponents, you are telling them that you are not special. See, we want to win the league, we don't want to come second. We want to make record as the ones who gave Ondo State government the league for the first time. There is time for everything and now is our time.
"We are not overlooking any team but we want to stay focused and beat any team coming to play us. The teams following us, Wikki Tourists, Enyimba etc we cannot play for them, we play for ourselves. We don't care what they are playing, as far as we are winning our own matches, they cannot overtake us. We believe we can do it and by the grace of God we will win it," Abe assured. LMC
Sunshine Stars Captain Confident Of Winning NPFL Title
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