Having won the team of the month and player of the month respectively, fans of Delta Star of Ughelli trooped to the Ughelli Township Stadium expecting their darling team to thrash the visiting Ibom Youths FC in a Week 5 encounter of the Nationwide League One on Thursday, but the reverse was the case as Delta Star had to claw their way back to reckoning to end the game 1-1.
A free –kick taken from the right flank of Delta Star defence by Ibom Youths FC was well connected with a sublime finish into goal by Hossana Uyoh in the 40th minute. Perhaps, the rain that fell prior to the game contributed to both teams struggling at the initial stage due to the fact that the pitch was muddy, thereby reducing Delta Star to long thrusts to penetrate the defence –line of Ibom Youth as Promise Okechukwu, Ukomi Kingsley and Tega Ebetomarie orchestrated the attack.
These moves yielded no fruit until the 65th minute when a goal -mouth scramble was converted by Ukomi to calm the frayed nerves of the home fans. The equalising goal prompted Delta Star to pile more pressure, but the compact defense of Ibom Youth FC proved equal to the task.
In a chat with www.nigerianationwideleague.com after the game, Lawrence Kingsley, the chief coach of Ibom Youth was of the opinion that his players acted the technical script of the game very well and it was pleasant to leave Ughelli with a point having lost the earlier fixture 2-0 to Delta Star. “It was a good game, although I was not too impressed with the manner my team conceeded the equalizer. I must still commed the players for sticking to our game plan and we were able to gain a point here after losing the three points to the same team on our home soil,” Kingsley said.
However, Delta Star gaffer Peter Nieketien lamented the inability of his players to convert their numerous goal –scoring opportunities in the game, which cost them the chance to consolidate their position in the quest for promotion to Nigeria National League.
