Edwin Okon targets ninth Cup crown in Federation Cup final

The grand finale of this year’s Federation Cup comes up on Wednesday, June 21 as head coach of Rivers Angels Football Club, Edwin Okon and his players are targeting their 9th title in the Oldest football competition.

The Eight-time Champions will face their South South rivals, Bayelsa Queens and this will be the fourth meeting between both sides this season.

In his pre-match interview, Okon said the Federation Cup is a different ball game so everyone should expect a different approach in Wednesday’s final.

“It’s a South South derby and you shouldn’t expect to see same game plan from both teams, Bayelsa will definitely come with a different approach likewise Rivers Angels. The way we approach the league isn’t same with the FA Cup so you all should expect something totally different.

“We may have lost to Bayelsa Queens thrice this season but that does not put I and my girls under any sort of pressure neither does it mean they were better than us in terms of performance. We have put in so much in this competition and hope to crown our efforts with a victory over Bayelsa Queens.

“As you can see, we are fully prepared for this and as Eight-time Champions, we know what is expected of us and we are ready to get it done in regulation time tomorrow,” he added.

Rivers Angels forward, Alvin Dah-Zossu also spoke ahead of Wednesday’s game and said it is an opportunity to correct the mistakes made in previous meetings with Bayelsa Queens.

“It is my first season with Rivers Angels and my first time playing in the FA Cup finals so it really means a lot to me as a player. It is my utmost desire that we go back home with the trophy.

“Meeting Bayelsa Queens for the fourth time this season and having lost in our last three meetings is something we need to correct and redeem ourselves.

“Wednesday’s game is an avenue for us to correct our wrong from the previous meetings. We’ve had rigorous discussions amongst ourselves as players and with the technical team and I’m hopeful we will get it right this time around,” she said.

The final, which will precede the men’s final is expected to kick-off at 2pm local time.