Ilechukwu shifts focus to Pillars tie after dropping points at home for the first time in almost four months!

Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu has shifted focus to Rangers’ next league match away at Kano Pillars on Wednesday after the Flying Antelopes dropped two points at home for the first time since November last year when they drew goalless with Katsina United.

‘It was not a good game for us because it was a game we prepared very well for and thought that we were going to get all three points but in football, so many things happen and we just had a bad day in today’s match, especially in the first half.

‘It was an unfortunate experience for us. This result is a temporal setback but we hope to get something good when we play Kano Pillars in our next game in Kano,’ said Ilechukwu who had led Rangers in a five-match winning run which included away wins at Niger Tornadoes and Doma United.

Rangers’ winning streak in the 2023/2024 NPFL season was cut short by the resolute defending of visiting Kwara United F.C inside the main bowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, Enugu, as the match ended goalless.

Coach Ilechukwu kept faith with the majority of the lads that secured the massive win in Kaduna over Niger Tornadoes with Chukwudi Nwaodu, Kazeem Ogunleye, and goalkeeper, Detan Ogundare finding a place in the starting team that produced signs of attacking football from the start of proceedings.

The goalkeeper for the visitors, Salihu Dogo was the busier of the two shot-stoppers in the first quarter-hour of the encounter and was the reason the goals refused to rain as he blocked and parried out all that was aimed at his goal especially the fierce shot from Kazeem Ogunleye on 6 minutes just as he also did well to deny Godwin Obaje on 27 minutes.

On 37 minutes, Kenechukwu Agu’s well-struck free-kick deflected off the wall of defense mounted by the goalkeeper just as further missed opportunities by Philip Clement, Obaje, and Zulkifilu Rabiu towards the end of the encounter meant that the ‘Afonja Warriors’ escaped from ‘The Cathedral’ with a share of the points.

With the result, Rangers now occupy the 4th spot on the twenty-team log with 41 points from 24 matches.