NPFL '22: Guess Who Is Back!!!

NPFL '22: Guess Who Is Back!!! By Omolagba Oluwayemi Niger Tornadoes and Gombe United will play the topflight league in Nigeria next season having secured an NPFL ticket via the NNL Super 8 play-off in Enugu State, BSNSports.com.ng reports. Tornadoes and Gombe United dropped from the NPFL to the NNL in 2019 and both are back together after playing a goalless draw against each other in the final Group A game played on Saturday morning. Played a draw against DMD and El Kanemi Warriors in their first game, Tornadoes and Gombe secured a 2-0 and 1-0 win over El Kanemi Warriors and DMD respectively in their second game to move 1st and 2nd on the log going into the last game. With both sides needing just a point to book an NPFL ticket, it was obvious how the last game will pan out and without any disappointment, they did the needful playing a goalless draw to finish 1st and 2nd in Group A with 5 points. A Fight Too Late It was a fight too late for El Kanemi Warriors who although spanked DMD 3-0 but could not displaced the teams above them who settled for a draw. Also Read: Gombe United Share Spoil With El-kanemi Warriors In Group A Opener Warriors after failing to win any of their first two games knew their chances of securing a ticket to the NPFL requires an unlikely result from the other games involving Niger Tornadoes and Gombe United, where they needed one of them to lose while they beat DMD by at least 3 goals, and although the later was achieved, the former could not materialise. Having failed to secure promotion this season, El Kanemi Warriors will have to fight for it next season. For DMD, they punched a little above their weight getting into the playoff against all odds but they should have their heads up high despite failing to gain promotion to the NPFL and building on the experiences gathered from here should help them going forward next season. NNL Super 8 Play-Off Group A Results Gombe United 1-1 El Kanemi Warriors Niger Tornadoes 0-0 DMD El Kanemi Warriors 0-2 Niger Tornadoes DMD 0-1 Gombe United Niger Tornadoes 0-0 Gombe United El Kanemi Warriors 3-0 DMD Final Standings Niger Tornadoes _______ 5 pts Gombe United __________ 5 pts El Kanemi Warriors ____ 4 pts DMD ___________________ 1 pts