NPFL: Clash Of United As Rivers Host Kwara At Liberation Stadium

RIVERS UNITED HOST KWARA UNITED IN A REVENGE GAME

By Admin

The Pride of the Rivers host the Harmony Boys on Wednesday at Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt in the clash of the United in Match Day 7 of 2018/2019 Nigeria Professional Football League.

Since both Dolphins FC and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt adopted their habitat (RIVERS) as a common or generic name, KWARA UNITED have met RIVERS UNITED four [4] times: During 2017 GoldCup Preseason Scrimmage in Ilorin, in the encounter, the Pride of Rivers drew the first blood through a spot kick in the first half, while the Harmony Boys equalizer came through Alfred Stephen's terrific shot, the encounter eventually ended 1-1 apiece. In 2017/2018 NPFL, Rivers United humiliated Kwara United 1-0, the lone goal came at the last minute of added time in the first round of the amputated league.

In the third match, Harmony Boys facilitated the exit of Rivers United at 2018 Akure GoldCup; in the last game of the group stage Rivers United needed a win to qualify for the final stage, unfortunately, Rivers United trailed the Harmony Boys to force them to a 1-1 draw.

At the group stage of 2018 Aiteo cup, which is the fourth game, exactly 61' the Harmony Boys reduced the Dolphins and Sharks to pups/calf and eventually trounced the Pride of the Rivers 1-0 at Agege football temple with a whimper.

Match Day 7 between Rivers United and Kwara United is primarily been tagged revenge game meaning both teams have to exact revenge. Harmony Boys would demand a pound of flesh for the last season home lose, while the Pride of the Rivers will equally wish to revenge being led out of two competitions within few months in a season by the Harmony Boys.

Revenge is tawdry, a pointless concepts to Lookman Binuyo, captain, according to him, 'To be honest with you, we want to do it all for ourselves and for each other, we need to make it a tradition that we are better than them anywhere and anytime. Honestly, we have to do it with dedication, resilience and indomitable spirit.'

In life, they say living well is the best revenge. In sports, winning is the ultimate revenge. The Harmony Boys look poised, focused, determined and discipline. The players seem to have bought into whatever it is Coach Abubakar Bala, technical adviser and his lieutenants are selling to them.

In the actual fact, Kwara United is familiar with this environment. The Harmony Boys are use to having great fun swimming in the shallow and deep Rivers without much ado but with great technicalities in manoeuvring the undercuts. In that spirit, we have stunned the two teams in Port Harcourt and typically awoke the interest and passionate enthusiasm of their numerous fans and supporters; harmony boys got impeccable correct judgement from the mammoth crowd at the end of the encounters. We are here again to do it better than before. But we must realize that if we want to win, we must do the ordinary things better than anyone else does them day in and day out.

The Harmony Boys are here to once again stagnate the RIVERS without hassle. To scale through as usual, we need a change of character, a fresh approach, and a hint of hope.

To further neutralize the power of the current in the RIVERS, the Harmony Boys will handle the Pride of Rivers with respect, but will never substitute that with complacency because innovation comes from seeing the same old things a little differently. The harder we work, the harder it is to surrender.

The Harmony Boys should strive to scale the mountain, to enable them view the plain because a champion is simply someone who did not give up when they wanted to, therefore you must evoke the spirit of champion in you and that of your team mates.

In God we trust.

Akinola Francis Gbenga
Club Psychologist.