Heartland FC have a huge but surmountable task at hand as they confront Oriental Brothers, Enugu Rangers on Sunday in a Nigeria Premier Football League Matchday 27 tie at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba.
The first leg fixture played in Awka ended 2-0 in favour of Enugu Rangers but the Flying Antelopes didn’t have it easy in the said game.
The Naze Millionaires have an opportunity to avenge the lost of the first stanza on Sunday in Aba as they seek consecutive home win for the first time in the second stanza. Looking at Heartland FC of yore the incumbent players of the Owerri side have a lot to prove and the responsibilities to ensure they display the true Spartans spirits and ensure the club’s name and image is not subjected to ridicule or derision by those who knows little or nothing about the club’s rich history. They can do this if they truly approach Sunday game with their hearts and minds and not the halfhearted displays they exhibited in most of the matches they have played this season.
The technical crew also should perfect their strategies and ensure the players with the right hunger and zeal to put their bodies on the line are given the chance to play while the management have a task to loose all ends to ensure the players are in good frame of minds ahead of the game.
Heartland FC defeated bogey team Abia Warriors 2-0 two weeks ago to pick their first Oriental derby victory of the season from four games. That win was significant and Christian Obi led side can make it count by earning another win on Sunday.
Enugu Rangers under Fidelis Ilechukwu have been transformed better than they were under Abdu Maikaba last season and it is for a reason they are among the frontrunners for the league title this term. Despite the adulation on the Flying Antelopes, the Naze Millionaires must explore all their loopholes to get the needed home win and keep the hope to survive the relegation alive.
Heartland will need the support of the supporters Club and their fans in Aba too on Sunday and ensure that the Owerri side sing a victory song at the end of the game.
The Naze Millionaires’ situation is not a lost case but everyone in the club must unite to save the club. Clubs whose members are singing in discordant tones hardly succeed. The rich history of Heartland FC right from its formation in 1976 is bigger than anyone at the club and we must all join hands together to make the club succeed.
