Our journey as a club has taken us through the NNL in our first two years, up to the NPFL in our third, back to the NNL for our fourth, and now here we are again, ready to push for promotion. We don’t want to stay long in the NNL, so our goal this season is clear: get back to the NPFL.

It’s also a new beginning on the touchline. Coach Jeff, who served as assistant last season, takes charge of his first league game as head coach. A fresh start, a new direction, and a chance for the boys to set the tone early.

Stakes are Higher

This season comes with a twist: no more play-offs. To get promoted, we simply have to finish top of our group. That means every match counts. Every point matters. Nothing can be taken for granted.

Familiar Foe

We face Osun United to kick things off. They are a side that gave us serious problems last season. They beat us at home and held us to a draw away. Today is a chance to rewrite that story.

Team News

Clinton is unavailable as he recovers from illness. Everyone else is fit and ready.

From Coach Jeff

On how he's feeling:

Very well. Pumped, excited, ready to go again. The energy in the squad is high. I'm not going to say it's not a huge game for me, being my first league game as head coach. But we've had months of preparation and seen many situations we've learned from. So I'm ready, and excited.

On facing Osun United, who frustrated us last season:

"They frustrated us last season, but that's in the past now. We plan to focus on the game in front of us and play our game. We've not been able to find clips from their preseason games, but we're confident that the game we play today will give us all the right situations to win. The squad is bigger, more dynamic, more mature. Psychologically, we're not even thinking of this as vengeance. We want to play our game and be good at it, and that's what we'll do."

On the squad, additions, academy graduates:

With the academy graduates you'll see this season, we're continuing the culture of the club where we give opportunities to young players who deserve them. They will play very important roles in the season.

And for the additions, we watched these players for a long time, and they trained and stayed with us so we know they're the right profile, talent and personality for the club. They will improve us in areas where we were already strong, and also bring dynamism. We want to be very dynamic this season."

On what fans should expect from watching his team:

Proactivity. We will be proactive, and play on the front foot and attack. We will make things happen instead of reacting to things.

How to Watch the Game

Get your tickets and be part of the season opener at Onikan. If you’re not in Lagos, you can catch the stream here.