Heartland Queens will be on another redemption sing song mood when they take the ropes as guests against former champions, Nasarawa Amazons in Wednesday’s NWFL Premiership matchday 6 clash on the turf of Lafia City Stadium in Lafia, Nasarawa state.
The premier leaguers are meeting on Wednesday for the third time. In the immediate past season, the topflights showed dominance in their own sanctuary winning on each occasion, and at the 2024 NWFL Super Six playoffs in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state they fired blank thereby sharing the spoils on the day and perhaps, divine design put the two on parallel lines at the 2024 most highly rated preseasons, Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT) and Sheroes Cup in Benin City and FCT, Abuja respectively.
When the topflights met first time ever last season in the same group, the Owerri landladies were atop of the log but heading into Wednesday’s showdown, the shoes fit perfectly better on the Lafia landladies legs with their fourth place on the eight-team log on nine points against the Oriental side’s seventh place on poorly two points.
Heading into Wednesday’s third time topflight meetings, the Owerri side played out a frustrating goalless draw with the visitors from the nation’s centre of commerce, Lagos, Dannaz Ladies while the Lafia Amazons were taken to pieces and humbled with two unanswered goals by the champions, Edo Queens in Benin City.
The Owerri gaffer, Obi Ogbala who made his career’s finest mark at the Lafia side, and who by virtue of being winless in the last five matches is not the happiest man among his mates at the moment, knows that he cannot further explain any reason whatsoever for another poor result and must go all out to conjure a win or at worst, a draw in the game of supremacy.
A veteran in the dugout business, Ogbala has a litany of choices to make among his charges starting from the netminders, defence, midfield and attack in order to get the tough job done and perfectly well also.
Ogbala may go for youth against experience on who mans the post. Amarachi Atulayo may get the nods in goal over Uchenna Chukwu who just two seasons ago was the shot stopper at the Lafia landladies, while the usual strong women – Oluomachi Onwere, Chisom Henry, Prisca Nwachukwu and Nnenna Williams, and midfielders – Oluchi Okwara, Samson Faith and the newest sensation, Endurance Omoraka will keep their shirts. Shirt keepers are certain among the front women – captain and former Lafia Amazons’ Chimebere Opara, Emmanuella James, Onyinyechi Kalu and two-goal heroine, Monica Matthew.
A very good result in the Lafia crunch showdown will be welcoming and soothing, and perhaps turnout to be the much sought after elixir the Owerri mainstreams need to get themselves back into contention for the season’s prizes.