BY ADENIJI SAMUEL ADEKUNLE
The Solid Miners are looking to earn their first win of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League Season as they rekindle their age-long rivalry fueled by geographic proximity and a desire for bragging rights against El-Kanemi Warriors FC of Maiduguri on Saturday afternoon at the Lafia City Stadium.
The two teams were relegated after the end of the 2022/23 NPFL Abridged Campaign, but only spent one season in the lower league, the Nigeria National League, NNL, before gaining promotion back to the top flight after the NNL Super Eight competition in Enugu in June, this year.
The Solid Miners enjoy a larger chunk of the bragging rights against the Maiduguri-based 2024 Men’s Federation’s Cup winners at the Lafia City Stadium and on neutral venues.
United defeated El-Kanemi 2-1 in the return-leg of the 2023/24 NNL game at the Lafia City Stadium on match-day 13, and went on to win 1-0 during the NNL Super Eight Play-off opener in the Northern Conference in Enugu thereafter.
Although the duo have been engaged in fiercely contested rivalry with vastly different histories, Nasarawa United achieved the highest league goalscoring margin against the far northern club, thrashing them 5-1 during the 2018/19 League Season in Lafia, with Sunusi Ibrahim, now with Montreal Impact CF of Canada, scoring a brace, while Anas Yusuf, Isah Ndala and Emmanuel Ogbole each netting once for the Solid Miners.
At the 2022/23 NPFL Abridged Campaign, United lost their first home match to El-Kanemi Warriors by 1-2 at their temporary New Jos International Stadium home-ground. However, neither of the sides could remain in the elite season after as they both got relegated.
On neutral venues, the Solid Miners had beaten El-Kanemi 1-0 during the Quarter-final clash of the 2018 Aiteo Federation Cup, now known as the President’s Federation Cup in Aba, Abia State, with returnee right back, Kabir Balogun, scoring the solitary goal in the 89th minute.
During the final of the maiden Ahlan Unity Pre-season Cup Tournament held in Kano, in 2019, United beat El-Kanemi 1-0 to become the first side to lift the pre-season trophy.
After Friday’s last training session, Nasarawa United’s Technical Director, Kabir Dogo, said he is optimistic his wards will deliver on Saturday’s mandate.
“I am very sure we will pick the maximum points on Saturday(tomorrow), Insha Allah.
“We lost our first three points at home here against Shooting Stars, and you are aware of what happened in Minna against Niger Tornadoes.
“We can’t afford to lose another points again.
“We are approaching tomorrow’s game with vigour, enthusiasm and hunger for an outright win, regardless.
“We lost one of our key players, Umar Ibrahim, to injury he sustained during our match in Minna last weekend. We pray he recovers on time to join the squad. Nonetheless, we are equal to the task.
“The supporters and fans must be rewarded for their support and solidarity to us”, he stated.
After two rounds of games, Nasarawa United currently sit on 11th position on the young league table against El-Kanemi’s one point, though with a game at hand.
The Nasarawa United versus El-Kanemi Warriors’ game comes up by 4pm, local time, on Saturday, 21st September, 2024, and will be televised live on Channel 244 on Startimes before the global audience.
