Heartland vice captain and defensive midfielder, Julius Ubido has said his side cannot afford to lose a back-to-back top-flight match.
The Naze Millionaires were stunned 1-3 at the bottom-placed side, Ikorodu United, in a matchday 14 clash in Lagos, but have a chance to redeem themselves in Sunday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) matchday 15 clash against El Kanemi Warriors at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.
Ubido said that, though the loss at newcomers still hurts his side, they are determined to make amends with the clash against the Maiduguri landlords.
“Of course, we cannot be two-time losers, that will not be good for our image as well as reputation in the domestic scene.
“We must come out strongly to win the encounter against El Kanemi Warriors on Sunday in Owerri.
“Of course, no team is cheap in the Nigerian top flight so we do not expect anything less than a tough challenge from El Kanemi Warriors but we must win to shore up our position on the league table.
“We are angry over the matchday 14 clash defeat at Ikorodu United and have resolved to make amends as well as bring smiles to the faces of our supporters, who were rightly disappointed at the loss to the Lagos side.
“We had daunting challenges going into the match at Ikorodu United but that’s history as we want to march forward as well as return to winning ways again,” said the Nigerian ace to supersport.com.
Heartland are 11th on the 20-team Nigerian top flight on 18 points from a possible 42 in the 14-week old league.