Rivers United technical manager Finidi George says he is encouraged by his side’s unbeaten away record in the 2026/2027 EuroMatch/NPFL season after they secured a goalless draw against Abia Warriors.
The point came in Sunday’s Matchday 8 fixture at the Enyimba International Stadium Aba and kept Rivers United unbeaten in the league. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Finidi praised his defenders and said he was satisfied with how the team had negotiated its away matches.
“I think we’ve really worked hard this season. We haven’t lost a match, despite the fact that we’ve been knocked out of the (2026/2027) CAF Champions League,” said Finidi, the former Enyimba manager and Super Eagles winger.
The result leaves Rivers United second in the 2026/2027 EuroMatch/NPFL table on 16 points, one behind leaders Rangers, who have 17.
Finidi said the defensive unit had made a positive contribution but warned that the increasing number of fixtures was placing pressure on his defenders.
“Yeah, I think the defence is doing well, but we still have to monitor the defenders properly because the accumulation of matches is beginning to take its toll. We’ll see if others can come in and perform at the same level.
“We’ll see what happens, but I’m quite happy with the way we’ve handled most of our away matches so far.”
Asked whether he regarded the draw as a valuable result, Finidi pointed to the importance of collecting points on the road, particularly after Rivers United missed out on last season’s league title by the narrowest margin.
“If I’m happy with the draw? Sometimes, at the end of the season, all these points will count for a lot, you know. Last season, we lost the league title by just one point. So, let’s see if this time around, we can maintain this form for a little longer,” said the former Ajax Amsterdam winger.
Rivers United had opportunities to take all three points in Aba but could not find a way past Abia Warriors. Finidi described his team’s performance after the interval as inconsistent, while also praising their control of the contest.
“The second half was off and on for us. But coming here to get a point on the road against a difficult side a lot of teams might have lost here by a big goal margin and for us to come here and even control the game, trying to see how we could score a goal, which didn’t happen, says something.
“But these are things that happen in football. All the same, we’re quite happy with the point, and we’ll build on it,” Finidi concluded.