Stanley Eguma, head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League side, Rivers United, says fatigue after long-distance journeys have affected his title-chasing team.
Rivers on Monday defeated Niger Tornadoes by 3-0 to maintain their lead at the top of the NPFL table.
Prior to the convincing win over Tornadoes at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, the league leaders suffered a 1-0 defeat at Sunshine Stars, who made their return to Akure.
Eguma currently has three of his key players out due to injury and the longest-serving coach in the Nigerian league blamed the league’s schedule for the injuries.
“We had to bounce back after the poor outing in Akure and it’s good winning well against Niger Tornadoes,” Eguma said.
“It (the victory) wins back our confidence and it also allowed the players to know we are still on course to win the league title. It was a good outing and we managed the fatigue situation to ensure that we came out on top.
“The long journey we made to Katsina was a big minus for us in Akure, after playing Enyimba in another tough game. I’ve been trying to inject some new players into the team to ensure that those playing regularly are relieved. I brought in some new players against Tornadoes and I’m sure they will help the team.
“Chidiebube Duru and Chiamaka Madu’s injury worry is a big problem for us considering the fact that my Cameroonian defender is also out injured and these injuries I attribute to the strenuous situation we find ourselves in the league due to the long-distance journeys we make.
“I need to look for a solution as quickly as possible to keep the team going. I will need to make changes when possible to ensure we are potent in attack.”
Rivers, who have racked up 55 points in 25 matches, travel to Ilorin to face Kwara United in their next game.
Mike Cookey