Doma United will on Wednesday face Sunshine Stars as they continue the battle with Remo Stars and Lobi Stars for the top spot in the league, Nigeriasoccernet.com writes.
Doma United are gradually building a name for themselves since their first appearance in the topflight last season, and despite missing out on the Super Six on the final day of the season, the Savannah Tigers have so far shown that they are not a season wonder as many have tagged them to be.
Speaking ahead of the game, coach of the side Akinade Onigbinde believes his team will leave no stone untuned when they face the Akure Gunners. He claims his knows what is at stake and how to achieve it.
"We are in Akure to pick point. All the players know what is expected of them and what we need to do to go back to the top of the league.
"We've trained and prepare for the game through our game plan, so we will see how it goes," he said.
Talking about the secret to his team's form this season, "hard work" Onigbinde said.
"It's only hard work. We work very hard, we train very well and the players know what its all about. We know what we are looking for, we know what our target is, so we set a target for ourselves and we know that we are going to achieve that.
"Actually its been been easy. To work on the defence, to the midfield and attack, everyone knows what our target is. One of our target s at least no ball must go to our net, so,is not easy. We make sure we breakdown our opponents so they don't go into our 18, or take a shot from outside the 18. So all those things, the blocking, the marking, we've been working on it and they've been helping us.
"Again, the owner of team, Alhaji Sulaiman Umar has been doing so very well in the area of funding. He is really trying for the players and the officials. Immediately after the match, the players get their bonuses, so this ginger them. For the gane against Sunshine Stars now, the players know what is at stake. They win the game, ofcourse they have plenty of money to enjoy their new year. This motivates everyone to put up their best in every game.
"All these have been the key factors helping us. We face challenges also, but we've been able to overcome them."
Speaking on Osayi Kingdom missing out on the AFCON provisional list despite his form for the club, coach Onigbinde believes his time will come. Although he thinks the goalkeeper has been outstanding and should have been considered, but believes his time will definitely come.
Doma United have lost only 3 times on the road this season and a point against Sunshine Stars in Akure will place them level on points with Remo Stars who currently occupies the top spot and a win, will help them climb to the top spot.
By Oluwayemi Omolagba