Gidado FC were held to a goalless draw by SGFC Athletics FC in matchday 16 of the Nationwide Division one League (NLO1) at the Kwara State Complex Stadium Ilorin.
SGFC Athletics were hoping to avoid what transpired in the reverse fixture where they fell 1-0 courtesy of a penalty awarded to the away team.
Gidado FC were the chance to take the lead in the 36th minutes they were awarded a penalty following a foul inside the SGFC area but Captain Sanusi Olayinka saw his effort parried by goalkeeper Godwin Friday.
Wisdom Higenus was fouled inside the box just before halftime, but the centre referee waived down SGFC Athletics’ request for a penalty and instead gave him a yellow card, claiming that it was a dive. The half finished 0-0.
Five minutes into the second half, Sulaimon Ibrahim’s long range shot would have given SGFC Athletics the lead, but the goalie parried it away for a corner kick.
Gidado FC also had a fair share of chances, but the closest they came to scoring was when Amuda Issac’s late free kick was blocked by the woodwork. SGFC Athletics continued to apply pressure but once again missed the target.
Both sides finally shared the spoils and would hope to continue the fight another day.
Reacting after the game was the head coach of SGFC Athletics, Jamiu Isa (The Future One) praised his team’s effort stating that he was satisfied.
“I am satisfied with the performance of my boys,” he said after the match.
“We prepared well for this game and invested so much in preparation for the game, we had our game plan which was well executed, It was a local derby that lived to it’s expectations.
The gaffer reflected on the first game, which they lost at home, and noted that things were different today than when they first arrived since they weren’t accustomed to the atmosphere, the culture, or the people. This situation has since changed.
“When we came around first time we weren’t use to the environment the people around and the culture so it slowed our game down a little bit in the first leg, but now you would agree that it is a different game because we’ve fully settled down and we prepared well for this game”, He concluded.
