March, 13 2022.
The 'Solo Boys' defeated highly rated Warri Wolves 2 - 1 in a keenly contested Matchday 6 of the NNL to record their first win of the season at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Substitute, Megba Tomola was the hero as Ottasolo for the first time this season secured the maximum points following a back-to-back stalemate at home and loss on the road.
Ottasolo FC gaffer, Oladunni Oyekale made some changes to his starting XI on the back of an embarrassing 5 - 0 loss to Nnewi United in Anambra State. With the likes of Adamu Zikiru, Uche Chinonso, Ekpeyong Emmanuel, Samuel Ogunjimi and Ezeamaiwe Stephen all returned to the starting eleven.
The Solo Boys got off to an attacking start as they descended on their opponent from Warri like a house on fire. Warri Wolves were equal to the task, they absorbed all the attacking threat thrown at them at the early minutes of the proceedings.
The first clear cut chance of the game rested upon Ekpeyong Emmanuel who connected well to a humble pass from Ezeamaiwe Stephen but the lad could not compose himself as his close range effort sailed wide.
Following series of wasted chances by the home side, they eventually broke the deadlock on 30th minute through Ekpeyong Emmanuel who was at the right place at the right time to poke the ball into an empty net after a beautiful exchange of crisp passes orchestrated by Shina Ibrahim, Ezeamaiwe Stephen and Abba Tijani to give the home team their deserved lead.
Warri Wolves responded well, they threw more men forward in search of the equalizer but their effort were thwarted by Adamu Zikiru in goal for Ottasolo who made some clever saves.
The likes of Oniyide Rilwan, Baruwa Raheem stood their ground in the heart of Ottasolo defence to ensure their slender lead was protected.
However, Ottasolo surrender their lead as goalkeeper Adamu Zikiru made a horrendous mistake and conceded a cheap goal that restored parity for Warri Wolves just at the nick of halftime stoppage.
It was a ding-dong affair in the second half as both teams came out smoking in search for the winner.
The solo boys were impressive in their all round play but lacked the decisive touch in the final third.
Coach Oladunni stepped things up by making double substitutions. He threw Megba Tomola and Adewuyi Quadri into the fray on 62nd minute.
The Substitution by Ottasolo gaffer paid off on 75th minute as both players introduced combined well for the winner. Megba Tomola fired a rocket into the top corner of the net to restore Ottasolo lead after Adewuyi Quadri mesmerised his marker in the box before setting him up for the winning goal.
Warri Wolves poked and knocked but Ottasolo players stood their ground to repel the threat as they ran away with the maximum points and recorded their first win of the season.
On the back of this victory, Ottasolo have moved one place above the relegation zone, sitting 10th on the league table with 5 points amassed from 5 games.
Next for Ottasolo is a trip Uyo to keep a date with FC ONE ROCKET in one of the NNL Matchday 7 fixtures at the Nest of Champions.
POST MATCH INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH OTTASOLO FC OYEKALE OLADUNNI
The coach expressed delight in the spirited performance of his lads to secure all maximum points against highly rated warri wolves.
"I want to praise the boys because they took the game to Warri Wolves. The boys played how i wanted them to play and thats why we were able to subdue them. Warri Wolves came with a plan to win but they met a stiff oppostion with my boys. I am very excited because i know this would go a long way in motivating them for subsequent matches".
ON THE TEAM GETTING THEIR FIRST GOALS OF THE SEASON AFTER 4 MATCHES
"Basically it is training, because if you see the goals we scored today, they were all bascic training set up. They have being doing this in the previous games, just that they have failed to take their chances, today we are happy they were able to take them. The boys were able to take the ball from defence to attack easily. hopefully they w6 be able to keep taking thier chances".
OTTASOLO LINE-UP
Adamu Zikiru, Gafar Ridwan, Uche Chinonso, Baruwa Raheem, Oniyide Rilwan, Samuel Ogunjimi, Tijani Abba, Ezeamaiwe Stephen (Ugonna Samson90+), Ekpeyong Emmanuel (Ibrahim Matiti 88'), Nicholas Jonathan (Adewuyi Quadri 62'), Ibrahim Shina (Megba Tomola 62')
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
Shodipo AKorede, Idris Musa, Adebayo Shile, Ugonna Samson, Isah Mohammed.