Coach Ogunbote aiming high with the ‘Blue Angels’

It will be recalled that last season Sharks battled relegation until experienced Technical adviser Ogunbote who had parted ways with Sunshine Stars of Akure arrived in Port-Harcourt to help turn around the fortunes of the club.His arrival brought instant change as Sharks swum quickly out of relegation waters and stayed in the middle of the […]

It will be recalled that last season Sharks battled relegation until experienced Technical adviser Ogunbote who had parted ways with Sunshine Stars of Akure arrived in Port-Harcourt to help turn around the fortunes of the club.
His arrival brought instant change as Sharks swum quickly out of relegation waters and stayed in the middle of the log till the end of the season.
Done with the rescue mission, Coach Ogunbote settled down to assemble a team that would compete for a continental ticket in the ongoing season. He came along with Ibrahim Ajani who played under him in Sunshine.
For many, Sharks performance in the league has not come as a surprise because the Technical Adviser is a man who knows his onions. He has been on the continent on a number of occasions with Sunshine Stars in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
This season, out of ten matches Sharks have won five, drawn three and lost two matches away from home. Although they opened the seasoning on a losing note against Bayelsa United, they bounced back to defeat Lobi Stars 1-0, held Heartland to 0-0 away, whipped Crown FC 3-0, drew 0-0 against Dolphins in a local derby, lost 0-1 to Gombe in Gombe, bounced back 2-0 against Nasarawa United at home, got a crucial 2-1 away win against Kaduna United, defeated El-Kanemi 2-0 and held Nembe City to 0-0 away.
Speaking to SHOT! on his team’s impressive run so far, Ogunbote said he is extremely happy with the performance of his boys but said he is not carried away by the present success.
He said it is too early to begin to celebrate but there is enough reason to hope for greater things to come. Ogunbote also said the players have been warned not to get complacent.
According to the experienced gaffer, there are 28 more matches to play and talking about the title after only ten matches is not the right thing to do.
“I am happy that we are doing well but it is not yet time to begin to talk about the title. There are 28 more matches to play and we have not gone half way.
“The most important thing is to thank God for what he has done so far for us and continue to pray for the strength to carry on.
“God is doing it for us and we want to continue to rely on him for future achievements”.
Ogunbote also said without sounding immodest, he wants to fight and take Sharks back to the continent.
“Every team that is competing in the league is interested in winning the title and our case cannot be an exception. I want to see how with the support of God, we would return to the continent”.
The coach said Sharks got the inspiration to dream big after the all important 2-1 away victory over Kaduna United.
“We had an away draw against Heartland which showed we can hold our own against some of the big clubs anywhere. However, when we defeated Kaduna United in Kaduna, our confidence soared.
“We have continued to work hard to build on that success and our latest 0-0 draw against Nembe City is another motivation and sign that we can do even better”.
After the 1-0 loss to Gombe, Sharks FC have gone four matches unbeaten and they have a home match this weekend against former African champions, Enyimba FC.
It is going to be the biggest test for the Blue Angels this season but Ogunbote is confident of victory. “There is no small team in the league. We respect Enyimba as one of the formidable clubs in the league but it stops there. We shall go for the maximum points.
“Victory against Enyimba will keep us on top of the table and that is where we want to remain by the special grace of God”, he said.