Abia Angels assistant coach Judith Benson has sent a strong message to the rest of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Super Six contenders after her side maintained their unbeaten start with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Rivers Angels in Port Harcourt.
The Super Six debutants followed up their opening-day 1-1 draw against defending champions Bayelsa Queens with a historic win over the hosts at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, thanks to Winner David’s brave first-half header.
Abia Angels unbeaten start fuels NWFL Super Six title ambition
Despite entering the competition as first-timers, Benson insisted her team never came to merely make up the numbers.
“I told you guys that we are the first-timers in the Super 6, and as it is, other teams might be looking at us with some kind of underestimation, but we are not here for jamboree.
And that was why in our first match we went all out, but we could not get the three points. But today we have got the three points.”
Abia Angels showed resilience throughout the contest, soaking up pressure from Rivers Angels before capitalising on their opportunity when Winner David headed home from an inswinging cross in the first half.
The victory moved the Umuahia-based side to four points from their opening two matches, strengthening their position among the title contenders.
Asked whether the result was revenge for their earlier FA Cup defeat to Rivers Angels, Benson admitted the previous encounter played a role in their preparations.
“I won’t call it revenge, but it looks like revenge, yes. Because, you know, we played with them before, so we went back to the drawing board; we noted our lapses, and we have to tighten our lapses.
And the formation we used against them the other time is different, including the players that we used the other time. So we have to change our system of play and tactics. That’s why today we were able to contain them.”
Judith Benson reveals motivation behind Abia Angels success
The victory carried extra significance for Benson and her players as they continue to build on the foundation laid by their absent head coach.
“I’m very, very excited. There’s no coach that will not be happy. Like I said the last time, you all are aware that our head coach is not here. But we are building on his legacy.
These were the legacies that he left. So we are building on that legacy and let’s say that is what is motivating us. We are all doing this for him.”
Abia Angels had struggled with the offside trap several times in the first half but eventually found the breakthrough and held on for all three points.
Benson praised her players for responding positively to instructions from the technical bench.
“I so much appreciate them. We noted the lapses that were there. We spoke to them, and they went in there and did the exact things that we told them to do.
And if you watched, there were some little changes. We made some little changes, and the players that went in were the players that observed the game as well. So they had to go inside and make the corrections.”
The coach also dismissed suggestions that her team adopted a defensive approach to secure the result, pointing instead to the difficult playing conditions caused by persistent rainfall.
“No, I would not say it’s holding back. But as you can see, the situation of the pitch is it’s raining and the pitch is slippery.
So in terms of possession, we were not able to play the kind of game that we actually wanted to play despite the fact that we were winning because of the situation of the pitch.”
With four points from two matches and confidence growing inside the camp, Benson did not hesitate when asked whether Abia Angels can go all the way and win the NWFL Super Six title.
“I would say yes. Because we have come here to win.”