Remo Stars of Ikenne, Ogun State playmaker, Adebayo Abayomi has heaped praises on his team mates and the team’s technical crew for their fighting spirit which got the team a CAF Champions League continental ticket ahead of Rivers United of Port Harcourt at the just concluded NPFL Championship Play-offs.
The team proved book makers wrong by finishing second in the weeklong championship to join Enyimba FC of Aba as the two teams that will represent the country in the money-spinning CAF Champions League next year. Abayomi however believes their achievement is worth celebrating.
“Prior to the commencement of the NPFL Championship Play-offs, nobody gave us a chance to pick one of the continental tickets in a competition where you have the likes of Enyimba, Rivers United, Bendel Insurance who were unbeaten in the league and Lobi Stars. But at the end of the day, we proved them wrong and finished second on the log which to me was a very big achievement,” he said.
Abayomi who attributed the team’s success to doggedness and never-say-die spirit of the players noted that the experience they garnered at the play-offs will guide them towards preparing for next season and the CAF Champions League.
“I want to say that we were able to achieve what we achieved because of the doggedness of the players. Even when we were a goal down against Enyimba and Rivers United, we never gave up hope and that was why we were able to equalize in both games which really helped us to maintain good position on the table.
“It’s also important that I give kudos to our technical crew and the proprietor of the club, Hon. Kunle Soname for his kind heartedness and fatherly advice which made us fight like wounded lions in the championship,” he added.
The player while admitting that the continental campaign is a difficult task was optimistic that Remo Stars will not be going to the continent to make up the numbers but to fight for the trophy.