Katsina Utd, Making A Big Statement with Naija Super 8

Kunle Adewale

Despite failing to qualify for the semifinals of the ongoing Naija Super 8 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos, Head Coach of Katsina United, Usman Abdullah said he was satisfied with the performance of his boys and believe the team made a statement with the competition.

Though their mission in the Naija Super 8 was to assess the team and at the end of the competition, look at areas that needed to be improved upon ahead of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) season. Katsina United however got more than they bargained for after drawing 1-1, with high riding Remo Stars and beating league champions, Enyimba of Aba, 2-1 in their second game. The Changi Boys however narrowly missed a place in the semifinals on goals aggregate.

In a chat with the coach of the team he expressed satisfaction with the team but said it was still work in progress as there are still a lot to be done.

“Like I said before this competition we are not here to win the competition but to analyse the team after the Naija Super 8 and think of a plan for the coming season. A victory would however be appreciated but not the ultimate,” Abdullah pointed out.

“My plan is to have a good recruitment for Katsina United ahead of the coming season. I know the level of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) and we still have a couple of new players to be tested, as you can see the boys are already tired. We did not have a Salah break, we played in the play offs of the Naija Super 8 at Eket and headed straight to Asaba to play in the Nigeria National League Super 8 and now we here. So, there are a lot of tiredness among the players and we have to inject some new players. The plan was not to win the Super 8 but rather it’s about preparing a solid team for next season,” the former Enyimba coach said.

On whether the management of Katsina United is on the same page with him concerning his plan for the team, he said, “I have a feeling that with the new chairman, we will come into compromise on some certain things as to my plans for the team. We had a discussion on what he wants and what the team should look like and we are almost through with it. I am not on contract for now. I am with the team just to see how I can build up a strong team for them. but i think we might end up reaching an agreement, but nothing concrete for now but on the road of that,” Abdullah noted.