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By: Abiodun Adewale.
Head coach of Sporting Lagos, Paul Offor, has ascribed their successes to the structure of the club after winning the Naija Super 8 tournament, just weeks after gaining promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Goalkeeper Christian Nwoke saved two penalties in the shootout as the club beat Remo Stars 4-2 on penalties after regulation time ended 1-1.
Three weeks ago, the club also secured promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League, one year after it was founded.
Offor was appointed before the start of the just-concluded NNL season in March, joining from Cotonou-based Premier League club, Djeffa FC.
After four months in charge, the former assistant coach of Warri Wolves led the team to promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League before winning the off-season Naija Super 8 tournament, which they entered courtesy of a wildcard.
“It feels good that you set objectives at the beginning of the season and you achieve it. And the most important thing is the structure of the club. Sporting Lagos is very intentional about growth,” Offor told our correspondent.
He added that the final of the Naija Super 8 was another litmus test for his team after gaining promotion to the NPFL a few days before the start of the competition.
“It was going to be very difficult. Coach Dan (Ogunmodede) is a fighter and we came off the back of two tough games against Katsina United and Akwa United. That was what affected us in the closing stages of the final, that we couldn’t run very well anymore and given the quality of Remo Stars, too, it was a good final.
“It was a privilege to play against big teams like Enyimba, Akwa United, Remo Stars and Katsina United,” he said.
The promotion of Sporting Lagos to the NPFL was greeted by buzzing fans in Lagos, who stormed the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos to support the club during the Naija Super 8 tournament.
After two seasons in the second division, the fans will be looking forward to watching the club rub shoulders with the big boys in the top tier again, when the new NPFL season begins August 27.