Plateau United head coach, Abdu Maikaba has told his players to display more aggression and fighting spirit in their remaining matches of the NPFL season to ensure they end the regular season in the playoff.
Maikaba said a good run of form in the remaining nine matches of the season could see Plateau United in the top-three and has charged his players to be braced for the challenge at hand.
Maikaba praised his players for their first-half performance but pointed out that the weather and fatigue from the long-distance trip from Jos to Nnewi could be among the reasons they were unable to maintain the same level of consistency from the beginning to the end of the game.
“It was a very good game for Plateau United besides the fact that we ended on the losing side,” Maikaba told npfl.ng.
“We lost to a good side. I believe that we started the game very well but later on in the game, we couldn’t continue the way we started the game and we were punished for it.
“It may be because my players have traveled for a long distance and we arrived on Friday before training (on Saturday) but still we have seen the sign of fatigue in them. It might be due to the journey and it might be due to the weather condition at the beginning of the game. It was difficult for both teams.”
The former Wikki Tourists and Akwa United coach tasked his players to forget about their loss to FC Ifeanyi Ubah and concentrate on their next league game on Sunday with Heartland with a view to picking the three points that will take them away from the drop zone.
He added that a good win against the Naze Millionaires who thrashed them 3-0 in the reverse fixture will help boost their confidence ahead of the business end of the league season.
“This match (FC Ifeanyiubah) has finished and we have to focus on the next game which is against Heartland,” Maikaba said.
“We will make sure we win that game at home and still remain in contention for the Super Six. No two games are the same. The first leg game was played in Okigwe and we lost 3-0 but the second leg will be played in Jos.
“I believe we will get it right in the next game. We have so many problems which we are trying to solve. I believe that the team is improving in terms of playing style but we need to be more aggressive and hungrier with the way we approach our games both home and away.”
