Moses is exceptional---Stoke boss

Nigerian international Victor Moses has been described as an exceptional player in Stoke City.
Manager Mark Hughes showered Moses with encomiums following his team's 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday night in an English Premier League (EPL) game.
Moses, who is on loan from Chelsea, was instrumental in Peter Crouch's 15th minute goal off a header having provided the cross.
"Moses has been exceptional. He's a man on a mission, I would suggest. He hasn't had a lot of football in the last two seasons and he just wants to play.
"Every time he gets into those wide positions you sense something is going to happen." Hughes told journalists.
Team-mate and the match winner Crouch also hailed the heroics of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner to the Potters’ victory over the Magpies..
"Victor's been our main threat so far this year, and he’s going to get quality balls into the box. It was a great delivery and I'm pleased with the goal," the former Liverpool forward told Sky Sports
Meanwhile, Moses has expressed surprise over the decision not to award a penalty kick in his team's favour after he was wrestled in the box by Yoan Gouffran in the first half.
"I'm surprised I didn’t get a penalty, but the referee didn’t give it - that’s football. Today was a major step up and hopefully we can start winning games as much as possible.
"It was a crucial game for us and the big man here got the goal, so we’re very pleased," said the former Crystal Palace player.
Moses, a former Wigan player after missing the first two 2015 AFCON qualifiers against Congo and South Africa has been recalled for the home and away clash with Sudan in November.
...................
Caption: Moses in a world of his own.

Globacom Premier League Week 28 results

Nembe City     1 Crown FC     1
El-Kanemi       1 Sharks            1
Sunshine Stars 0 Akwa Utd      0
Kaduna Utd     3 Gombe Utd   0
Dolphins         2 Nasarawa Utd  1
Giwa FC        2 Bayelsa Utd    0
Kano Pillars   2 Lobi Stars      0
Rangers         1 FC Taraba       0
Enyimba         0 Heartland       0
Warri Wolves 1  Abia Warriors 0

 
Globacom Premier League Week 29 table
      
1. Kano Pillars                     29     14     8     7     42     31      50     11
2. Warri Wolves                  29     14     4     11     30     28     46     2
3. Dolphins                         29     12     9     8     32     23     45      9    
4.Enyimba                          29     12     8     9     33     19     44      14
5. Nasarawa United           29     13     5     11     30     25     44     5 
6. Giwa FC                        29     13     5     11     29    26     44     3         
7. Akwa United FC           29     12     7     10     23     22     43     1
8. Sunshine Stars               29     10     12     7     38     33     42     5
9. Sharks FC                    29     11     9     9     30     25       42      5
10. Abia Warriors               29     12     5     12     38     32     41     6   
11. Heartland FC              29     10     11     8     28     22     41     6
12. Rangers                      29     12     5     12     36     32     41     4
13. Lobi Stars                   28     13     2     13     28     32     41     -4
14. El-Kanemi Warriors    29     11     7     11     31     25     40       6
15. Kaduna United FC     29     11     3     15     29     36     36     -7
16. Bayelsa United            29     11     3     15     34     44     36     -10
17. Gombe United FC     29     10     5     14     30     33     35     -3
18. Crown FC                 29     10     4     15     23     36     34     -13
19. FC Taraba                29     10     4     15     20     34     34     -14
20. Nembe City              28     5     10     13     16     42     25     -26

Rescheduled match result : Giwa FC     2     Nembe City  1

NNL Week 27 results and tables

NNL tables at Week 27

Group A

1) Wikki Tourists. 27–+14—-47pts
2) Kwara Utd—-27—-+20—46pts
3) Mighty jets—27—-+8—–44pts
4) Kogi Utd——27—-+13—-43pts
5) Plateau Utd–27—–+9—-43pts
6) Ranchers –27——+3—–43pts
7) Tornadoes —–26——+4—-41pts
8) Spotlight——27—— -2—-41pts
9) Sokoto Utd—27—– -5——41pts
10) Adamawa—27—–+4——37pts
11) Jigawa Stars  27—— -7——-37pts
12) Supreme—26——0——–36pts
13) FRSC FC—27——–1——-33pts
14) DSS FC—–26—– -14——32pts
15) TEAP FC—26——- -14—–28pts
16 Nig.Prisons 27——- -27—–19pts

Group B

 1) Shooting Stars—-27—-+14—-44pts
2) Gabros FC———27—–+7—–44pts
3) Akwa Starlets—–27—– +2——44pts
4) MFM FC————27—–+11—42pts
5) First Bank——-27——-+4——42pts
6) Bendel Insurance ———27—–+1—–40pts
7) ABS FC———-27—— -1——-40pts
8) Ekiti Utd——-27——- -3——-38pts
9) Gateway——–27——- -3——37pts
10) Abia Comets–27—— -3——–36pts
11) Unicem R—–27——- -4——-36pts
12) Go-Round—-26——-+2——35pts
13) Prime FC—–27—— -5———35pts
14) COD Utd——27——- -9——-34pts
15) Remo Stars–26—— -5———32pts
16) Stationary Stores –27——- -7——-30pts


Division A

Prisons FC        0    FRSC FC 1
Might Jets         1    Jigawa Stars 0
Kogi Utd          2    Wikki Tourists 1
Sokoto Utd      2    Adamawa Utd 0
Kwara Utd      1    Plateau Utd 0
Ranchers Bees 3   Spotlight FC 0
DSS                 vs  Niger Tornadoes (29/9/2014)
Supreme Court vs TEAP    (30/9/2014)

Group B

First Bank              1     MFM                  0
Gabros                 2       Gateway Utd       0
UNICEM Rovers 2       Bendel Insurance 1
ABS                     1       Abia Comets        0
COD                    1       Stationary Stores 0
Akwa Starlets       3        Prime FC            0
Ekiti Utd               1       Shooting Stars      0
Remo Stars vs Go round FC      (29/9/30)
.................
 FIXTURES

Globacom Premier League Week 29, Sunday Sept. 28

Sunshine Stars              vs   Akwa United
Kano Pillars                  vs   Lobi Stars
El-Kanemi Warriors     vs    Sharks
Dolphins                      vs    Nasarawa United
Warri Wolves              vs    Abia Warriors
Rangers                      vs    FC Taraba
Giwa Fc                     vs     Bayelsa Utd
Nembe City                vs    Crown FC
Kaduna United           vs    Gombe United
Enyimba                    vs     Heartland
............

Globacom Premier League Week 28 results

Akwa United     2-Giwa FC 0
Warri Wolves    3 Dolphins 1
Abia Warriors   0 Rangers 0
Bayelsa United  2 Kano Pillars 0
Gombe United   1 Nasarawa Utd 0
FC Taraba       2 Sunshine Stars 2
Crown FC       1 El-Kanemi 0
Sharks            3 Kaduna Utd 0
Heartland       2 Nembe City 0
Lobi Stars      1 Enyimba  0
...........

Nigeria Premier League Week 27 results

Kaduna Utd       5 Crown            0
Enyimba            4 Bayelsa Utd    0
Giwa FC           3 FC Taraba       0
Sunshine           3 Abia Warriors  1
Nasarawa Utd   2 Sharks             0
Dolphins            2 Gombe Utd     0
El-Kanemi       2 Heartland         1
Kano Pillars     1 Akwa United     0
Rangers          1 Warri Wolves     0
..........

Ranchers join promotion race

RANCHERS Bees of Kaduna have joined the race for promotion to the Nigeria Premier League as the management of the Nigeria National League (NNL), has confirmed the walk-over they had over TEAP FC in Wednesday’s NNL division A match.
The match was scheduled to hold at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja, but TEAP failed to show up in line with their earlier resolve to pull out of the ongoing league season.
Three goals and three points were awarded to the Kaduna-based side who has moved to the fourth position on the log with 43 points. Plateau United also with 43 points and plus 10 goals advantage place third as Kwara United is second on the log also with 43 points and plus 19 goals advantage while Wikki Tourists of Bauchi maintain lead with 47 points from 26 games.
TEAP FC had announced their decision to withdraw from the league alleging that the league has been compromised but the NNL board which denied the allegation also reminded them of the existing undertaking that forbids any team to pullout at any point in time.
The Abuja-based club did not show up for the match against Bees, in which they were hosts, leaving the match officials with no other option but to go ahead with the walk-over.
NNL secretary, Lawrence Katken acknowledged the match walk-over but hinted that the board will meet next week to take a stand on the unfortunate position of TEAP among other things.
“TEAP FC were walked-over by Ranchers Bees in Abuja on Wednesday and the mandatory three goals and three points have been awarded to the side.
“The board will meet next week in Abuja to discuss the ugly development as well as other critical matters affecting the league.
“I’m sure nobody is happy including TEAP FC themselves over the unfortunate development because our honest wish is to decide the losers and winners of the league on the field of play,” said Katken.
TEAP FC are placed 15th on the log with 28 points
...........

Globacom Premier League Week 27 fixtures, Sunday, Sept. 21

Sunshine Stars             vs Abia Warriors        
Kano Pillars                vs Akwa United
El-Kanemi Warriors  vs Heartland
Giwa                         vs FC Taraba
Rangers                    vs Warri Wolves
Nembe City             vs Lobi Stars
Kaduna Utd            vs Crown
Nasarawa Utd        vs Sharks
Dolphins                 vs Gombe Utd
Enyimba                vs Bayelsa Utd
...........
NNL Week 27 Group A fixtures, Wednesday Sept. 24

Kwara Utd            vs Plateau Utd
Kogi Utd              vs Wikki Tourists
Ranchers Bees     vs Spotlight
Supreme Court    vs TEAP FC
DSS, Kaduna      vs Niger Tornadoes
Sokoto Utd        vs Adamawa Utd
Ngr Prisons       vs FRSC FC
Mighty Jets        vs Jigawa Stars

Group B fixtures, Sept. 24

Akwa Starlets          vs Prime
Gabros                    vs Gateway Utd
First Bank               vs MFM
Remo Stars            vs Go-Round
Ekiti Utd                vs Shooting Stars
ABS                      vs Abia Comets
UNICEM Rovers  vs Bendel Insurance
COD Utd              vs Stationery Stores

Tables: NNL Group A

                                               P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    Pts

1. Wikki Tourists              26    15    2    9    34    21    13    47
2. Kwara United              26    13    4    9    41    22    19    43
3. Plateau United             26    13    4    9    31    21    10    43
4. Ranchers Bees             26    14    1    11    33    30    3    43
5. Mighty Jets                 26    13    2    11    29    21    8    41
6. Niger Tornadoes         26    13    2    11    24    17    7    41
7. Kogi United FC         26    13    1    12    39    28    11    40
8. Spotlight                    26    12    3    11    30    29    1      39
9. Sokoto United           26    12    2    12    19    26    -7    38
10. Adamawa United   26    11    4    11    29    31    -2      37
11. Supreme Court       26    11    3    12    24    25    -1    36
12. Jigawa Stars           26    11    3    12    24    27    -3    36
13. DSS, Kaduna         26    11    2    13    19    34    -15  35
14. FRSC                     26    7    10    9    22    23    -1    31
15. TEAP Abuja          26    8    4    14    16    33    -17   28
16. Nigeria Prisons       26    4    7    15    23    49    -26   19


............
NNL table Group B


1) Shooting Stars             26----+15----44pts

2) MFM, Lagos             26-----+12---42pts

3) Gabros FC                26-----+5-----41pts

4) Akwa Starlets            26----- -1------41pts

5) Bendel Insurance         26-----+2-----40pts

6) First Bank                  26-------+3------37pts

7) Gateway Utd              26------- -1------37pts

8) ABS FC                     26------ -2-------37pts

9) Abia Comets              26------ -2--------36pts

10) Go-Round                26-------+2------35pts

11) Prime FC                  26------ -2---------35pts

12) Ekiti Utd                  26------- -4-------35pts

13) UNICEM  Rovers    26------- -5-------33pts

14) Remo Stars--           26------ -5---------32pts

15) COD Utd-             26------- -10------- 31pts

16) S/Stores                  26------- -6-------   30pts

I enjoyed good food in Super Eagles camp------Gbolahan Salami

WARRI Wolves striker, Gbolahan Salami has declared that his invitation to the Super Eagles for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Congo and South Africa has given his career a boost.
Salami, a member of the Super Eagles bronze winning Nigerian team to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2014 early this year, in the AFCON qualifiers scored in the 2-3 loss to the Red Devils of Congo, while he fired blank against Bafana Bafana in Cape Town.
The former Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) player said on the official website of the Nigeria Premier League that the training schedule of the senior national team was awesome.
"The way I played today was helped by the national team. The way the technical crew  trained me, they gave me good food and good rest too," Salami said after his lone strike against Sunshine Stars at the Warri Township Stadium, in one of midweek Globacom Premier LeagueWeek 26 games said.
Salami fondly called Balotelli of Nigerian football with 12 goals so far is in contention for the Hot Shot award with Rangers' Ighodaro Osagona leading the chart with 14 goals.
.....
Caption: Gbolahan Salami.

Globacom Premier League Week 26 and NNL Week 28 results

Globacom Premier League Week 26

Bayelsa Utd         3 Nembe City    1
FC Taraba          1 Kano Pillars    1
Heartland           2 Kaduna Utd    0
Crown               3 Nasarawa Utd 0
Sharks               1 Gombe Utd    0
Lobi Stars         0 El-Kanemi       0
Akwa Utd         1 Enyimba         0
Abia Warriors   2 Giwa              0
Rangers             2 Dolphins        1
Warri Wolves   1 Sunshine          0

NNL Week 28 

Group A

Spotlight              3 Kwara Utd       0
Wikki Tourists     1 DSS                 0
Adamawa Utd    2 Kogi Utd          0
Plateau Utd        3 Sokoto Utd       0
Niger Tornadoes 1 Mighty Jets       0
Jigawa Stars        3 Ngr Prisons      1
FRSC                1 Supreme Court  1
TEAP                0  Ranchers          3

Group B

Stores                      0 First Bank   1
Gateway                  1 ABS           0
MFM                      3 Ekiti Utd     0
Prime                      1 UNICEM    0
Shooting Stars        2 Gabros         0
Bendel Insurance    2 Remo Stars   0
Go-Round              2 COD Utd     0
Abia Comets          0 Akwa Starlets 1

2015 AFCON qualifer: Can Congo survive again in Nigeria?

REIGNING African champions, the Super Eagles are billed to take on the Red Devils of Congo on Saturday at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabr in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
It will be Nigeria's first match after losing 0-2 to France at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Interestingly, the last meeting between both countries at senior level was on January 28, 2000 at the AFCON joinly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.
Congo against all odds picked up a point in the AFCON 2010 group game played at the National Stadium, Lagos.
Will Congo survive again in Calabar this time? This will be answered after 90 minutes as the game is scheduled to kick off at 5.pm Nigeria time.
The match would see the return of the likes of SS Lazio of Italy man, Ogenyi Onazi, who copped an injury during the Brazil 2014 second round clash with France; Monaco's Elderson Echijile who was deregistered as a result of injury during a build up game to the mundial and Nnamdi Oduamadi, who was also dropped from the final 23-man squad to Brazil 24, among others.
Other players who are staging comeback into the senior team are Joel Obi of Inter Milan, Italy; Nosa Igiebor of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel and Omatsone Aluko of Hull City, England. Aluko since his debut against the Republic of Ireland in 2009 is looking forward to getting his second cap against Congo.
Oduamadi believes there is no hiding place for the Congolese in the Canaan City.
"I want to use this game to prove my relevance to the Super Eagles and let the coaches have confidence in me through my performance. We will come out smoking against Congo on Saturday and winning the match is non-negotiable," said the FC Crotone of Italy forward.
Also, Juwon Oshaniwa is confident of Congo's fall on Saturday.
"We are in high spirits for the match and everybody in the team is focused on victory. We won't toy with the game because there is no minnow in African football again. We have to justify our status as African champions and we know we are the team to beat on the continent any day anytime," said the Ashdod of Israel defender.
...........
Caption: Nnamdi Oduamadi set to explode against Congo.