Amapakabo Worried By Abia Warriors Wastefulness In Games, Relying On A Single Player For Goals

Abia Warriors Head Coach, Imama Amapakabo, has expressed serious concern over his team’s inability to convert chances they create during games, citing such as reason the club has been underperforming in the current campaign, Completesports.com reports.

Amapakabo also expressed concerns that only one of players was finishing well in front of goal despite the team having over thirty- something players on its payroll.

The 2015/2016 EuroMatch/NPFL title winning Coach with Enugu Rangers spoke during the post match press conference after his team came from behind twice to force vising Doma United to a 2 – 2 draw in a matchday 12 fixture of the 2026/2027 EuroMatch NPFL clash on Sunday in Aba.

Doma United raced to an early lead with Tijani Azeez opening scoring five minutes after kick off. But Abia Warriors leading scorer, Chukwuemeka Obioma, restored parity for the home side in the 37th minute while the visitors restored their lead in the 69th minute through Akpan Samuel.

However, Chukwuemeka Obioma scored got his brace on the afternoon with an 80th minute equaliser to ensure Abia Warriors salvaged a point in the pulsating clash. It was Obioma’s 8th goal of the campaign with the result bringing to four, the number of home draws Abia Warriors have recorded in six home games so far, with a win and a loss.

“It’s terrible, because like I always worry about every other game, we create the chances but we’re not converting them,” Amapakabo lamented during the post match press conference.

“There were numerous moments for us in transition moments that my players weren’t reacting well especially in defensive transition.

“Yet, this is something that we’ve been working on. What has bedevilled us mostly has been our finishing in our transition from the defense. We’ve done a whole lot and the players, you know, sometimes when you get bad result, it kind of weigh them down, psychologically. We’re lucky today that we escaped with a point.

Also Read: NPFL: Abia Warriors Determined to End Season Strong — Imama

“I’m a coach and I’ve to do my cry in the rain. I take soldiers to war. If I show the soldiers through my body language that I’m defeated, it will demoralise the soldiers.

“But honestly, it’s quite challenging for me that I’ve just one player in a squad of about thirty – something players that converts chances. And the other players would have same chances too and lose them. It’s a big problem.

“But we’ll go back , I’ll have to keep my head on my shoulders and like I always say, two people are involved in the game, — I, as the coach, am responsible for tactics and formation.

“My responsibility is to make them arrive at goal. And, then, the players, having arrived at the goal, it becomes their own responsibility to take the chances that they were able to create through tactics by their technique. And when they are not converting it, it becomes a problem. But we’ll keep working on it.”

The former Enugu Rangers and El – Kanemi Warriors gaffer also voiced his frustration following early minute injuries to his key players during the clash.

Augustine Njoke, Abia Warriors Captain and right wingback was taken off the game early on account of a hamstring problem. Similarly, Emmanuel Nnaji, a midfielder, was taken off over yet another injury, and Amapakabo was left to rue the spate of injuries that crippled his team during the game.

“I was also asking the question, you know, how the players warmed up before the game because just from the start of the game, there were too many injury worries, especially hamstring injuries that give me a little bit of concern.

“But as we go back, our medical team is going to look at the (affected) players and see how it goes.”

The draw against Doma United now leaves Abia Warriors in 19th spot on the league standings with 11 points from 12 games. They will travel to Inter Lagos for a matchday 13 fixture with the Lagos side sitting bottom of the table with three points.


By Sab Osuji