Rivers United coach Stanley Eguma has described his side’s defeat to Enyimba on Sunday as a ‘very big blow’ for the Port Harcourt-based club.
Abdulrahman Bashir and substitute Wasiu Alalade scored in either side of half time to hand Enyimba a 2-0 win in Aba in a Match Day 6 tie of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
The defeat was the first for Eguma’s side this season, which also saw the Pride of Rivers drop to 3rd place from the summit of Group A table.
Speaking after the defeat to the 7-time NPFL champions, Eguma, a former coach at Enyimba, remains confident his team will bounce back from the setback.
“It’s a very big blow to us,” Eguma said of the loss to Enyimba. “And you know most of our players are new; some of them have not played Premier League (NPFL) before.
“So I know what this loss will do to them. And I think we have to technically work on their psychology and make sure that we bring back their confidence again because we are going back to play at home.
“And we will also make some changes in the team to ensure that fitness comes back to the team. Some of them (players) are fatigued due to series of matches we have played on midweeks and weekends. I think that is what we have to take back home, and also let them know that all hopes are not lost.
“Before this game, we were on top of the league table, just win one or two more games, we get back there. So, it’s just as simple as that.”
Rivers United will on Wednesday host Kwara United in a Match Day 7 fixture at the Yakubu Gowon stadium in Port Harcourt.
