Rivers Angels head coach Edwin Okon hopes his side will pick up a favourable result in Lokoja where they take on Confluence Stars as they begin their Nigeria Women Football league (NWFL) Premiership title defence on Wednesday.

The match is one of seven scheduled as the women’s topflight resumes for the 2020-21 season after a year of inaction.

The midweek game will be a repeat of last year’s Super 4 final at the Agege stadium where the Jewel Of Rivers pipped the Kogi side by a lone goal to clinch their sixth NWFL title.

Last season, the topflight was called off amid the coronavirus pandemic and Okon expressed excitement about the long-awaited return of women’s professional football.

“It’s a good thing to have the league back after being off for a while”, Okon told the club’s media channel.

“I’m looking forward to a favorable weather, good game and fair officiating.

“There’s never a pushover in the NWFL so we are going to be giving our very best to get the vital point needed”, he added.

With this season set to decide Nigeria’s representatives to the newly introduced CAF Women’s Champions League tournament which commences in 2021, Okon believes the competition in the NWFL will be stiffer.

The former Super Falcons suggested the league body puts in place adequate mechanisms and measures including the compulsory assignment of match delegates to all centres for to ensure irregularities are reduced to the barest minimum.

“I want to appeal to the organizers of the league to send representatives to all match centers”, Okon continued.

“It shouldn’t be business as usual. We want a situation where teams can comfortably pick points on the road just like we see in the men’s league”, he summed.

Meanwhile the Jewel Of Rivers recruited a total of 16 players for the 2020/2021 NWFL Premiership.

The duo of Ugo Njoku and Mary Saiki are making a return back to the team after two seasons away with Criox de Savoie Football Academy (France) and Nasarawa Amazons respectively.

The defending champions equally acquired Confluence Queens forward, Christopher Precious, Deborah Abiodun (Nasarawa Amazons), Regina Otu (Edo Queens), Maryann Ezenagu (Delta Queens) and Ikekhua Oghenebrume (Delta Queens).

In a related development, Rivers Angels have named Catherine Kenneth as the Club’s new captain. She will be assisted by Ibubeleye Whyte.