On its face value, yesterday’s encounter between 3SC of Ibadan and Kwara United had the setting of an ordinary league match where the two clubs are chasing different outcomes.
Homers Shooting Stars, were looking for ways of improving their lots on the league table with the possibility of chalking up points that would put them in vantage position to secure a slot in CAF Continental engagements next year.
Kwara United, on the other hand,were desperately searching for ways of swimming out of relegation waters and yesterday’s encounter offered them the only opportunity to either float or sink.
All supporters of Kwara United who traveled to Ibadan and even those who couldn’t but followed the pulsating encounter religiously, had this setting at the back of their minds,because a win for 3SC would be a morale booster while a loss by Kwara United would have sealed the hopes of the Afonja Warriors escaping relegation.
The match was therefore, that of Shooting Stars to win given their added home advantage but more importantly, also that of Kwara United NOT to lose given the tight corner in which they find themselves.
But unknown to many is the fact that,beyond this setting is the history of the old Sports rivalry between the two neighboring States of Oyo and Kwara.
Students of history will easily cast their minds back at the historical precedence of the 70’s when the then Military Governor of Kwara State, late General George Agbazika Innih muted the idea of constructing the present Kwara State Stadium which is now named after him by the AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq’s administration.
The original idea was to construct both the mini and mainbolw of the Sports Complex which arguably would have ranked amongst the best if not the best sports edifice in the country at that time.
The whole project was to cost a little less than forty million naira then.
However, sensing that the project when completed, would automatically outshine their own Lekan Salami Stadium both in quality and beauty, our Oyo State neighbors vehemently rose against the construction of the Sports edifice by the Innih administration.
Their two leading tabloids, The Sketch and Tribune Newspapers in which several damaging articles were published, spareheaded the ‘fight’ against the Innih administration.
The barrage of attacks was so intense in nature that the Innih administration had no choice than to capitulate, leading to its decision to reduce the scope of the project by forgoing the Mainbolw aspect of it, leaving us with what we presently have.
That indeed was the precursor of the hot Sports rivalry between the two sister States which unknown to many also played out at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Ibadan yesterday when Shooting Stars hosted visiting Kwara United. We discovered on our arrival in Ibadan that the atmosphere around the stadium was tense, Shooting Stars supporters flooded the arena in their hundreds to drum massive support for the home lads.
Good enough, a sizeable number of Kwara United supporters resident in Oyo State also made it to the Stadium but it was so unfortunate that a bus conveying some Kwara United supporters from Ilorin broke down on the way to Ibadan and later got fixed but disallowing them the opportunity of watching the greater part of the match in which their voices would have also added value to the scintillating performance characterized by determination, courage, capacity, enterprise and uncommon patriotism put up by our gallant Afonja Warriors even in the face of intimidation, subtle harassment and intermittent questionable calls.
Shooting Stars raided and mounted pressure on their opponents, fought so hard to secure a win which almost came in the dying minutes when goalkeeper Suraju Aiyeleso, like a colossus rose gallantly to the occasion by deflecting a goal bound shot which if scored would have sunk Kwara United deep in relegation waters while at the same time, it would have made our journey back home a depressed one.
On the flip side, Kwara United put up a never- been – seen figthing spirit,contesting every move of Shooting Stars with equal grit and determination, even attempting to score on two occasions in a pulsating encounter which ended goalless.
Worthy of note also is the favorable comments of the Shooting Stars supporters who rated yesterday’s encounter as one the best they have watched at home this season with additional comment that “with this type of quality display, a team like Kwara United does not deserve to go on relegation”.
That coming from very passionate Shooting Stars supporters in Ibadan of all places to me was the icing on the cake of a game which served a dual purpose of bringing joy to Kwara United supporters and that of rekindling hope in the ability of the Harmony boys to sustain the tempo, maintain the momentum until “all is well,that ends well”.
Just let it start to end well by inflicting another heavy blow on Barau FC on Sunday ,same way you did EL-Kanemi Warriors a couple of days ago!
To God be the glory.
Hameed Adio OLY….✍️
