Confederation Cup successes in 2011 and 2012 signaled what was thought
then to be the return of the glory days of the Naze Millionaires that
stormed the national football scene in the late 1980's and early
1990's shattering and creating records as Iwuanyanwu Nationale.
Ownership of the former Spartans FC of Owerri was transferred by the
then Imo State government to prominent businessman and construction
mogul, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who went on to rename the club and
started them off on a tour of Brazil, hiring expatriate coaches and
bringing in the very best Nigerian players and others from
neighbouring Ghana, Benin Republic and Cameroun.
Then, the expected revival went kaput in 2013 when Heartland's
management could not muster sufficient funding on time from the state
government to honour a CAF Confederation Cup tie in Gabon. That has
been the best of seasons for Heartland as they have failed to get even
a peep in to continental competitions in the last three seasons,
finishing on 10th position in 2013/14.
It was a season that started like the Spartans of old campaign in 1985
which saw the team earning the sobriquet, 'draw specialists', playing
all of 14 games without a win but also without going down. It was the
last season of the side as Spartans following the indifferent
performance that forced the state government to do away with the club.
Last season under a former Spartan defense ace, Kelechi 'Caterpillar'
Emeteole as coach, Heartland also got off to a winless eight match run
which they exorcised with a 1-0 defeat of rivals, Enyimba
International at the Dan Anyiam Stadium. They never recovered from
that poor start and ahead 2014/15, captain, Chinedu Efugh who led them
to the Federation Cup triumphs and goalkeeper Emmanuel Iwu who
displaced more experienced Ebele Obi talked tough and ambitious at
their training camp in Nnewi, Anambra State.
First to speak was Efugh: "We rejoiced when the fixtures pitched us
against champions, Kano Pillars, though they are the champions for
three seasons now, they have never defeated us and we will start the
season on a bright note. We are used to beating them (Kano Pillars) at
home and we get good results against them at away, so it is a dream
start because this is a team we play very well against".
Efugh insists the ghost of the last season have gone and offered some
insights to his confidence.
"We started badly last season but we have learnt from our mistakes. We
are working hard to start the season with a win so those mistakes
won't repeat themselves this season. Our goal is to start from the
first game of the season and keep the momentum".
"There is also a new coach, Erasmus Onuh, who I played under in the
national home based team. He has a different philosophy from the
Emeteole and insists we play the passing ground game unlike our last
approach that relied on high balls. So, this season, our fans who come
to the stadium will enjoy our game because we will not only win, we
will give them a lot to cheer about".
Iwu made his debut for Heartland last season under Emeteole and soon
seized the first team gloves from more experienced goalkeepers. A
graduate of the famous Taye Academy that produced Golden Eaglets and
now Manchester City's second team forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, Iwu
believes the players have grown in confidence unlike last season and
urged the fans to rally behind them. "There is a lot we have learnt
and improved on and what we need now is for the fans to show us love
and have confidence in us this season. We will win a trophy and get a
continental ticket. Their support is important if we will achieve our
targets this season".
Aside the arrival of Onuh to replace Emeteole, last season's attacking
revelation, Bobby Clement also moved on with the coach to the Flying
Antelopes alongside Osas Okogbue and Orji Kalu. Club officials insist
they would only reveal names of replacements and new sign-on after a
formal unveiling ceremony. However, Efugh paints a picture of
'all-systems-clear' when he asserted, "The mood is high in camp and we
cannot wait for the league to commence. We cannot wait to start
implementing these things we have been learning here in camp. Like I
said, we want to start well and set a good platform for the rest of
the season".
HEAD TO HEAD SINCE 2010/11 -DATE
Heartland: WLDDWLWD
Pillars: WLDDLWLD
2010/11
Heartland 2-0 Kano Pillars
Kano Pillars 3-0 Heartland
2011/12
Heartland 1-1 Kano Pillars
Kano Pillars 1-1 Heartland
2012/13
Heartland 2-0 Kano Pillars
Kano Pillars 1-0 Heartland
2013/14
Heartland 1-0 Kano Pillars
Kano Pillars 1-1 Heartland
--ThisDayLive
No comments:
Post a Comment