Super 6: Kano Pillars, Flying Eagles battle for top spot

League champions Kano Pillars and Flying Eagles come head-to-head in continuation of the expanded Super 6 today after they both got off to a winning start.

Pillars saw off Dolphins with two early first half goals, while a 10-man Flying Eagles also dumped Enyimba 2-0 in this invitational tournament aimed at preparing the country’s clubs and national teams for forthcoming international competitions.

The Flying Eagles were the most impressive on the opening day with defensive midfielder Ifeanyi Ifeanyi and substitute and goal scorer Musa Yahaya catching the eye.

They looked sharp and fitter than the other teams on parade and their combination play was a pointer they are set to storm the 2015 African Youth Championship in Senegal in March.

However, coach Manu Garba has maintained his team are still a work in progress as he expects them to be a lot more ruthless in front of goal after they away several clear-cut chances against Enyimba.

“I have seen some of the lapses especially in goal scoring. We missed a lot of scoring chances and that is part of the corrections we would be making on the team,” stated the former Nigeria U17 handler.

Pillars, who have won the league for the past three seasons, have a tough task stopping this team on Monday afternoon even though they showed a lot of individual brilliance against a mediocre Dolphins side.

In the first match of Monday, Enyimba will hope to salvage some lost pride when they tackle Warri Wolves, who also lost 2-1 to the Nigeria U23 team.

The final game of the day will pitch the U23s against Dolphins.

Coach Fatai Amoo, who is in charge of the team while Samson Siasia has led another squad for a series of friendlies in Tunisia, said he expects improvements in the second match from his team led by FC Taraba midfield star Usman Mohammed.

“Most of the players have not played at this level and given more opportunities, they will improve,” Amoo assured.