The FCT Flickers male hockey team and the South West Hockey Club drew goalless on Thursday in their match at the ongoing 2021 National Hockey League.
In the match played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, both teams started the first quarter on a cautious note with several attempts as the match progressed.
The defenceline of both teams held fort as none of them could break the deadlock.
The Flickers made aggressive move towards the end of the quarter and got a penalty corner, but the South West Hockey Club managed to keep them at bay.
FCT Flickers rode on the momentum and continued playing aggressively at the start of the second quarter.
The South West Hockey Club also got a penalty corner in the 25th minute, which was also blocked out by the Flickers defence.
The forwards of both sides continued to look for the opening goal but could not find the back of the net as the deadlock continued till the halfway stage.
In a post-match interview, FCT Flickers hockey team`s coach, Major Jatau, said he was impressed with his team’s performance.
He added that it was an opportunity for the team to play in the tournament.
‘‘I am building a team for future development. We didn’t come here to win but to acquire experience and also expose the players to the game.
‘‘Though my players trained together but they didn’t have the opportunity to play together in a great tournament. This is the first time they are playing at this level after several years.
“I am happy with the opportunity given to us to expose this talented team in the tournament,’’ Jatau said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that only two teams would qualify to meet with the top six teams.
On his part, the manager of the South West Hockey Club, Yemi Siyanbola, said his team’s performance was better than that of the previous game.
“My team have shown the class they are made of,’’ he said.
“My team has improved . The outcome of the game between Lafia Flickers and IGP will determine our next target,’’ Siyanbola said.
Also, the coach of the South West Hockey club, Bello Musa, commended his players for their performance in the league so far.
“We only have one hockey team from the south-west and that is Stallion of Lagos and no other club again.
“We selected this team from different south-west states, so that we can spread the gospel of the sport across different states of the south-west,” he said.
NAN reports that six teams are participating in the National League one, with two teams from the women category and four from the men’s category.
The teams in the women’s category are listed as Benue Amazons and South West Hockey Club, .
The men’s category has Lafia Flickers of Nasarawa state, FCT Flickers of Abuja, South West hockey club and the IGP Flickers.
NAN reports that the annual tournament which started on Saturday will end on Friday.(NAN)
