Players of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan on Sunday faced series of booing from disappointed fans who lamented another home drawing when the club played host Katsina United FC . The match which ended 1-1 led to fans jeering at players and officials creating confusion at the stadium.
It was the Match Day 13 fixture in the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
It was the second home draw by the club one after the other.
With expectations of a win in the air after just two points from their last three matches, the hosts went behind just after seven minutes when Abba Umar scored.
He capitalised on a loss of concentration in the 3SC rear to push the ball past goalkeeper Darlington Ovunda to quieten even for a moment the hosts.
But 3SC drew level in the 15th minute after Taofeek Malomo collected a return pass to burst in through the left into the penalty area to lift over the visiting goalkeeper.
The hosts fully went on the offensive thereafter, scenting blood but failing to make the final kill when expected by finishing poorly in the final third.
Ayobami Adekunle failed to make hay in the 32nd minute, while Kayode Oke, Ayobami Junior and Akpan Joshua equally failed to utilise opportunities they had in their opponents’ penalty area.
But the visitors, whose game tactics included wasting time to slow down their opponents’ pace, did not just lie back in wait.
They pushed back through counter-attacks, and Ovunda was called in to save the situation when a 41st minute free-kick.
With a number of substitutions to salvage the situation, 3SC were faster off the blocks in the second half, even though a 58th minute header by the visitors hit the crossbar.
Several efforts thereafter by Malomo and Ayinde Kareem went unutilised to change the scoreline, with a 63rd minute effort being wasted.
But with the hosts failing to utilise any of their scoring chances, the visiting side were emboldened to attempt to make something out of their forays.
However, the visiting side duly utilised the tactic of wasting time unmindful of the number of yellow cards they were accumulating in the process.
The visitors duly wore the game out for a 1-1 ending, through time wasting, game management and counter-attacks which frustrated 3SC’s late efforts to salvage the game.
NAN reports that the result meant 3SC dropped to seventh on the log with 19 points from 13 matches, after five wins, four draws and four losses.
They will travel to Umuahia on Match Day 14 to face hosts Abia Warriors.
However, the 3SC players and officials did not leave the stadium without suffering the ignominy of insults hurled at them by their fans.
The fans, seething with annoyance and disappointment, converged near the stadium’s dressing rooms to hurl all forms of abuse at the players and their officials.
But this was a relief as security men’s expectations were that they were going to be violent.
All the policemen who were on duty at the stadium had already been immediately drafted to the area to protect the players and their officials.
This no doubt led to a peaceful exit for them from the stadium.