Remo fought hard to bounce back - Ogunmodede

Remo Stars head coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, says his team didn’t back down on their top-three ambition in the abridged 2022/23 Nigeria Professional Football League, despite being fazed by the deduction of three points and three goals from their accrued tally, before it was eventually reversed, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The deduction threw Remo off balance in the tough Group A super-six race, but a run of seven games without a defeat in the second round, coupled with the reversal of the point deduction has seen the team return to third on the table with 27 points from 16 matches.

Ogunbodede’s side are now back in control of their super-six pursuit after a 1-0 win over Akwa United on Sunday, thanks to a first half penalty by Captain Junior Nduka which saw them earn their first win in five games.

After the game on Sunday, the gaffer reflected on the mentality of the players, while he also appreciated the fans for their support throughout the period.

“I thank the fans for their support and patience during difficult times. Imagine all the time that we had three points and three goals deducted, they were behind us. We fought so hard and if we had given up, these three points we got against Akwa wouldn’t have mattered. Nevertheless, we will keep fighting till the last day, we have two more matches and the six points there are very important to us,” Ogunmodede said after the game.

“This is our seventh game without a loss and five without a win, so we know what it means for us to win this game. We understood the consequences of dropping points. If we had, it could have been five straight draws which is not good for us,” he noted.

Having earned valuable points on the road against El-Kanemi Warriors, 3SC and Enyimba, Remo Stars are currently unbeaten in seven games since the restart of the league. Their last two games of the regular season, will be a trip to Jos against Plateau United who are also looking for a super-six spot before facing relegation-threatened Kwara United on match-day 18.