Heartland FC will continue their quest to remain in the elite division beyond this season with a short trip to Enugu to face Rangers International FC in the last Oriental derby of the season.
The Naze Millionaires and the Flying Antelopes played a goalless draw in Owerri in the first stanza but it will be the three points to fight for in Enugu on Sunday with both teams in dire need of it. Heartland at the wrong end of the table must avoid defeat in Enugu to put them in the right stead towards escaping relegation.
Both teams gave a glimpse of what to expect when they slugged it out in the President Federation Cup Round of 32. The game ended 1-1 with the Owerri side scoring first through Isaac Nassy before Isaac Saviour equalised for Rangers. They later won 5-3 on penalties.
The die is cast and the precarious position of Heartland FC is enough motivation for the boys to approach the game with all seriousness.
Alluding to this Heartland Technical Manager, Emmanuel Amuneke charged the Naze Millionaires players to put in their very best and ensured they play to instructions.
“The Oriental derbies are very serious games in the South East,” Heartland Technical Manager, Emmanuel Amuneke told the club’s media.
“We have very important and prominent teams like Rangers, Abia Warriors, Enyimba and Heartland FC who have been playing each other with so much frenzy and panache.
“I know the fans are eager to watch the game because of the countdown it has generated.
“But on our own part, we are working to make sure that we have a positive result in this game because of the position we are in.
“Rangers came here in the first leg and got a goalless draw. It was a game we had our chances but their goalkeeper (Lucky Abdullahi) made some crucial saves on the day.
“We expect a positive result in Enugu because the game was balanced in the President Federation Cup we played recently which we only lost on penalties.”
Former Rangers midfielder, Emmanuel Charles says Heartland FC will nick the three points if the players are able to internalise the technical inputs of the coaches.
“Every game is different with a different tempo and approach and with the amount of training and practice sessions that we have had, I believe the confidence is very high and we are believe going to Enugu we are coming home with three points.
“We are very confident that with what the coach has always emphasized, we should always believe in the process and we believe that with the squad that we are having, we can surprise Rangers in Enugu.”
An attacker with Heartland who has also taken part in the Oriental derby while with Rangers, Joel Okoro opined that with the pressure on the Naze Millionaires to deliver in Enugu they are going there to do their best.
“We expect a very unique game because our people are expecting a lot more from us especially players are former players of Rangers. We hope to give our best knowing the position we are in the league table,” Okoro said.
“We gave them a good fight in the FA Cup game even though we played it without our full strength team. We are confident we will give a good account of ourselves in Enugu.”
