Following their final training session at the Mountain Top University, Magboro, Ogun State, on Wednesday, anxiety has hit The PUNCHERS’ camp as Africa Cup of Nations 1992 bronze medallist, Friday Ekpo, is set to name his final squad for the novelty game against Media Amalgamated.
As part of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of The PUNCH, Nigeria’s most-read newspaper, the novelty match was arranged between The PUNCHERS and Media Amalgamated, a select group of journalists from Tribune, Nation, Vanguard, ThisDay, Leadership, Telegraph and The Guardian newspapers.
The match holds at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos on February 24.
The highly anticipated and potentially explosive match marks the commencement of an array of epoch-making activities for the 50th-anniversary celebration of Nigeria’s most-read newspaper.
After a four-day intensive training session at their adopted home ground, Ekpo, following his evaluation of the players, selected his final squad for the game and looks set to announce the squad on Friday.
“It’s been an eventful four days of training and all the players have put in their best but at this point, I will have to decide on those who will represent us well,” Ekpo said.
“I have keenly watched everyone and I know those who will help us play well, it is indeed a novelty match but we still have to play well and deliver. It is not possible to mix sugar with salt because you want to make the soup sweet and that is why I cannot also have everyone on the field.
“This is the hardest part of being a coach because you want to select those that will get the job done and some players won’t be happy. But in this job, there cannot be sentiments and that is why I have selected players based on my assessment.”
The fourth training session, which held at the football pitch of the Mountain Top University along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Magboro, Ogun State had 29 players from different departments of the company.
The PUNCHERS will have their last training session at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Lagos, on Friday.
