By Toby Prince
With just seven matches left to the end of the 2014/15 football season, Match Day 31 was full of surprises as teams swapped places at the apex, as well as the basement in the Nigeria Professional Football League on Sunday.
Enyimba International moved a step closer towards a seventh domestic league crown after crushing second placed Wikki Tourist 2-0 in Aba.
The victory means the Peoples Elephant, with 58 points, are now five-points clear at the summit of the league thanks to a brace from skipper, Chinedu Udoji.
Sunshine Stars leapfrogged Warri Wolves and Wikki to climb to second place on the log. Tunde Adeniji’s 14th goal of the season was enough to earn his side a slim 1-0 victory over Abia Warriors at the Akure Township Stadium.
An Ikechukwu Ibenegbu late equaliser ensured that Wolves shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw on the road against defending champions, Kano Pillars to slip to third position on the log.
Ubong Ekpai had earlier put the host in front from the spot after Ojo Mine tripped Pillars striker, Gambo Mohammed, in the box.
Three other games on Sunday ended in stalemates. Shooting Stars played a barren draw away to Lobi Stars in Makurdi, while big spenders FC Ifeanyi Ubah dropped vital points as their game ended 1-1 with Giwa FC.
Lobi coach, Justin Tenger, believes his team were unlucky not to score despite playing with a man advantage.
“We have taken the goalless result as one of those things that happen in football,” Tenger told Supersport after the game.
“I think we were unlucky but we will go ahead with a positive attitude.”
The tie in Jalingo also failed to produce a winner as FC Taraba and El-Kanemi settled for a 1-1 draw.
In the Garden City derby, Sharks swapped place with Dolphins FC to momentarily move away from the relegation zone – sinking their local rivals 1-0 in Port Harcourt.
Super Eagles invitee, Chima Akas, scored the winner in a game the Blue Angels totally dominated from start to finish.
Full results:
FC Ifeanyi Ubah 1-1 Giwa FC
FC Taraba 1-1 El-Kanemi
Enyimba 2-0 Wikki
Lobi 0-0 Shooting Stars
Rangers 2-1 Kwara Utd
Sunshine Stars 1-0 Abia Warriors
Kano Pillars 1-1 Wolves
Sharks 1-0 Dolphins
Akwa Utd 2-0 Nasarawa Utd
