Coach Bankole Olowookere of Naija Ratels expressed his disappointment in a post-match interview following an unexpected loss to Dannaz Ladies on Wednesday.
Despite the setback, Olowookere provided valuable insights into their opponents’ performance and outlined his expectations and plans for the team’s upcoming matches.
Reflecting on the loss, Olowookere remarked, “So unfortunate. Every team and coach approaches a match with the expectation of winning, but when the game does not work out in your favour, you just have to take faith.
It happens like that. It is so painful to me because we were coming to get 3 points from here since we lost at home, but we cannot turn around the hands of the clock. We just have to accept our defeat graciously.” He told Sports 247 in a post-match interview.
Addressing their opponents, who are newcomers to the league, Olowookere drew from his own experience, saying, “I was like that before. I remember three years ago when I came into the league; I took most other teams unaware.
I remember the first match against Edo Queens at Benin City when they were leading 2-0, and we came up from that result to 2-2. It was a terrible day for Edo Queens.
And many other games like that in our debut. It was good; I have tasted it before and know how sweet it is winning against existing teams.”
He continued, “Before, no one knew Bankole, but now before anyone comes to play my team, they have to buckle up. I know I am suffering for that.
It is left for my players to wake up to that fact. They will soon mature to the level where I am. I am just bringing them up. They are young girls still growing up without experience, so they just play their normal football.
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When they realize that they are with a national team coach and that something is at stake, then they would wake up.”
Discussing the team’s performance, Olowookere mentioned missed opportunities in the first half, stating, “They were just so wasteful, shying away from the goal, and we paid dearly for it.
The opponents are good. Not compared to our team, but they are determined, and that is what you see in some young girls. They are hungry; they want to make something out of their lives.”
Looking forward to their next match, Olowookere emphasized the need for improvement and a better result, stating, “We would be working with the technical team to correct our mistakes.
The mistakes are minimal compared to the first game, but we have seen the errors. We are going to work on it and make sure that it counts. Afflictions must not rise the third time. We cannot afford to lose in our home again.” He ended humourously.
Looking forward to their next match against Adamawa Queens, Olowookere asserted, “That is one thing we have to put at the back of our mind. It is not going to be an away match, so there would be no excuse.
We had an excuse for losing the first match, but there would be none for this next one. We need to work harder and get a better result playing on our home front.”
