High-fliers, Heartland Queens will face a banana peels test against NWFL Championship side, Lakeside Queens in Thursday’s Federation Cup Women’s Round of 16 at the Sapele Township Stadium in Sapele, Delta state.
The Owerri landladies will be meeting their counterparts from the Gateway state (Ogun) for the very first time in all competitions.
Prior to Thursday’s potential fierce matchup, the Owerri side, who showed grit to finish high in the just concluded NWFL Premiership regular season, saw off the stiff challenge of fellow premier leaguers, Confluence Queens 2-1 in the round of 32 in Asaba while the Cup greenhorns and first timers, Lakeside Queens disrespected and dispatched a much experienced side, Kwara Ladies with two unanswered goals in Ibadan.
Even though form books and bookmakers favour the Owerri side to progress from the dugouts to the last eight, the history of the oldest and glamorous Cup competitions in the land can only serve as reminder for caution as the surprise element has always been the hallmark of the Cup.
The NWFL Premiership side have been in the trenches and know quite well that in the Cup contest no gift is given on a platter of gold, the prisms of pedigree or record but diligently earned on the field of play.
Luckily, the gaffer in-charge of the Owerri mainstream side, a veteran of a sort in the dugout profession, coach Obi Ogbala understands very well the Cup’s trickery and will surely ring the necessary changes to come up with a no nonsense lineup to earn a deserving victory.
Of course, the side’s two-goal heroine and nemesis against Confluence Queens, Lucky Mary will keep her shirt in the potentially fierce clash. Other shirt keepers are former Nigerian junior international, Oluchi Ofoegbu, Chinwendu Orji and strong as nail defenders, Kelechi Orgii, Victoria Bassey, Onyedikachi Ekezie and captain, Sharon Onwere. Amarachi Atulayo who watched proceedings from the bench in Asaba may get the gloves’ nod this time around.
The winners of the knockout clash will proceed to the last eight of the finest Cup competitions in the land.
At the immediate past edition, Heartland Queens exited from the annual football showpiece in the quarters against nemesis, Delta Queens.
