Enyimba Usman Abd'AllahShengolpixs

Enyimba coach Abd’Allah not bothered to finish top of NPFL group

Enyimba coach Usman Abd'Allah has declared that it is not important to go level with Enugu Rangers at the summit of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Group A table.

Abd'Allah made this assertion in a pre-match interview ahead of the Oriental Derby this weekend in Aba.

Enyimba are six points behind Rangers and will get into touching distance of the Flying Antelopes with a win in this weekend's crucial fixture in Aba.

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"We are only trying to qualify (for the playoffs) … Nobody gets a trophy when you come first, second or third; so, it's just to qualify,” Abd'Allah told the media

"The most important thing is that I only want to look at the fourth position of the table. The more Enyimba is far away from the team that is in the fourth position, the safer we are.

"It doesn't matter if we finish third or first because if the person in the fourth position climbs up, he has to displace somebody from the top three and we don't want to be part of that.

"So, the most important thing is to keep on moving so that we can be very, very far away from the position of fourth, and that's the only way we can guarantee our place in the playoffs."

Only the group's top three teams will eventually proceed to the next round. 

"The playoffs are going to be a totally different scenario. I think we are getting there slowly, gradually. We are not there yet but we will keep on working until we reach the playoffs, then from there we start all over again," the Enyimba coach concluded.

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