The match had an even start with the host creating some chances but were kept at bay by the resilient United’s defensive line and the goalkeeper.

Lobi would then take the lead in the 5th minute as Saifullahi Yusuf had a contact on Atule while both were racing towards the goal and the referee awarded a penalty and Atule converted the spot kick that put United on the backfoot.

Just when United were trying to recover from the shock of falling behind earlier in the game, Abba Musa unleashed a right-footed shot from outside the box to beat Kingdom into the roof of the net to extend the home side’s lead in the 9th minute.

United struggled to catch up with the high flying Lobi in the first half and the players were in need of a talk from their coaches and the half-time whistle provided that. The second half started with Doma United bringing off Samuel Enefiok and Emmanuel Ogwuche who were replaced by Bidemi and Chibuke.

The away side came out looking like the better side and started creating chances.

Usman Musa picked the ball from the middle, he picked out Bidemi from left wing with a beautiful pass and Bidemi passed to Majalisa but his cross couldn’t the await Chibuke.

In one of the good chances created by the visitors, Saifullahi’s right-footed freekick picked up high jumping Haruna whose header went closed but slightly went wide.

In a game that was highly contested between the two sides, Clement Junior and Kingdom Osayi picked up bookings in the first forty five minutes.

After the game, United’s Technical Advicer, Akinade Onigbinde praised his boys for coming all out in the second half “I commend the boys for increasing the tempo of the game in the second half. We started poorly and gifted away the ball easily in the first half but as you saw it, we were the better side in the second half.”

On the team’s position on the log, the TA said “we actually wanted something better this but as you know, this is a game of football. We’ll go back home now, look at our lapses and correct them and come back stronger in the second half of the season.”

Doma United are sixth on the log of group B with 12 points after 9 game. They sit on the same points with the 5th placed side Sunshine stars but separated by goal difference.

The two sides will meet again in the first game of the second stanza of the league at the Pantami Township Stadium.

Usman Musa (Lolo) broke the deadlock for the home side in the 50th minutes after he headed in Majalisa’s flicked header from a freekick, as they held on despite a late surge from the away side to set up United’s 3rd league wins of the season.

Akinade Onigbinde made some changes to the side beaten by Ranger during the weekend, but was forced to watch the game in a standing position as he sees his team struggled to cope with the pace of Abia Warriors’ earlier in the game.

The Warriors would have gone ahead in the early stages but Kingdom was right on time to make a brilliant safe from-he tipped the ball over for a cornerkick to the visitors.

Haruna Aliyu’s shot was spilled by Warriors’ keeper and it met and onrushing Chibuke whose rebounce went over the post to keep the scores at goalless going into the break.

Five minutes into the second half, It was one of the players that returned to the starting line-up that almost gave United the lead in the 24th minutes with Chibuke’s decent foot work beating two defenders from the left side, he cut back and pass to Usman who laid it to Majalisa but Majalisa couldn’t connect well with the shot and he was fouled.

United went into the match looking to bounce back from their weekend defeat against Rangers International in Awka and it was Usman Musa who extended his goal tally to three in some style as he heads in Majalisa’s flicked header to put the home side ahead in the 50th minutes to send the relentless Pantami Stadium fans into a wild celebration.

Doma United’s increased tempo soon made it impossible for the visitors to push for an equalisers with beautiful interchanging display between Majalisa and Usman releasing free Junior whose shot goes through the legs of Abia defenders and gathered by the keeper.

Chibuke Charles almost made it two in as many minutes when his tab in from a flicked pass from Hillary met him unmarked but it was well gathered by the keeper.

The visitors pushed for an equalizer but Kingdom who was outstanding throughout the game ensured that Doma United bounced back to winning ways.

Speaking in post match interview, Doma United’s Technical Adviser Akinade Onigbinde said “It was a very tough game but thank God for the victory. We worked hard for it, the players worked for it. The first half was very tough. We didn’t come out, we sat at home and waited for them to attack. But I talked to the boys. I told them if we need to win this game then we must come out and play. We said we need to put the ball at the back of the net in the first 15 minutes, and as you can see we did that immediately after the break.”

He expressed his happiness with the result but said the team is not getting carried away with it “We are very happy with the result but we are not getting carried away as we will continue to work hard towards our target.”

This result now put United 5th on the log of group B with 12points, on the same points with 4th place Sunshine Stars separated by goal difference and three points above 6th place Niger Tornadoes.

Doma United will play their final game of the first round of the abridge league away in Jos against Group B leaders Lobi Stars on Sunday 19th February, 2023.

The Defender scored from the spot seven minutes after the hour mark to give the Enugu side a home win but for Doma United it was a frustrating game where a lot of chances went begging.

This means that our four-game unbeaten run came an end while we continue to search for our first away win in the league.

The first 45 minutes saw less action in terms of goalscoring despite both teams enjoying a fair share of the ball possession with efforts from Samuel Enefiok and Usman Musa both going wide and gave Emeka Nwabulu less trouble.

However, Rangers grew in confidence while enjoying the larger share of the possession in the last 15minutes of the first half.

We did carve out the best chance earlier when Kingdom released Enefiok with a long passed from behind but Enefiok couldn’t control the ball well as his long-range effort went wide.

The home side started enjoying the larger share of the ball and created some descent chances with Innocent Gabriel sending in a long-range effort which was parried away by Kingdom with his two hands to keep the home side at bay.

Rangers International effort was rewarded in the 37th minutes after Saifullahi Yusuf tried to clear the ball and he made contact with an opponent player and the referee pointed at the spot. Chidera Eze didn’t make mistake as he sent Kingdom the wrong way to put the host ahead.

It was more of the same in the second half with Bidemi, Junior and Saifullahi connecting well from the right-hand side. Bidemi saw his low cross cleared before reaching Chibuke who replaced Enefiok right after the restart. In quick succession, Bidemi collected the ball from Junior to release Usman Musa but his Volleyball went closed but goes wide again.

In a game that witnessed two water break sessions due to a high temperature, Nassy Isaac, Saifullahi and Chibuke were booked for Doma United with Chibuke, Hillary and Clement Ogwu coming on for Nassy, Enefiok and Bidemi but their introduction couldn’t change the result of the game.

In his post-match interview, United’s Technical Advicer, Akinade Onigbinde hailed his team’s performance and expressed optimism that the team will bounce back in the next game “We played well and the boys were good, just that there were one or two lapses that we’ll work on. It’s a game of football, sometimes we win, we lose or even draw. We’ll take home this result with the intention to work on all the lapses and trust me, we’ll bounce back in our subsequent games”.

Doma United have played seven games, they’ve gathered nine points via two home wins, one home draw, two away draws and two away lost

United’s next assignment will be a home clash against Abia Warriors on Wednesday 15th February 2023 at the Pantami Township Stadium.

Rivers looked set to extend their unbeaten run in the league when Ndasi Kadiang was left unmarked as he headed the visitors in front on the 25th minutes from a corner kick.

Rivers United defense failed to clear the ball from the box and after goalkeeper Victor Sochima had spilled the ball which fell in the path of Usman Musa who was running towards goal as he tapped in from a close range to restore parity for the Tigers on the 34th minutes.

Musa Usman completed his brace on the 68th minutes after Bidemi beats his marker inside the box and he send in a cross towards the path Usman Musa who heads in his second of the day to send the Pantami crowd into a rapturous celebration as he put host ahead.

United’s 1-0 lost against Tornadoes in January had been the only lost for the Tigers after six games in the Premier League and this win extends and unbeaten streak for Akinade’s side who have developed significantly since those early days and are now up to fifth on the log, four points behind joint table toppers Lobi Stars and Rivers United, three points behind Abia Warriors who are third and levelled on nine point with Sunshine Stars who are fourth.

The momentum is certainly with the Savannah Tigers now. United have won two of their last two home games, drew once at home, lost one and drew two away games as they heads to Rangers next weekend. For the supporters who stayed behind to celebrate the win, they feel something special is happening with their club.

Doma United’s Technical Adviser Akinade Onigbinde expressed his excitement following the victory today.

He said “I am very grateful to God, we are excited with the result, the boys worked towards it and God gave it to us”.

When asked about the secret of the win today, Akinade said “it is all down to hard work, the players we have are ready to deliver and fighting for the club and the Chairman is supporting us in every way he can. It is a good thing that we can win our home matches, go away and get some points as well. We rested about six players ahead of this game, they didn’t travel to Bayelsa and as you can see, their performances were incredible today. We are happy to have beaten the defending champion but that won’t get too much in our heads, we will continue to work harder as we take each game as it comes.”

The Boss also looked ahead of the team’s trip to Rangers a“We have some few days to prepare and we will work hard as usual and we are going for the three point God’s willing”.

On his part, the two goal scorer, Usman Musa fondly called Lolo couldn’t hide his excitement for been on the scoresheet today “I feel very happy and excited right now. It has been a long way coming for me and this club. We have worked hard on the training pitch for times like athis and thank God it is paying off for us.”

He also promised that Doma United will not return home empty handed in their next game away at Rangers “we have already started preparation for the game and athree point is our target. This the game we have been looking forward to and thank God it has come and gone aand we picked up the three point”.

Doma United’s next game is away to Rangers in the Premier League on Saturday 11th februray, 2023, kick-off 4pm.

The Savannah Tigers found it tough going forward earlier in the game against a typically enterprising Bayelsa side, and the Tigers may well return to Gombe seeing this as a point gained rather than two dropped.

A super low strike from Samuel Enefiok right before the halftime whistle (45 minutes) put Doma United in front against the run of play, although for all Bayelsa’s threat they didn’t seriously trouble Kingdom before the break.

Bidemi Owoku had a decent chance to put the Savannah Tigers ahead early on but his close-range effort was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper.

Immediately after the break, Kingdom was called into action, denying Mizo Robert a leveller, but the respite was temporary as Osoboh Osahon emphatically tapped in and equaliser seven minutes after the break.

With the game continuing to toughen, Akinade made three changes to his team. Hillary came on for Innocent after 62minutes before Samuel Enefiok picked up a knock and was replaced by Success while Babas Theophilus came on for Amos Steven.

Three Doma United players got into the referee’s book as Bidemi Owoku, Amos Steven and Andrew Majalisa were all cautioned.

Both sides tried in vain to find a winner with no luck, so a game between two teams that gained promotion into the league last season ended in a draw.

Doma United’s Technical Adviser Akinade Onigbinde reacting to the game said it was disappointing to have conceded an equaliser but praises his team’s performance as well as the officiating.

“We are happy to have gotten a point here, though we wanted all the three points but all the same, we’re glad to have gotten a point. The referee and his assistants were very good and the officiating was excellent. We have said it before, with good officiating, teams will play good football the best teams will always win. Now, we’re going home to prepare for our next game”

The Savannah Tigers is back in action on Sunday 5th February, 2023 when we host Group B leaders Rivers United at the Pantami Stadium.

The Savannah Tigers were the better team and had a goal ruled for an offside as it remained goalless at halftime.

The introduction of Bidemi and Amos Steven in place of Hillary Ekawu and Babas Theophilus in the second half added more spine to the team as they made instant impact in the game.

Bidemi came close to scoring and also created a massive chance for Chibuke at the end but couldn’t hit target.

In a game that United saw three yellow cards and one red, the home fans cheered the away team as they were entertained with some brilliant displays.

Clement Junior, Usman Musa, Jumbo Wisdom, Charles Chibuke, Kingdom Osai and Steven Amos both saw yellow before Jumbo was sent off in the additional minutes.

Overall, it was a good game but the visitors will be happy with a point and the hosts will be pleased to have kept a clean sheet.

While speaking after the game, Doma United’s Technical Adviser Akinade Onigbinde expressed satisfaction with the player’s performance.

“It was a good game, the boys played according to instruction and based on our game plan. You can see how our players turned the home fans to our fans with good football. If we can continue like this, the sky will be our limit. In general, it was a good game”.

About playing double away games, the coach said “It is not easy playing two success games away from home but we’re prepared for this and God’s willing, we’ll come out victorious.”

On his part, the captain of the team Haruna Aliyu says it’s a good thing to have picked a point away from home “We are excited to have picked a point away from home. We had a game plan, we executed it well, it’s just that we couldn’t get that winning goal but everything was good. and not for some reasons, we would have won. But we’re happy to have picked a point away from home”

Doma United’s next game is a midweek encounter away to Bayelsa United in Yenagoa on Wednesday.

Doma United were coming into the game at the back of a 1-1 home draw against Sunshine Stars in match day one at the Pantami Stadium while Niger Tornedoes were fired up following their heroic outing in Bauchi last week.

The game started with Charles Chibuke released by Hillary’s through pass but Tornadoes defenders were quick to respond to thwart the attack. Tornadoes enjoyed most of the ball possession in the first 6 minutes of the game and were rewarded with a goal in the 8th minute.

Doma United’s Khalid Ibrahim was dispossessed along the center line in what seems to be a foul (the referee waved play on) and the ball found an unmarked Munir Idris whose left footed volley beat Kingdom by the left side to put the host ahead.

Tornadoes took control of the game and created more chances but they couldn’t convert any. They could have extended their lead after Kingdom’s kick found and unmarked David Okoromi whose closed shot went wide for a goal kick.

Clement Junior tried a long range strike but went off the post for United’s first attempt in the first 30th minutes of the game and picked up the first booking for a foul midway through the first half.

Returning for the second half, the gaffer made a substitution as Innocent John was replaced by Samuel Andrew.

Doma United settled well in the second half and created the best chances with Charles Chibuke’s individual effort went out for a goal kick.

After the game, our TA Akinade Onigbinde rues some of the missed opportunities but praised the players for fighting until the end “we created a lot of opportunities as you can see but we couldn’t convert them and that cost us the game. Assuming we took one of those chances, we would have picked something but generally, we played very well and I commend our boys, they fought hard. I am not happy we lost but that’s football”.

On picking only one point in possible six, coach Onigbinde said “yes we are worried and we’re disturbed, we will go back home now, put ourselves together. We’ll win our home matches and then go away and pick a win or a draw”

Asked where Doma United will finish at the end of the season, the gaffer responded “We are coming up, and we’ll finish strong at the end. The season is just starting, we need to win at home and get some points away from home.”

The Savannah Tigers are placed 7th on the group B table of the abridge league after two games with one point.

Doma United will play host to Dakkada FC of Akwa Ibom in Match Day of the NPFL at the Pantami Stadium on Sunday 22 January 2023.

In a draw that was held in Abuja on the 28th of December 2022, Doma United were drawn against Niger Tornadoes, Wikki Tourist, Lobi Stars, Rivers Utd, Abia Warriors, Rangers, Sunshine Stars, Bayelsa Utd and Dakkada FC.

According to the Interim Management Committee, the new Nigeria Professional Football League will be in an abridge format where the qualified 20 teams were grouped into two and the league is set to kickoff on the 8th of January 2023 with matches across approved centres.

Doma United will kickstart its debut season with a clash at home (Pantami Stadium, Gombe) against Sunshine Stars of Akure while their second game will be away to Niger Tornadoes.

While reacting to the draws, the club Proprietor, Alh. Sulaiman Umar (Alhajin Doma) believes that no team is a pushover in the league “Doma United is in the NPFL to compete and no team is a push over. Doma United is not a push over,”

“We will be playing against strong teams in Group B and our first game is against Sunshine Stars. We believe that the team can start strong at home by winning her first game of the season.”

At the end of the season, a Super six will be played to determine the league winner.

Group B MD1 fixtures – Jan 8th

Bayelsa Utd V Dakkada FC

Wikki Tourists V Niger Tornadoes

Doma Utd V Sunshine Stars

Rivers Utd V Lobi Stars

Rangers Intl V Abia Warriors

The Super4 was initially called off due overwhelming flood disaster ravaging some part of the country which forced the Nigeria National league Super4 tournament to be called off.

The season ending playoff for the best teams in the four abridged divisions was earlier fixed to commence Wednesday 19th – Saturday 22, October 2022 at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenegoa, Bayelsa state capital.

According to the media release which quoted the Chief Operating Officer of the League, Mr. Emmanuel “we have proposed a new date of Tuesday 25 – Sunday 29th October, 2022 for the Tournament, while hoping that normalcy would prevail “

“We are touched by such flood situations in Bayelsa and other regions of the country as well, we needed to tarry and pray God to intervene under the circumstances”

“It is a natural phenomenon and we can only but seek for proper interventions to save the situations, we regret the inconveniences this may have caused many people”

Bendel Insurance of Benin, Bayelsa United, Doma United Fc. Gombe and El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri are the four group winners who will slug it out in classification Super4 tournament.