By John Egbokhan

When will Sunshine Stars’ grip of the pole position in the league be loosened? That is the million naira question that the other 19 teams in the Nigerian top flight are begging to answer as the league approaches its halfway stage  Not many league watchers ever tipped the Akure-based team to be amongst the top three sides on the table, lest of all see them topping the log after about 16 gruelling games that have seen some upsets, shockers and major disappointments from the  supposedly top teams like Kano Pillars and Enyimba.

The story of Sunshine Stars remains a mystery to all, not so much because of their lack of pedigree, but because they have consistently ground out results from seemingly impregnable teams. After playing 16 matches, Sunshine Stars stay firmly pegged in first place,  winning nine games, drawing thrice and losing four games to amass a princely 30 points.

But they are not the only side with that amount of points as two-time CAF Champions League winners, Enyimba also have 30 points, but are in second place, no thanks to superior goals advantage that Sunshine Stars have over them.

And as we enter into match day 17, the plot to unseat Sunshine Stars thickens with Enyimba hoping creeks side Bayelsa United will do them a massive favour by dimming Sunshine’s star in tomorrow’s match at the Akure Township Stadium.

But that may just be a wishful dream as the likelihood of Bayelsa United escaping Akure unscathed is pretty low given that Sunshine Stars have made their home ground a fortress and are likely to maintain their top spot at the end of regulation time.