By John Egbokhan

STUMBLE: Shooting Stars Adeyinka Adedeji(l) stumbles during a GLO Premier League match between Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan and Kano Pillars in Ibadan yesterday. 3SC won 1-0. Photo courtesy LMC Media

Shooting Stars of Ibadan are enjoying a new lease of life since Coach Gbenga Ogunbote took over the reins of power at the Oluyole Warriors.Their 3-1 thrashing of Heartland at the Rojeny Stadium in Oba, Anambra State on Monday has certainly reinforced hopes that they are strong contenders for a continental ticket at the end of the season.

With 29 points from 22 games, Shooting are in the ninth spot,  three spots behind Kano Pillars, with 34 points and nine adrift of leaders Enyimba. Their 3-1 victory against Heartland, who have 33 points, did not come on a platter of gold as it came after playing for two days, following heavy downpour that caused the match earlier scheduled for Sunday to be postponed to Monday, where they finally finished the job with two strikes from Cletus Itodo.

And as they travel for their double away game in two weeks, Coach Ogubote has played down the tie as any other match in the top flight. Speaking in an interview with Saturday Sports Vanguard, Ogunbote said he was not losing any sleep over the game against the champions, insisting that he does not attach any unnecessary importance to any match.

“As a matter of policy, I don’t attach any unnecessary importance to any match but to do our best any time we are in action. The only thing we want is a level-playing field to play our game.

“We are aware they are the defending champions, which makes the game special for both sides. I am expecting a good game because Kano Pillars are not just an ordinary team, they are a traditional Glo Premier League side. They played in the Champions League this season and for you to play in the competition, you must have a strong team.

“And they have strengthened their squad with new players and a new coach, so you can expect a very stronger performance from them in subsequent matches. But all those are by the way because we want to do our very best to ensure that we get a good result”, added Ogunbote.