In a game that showed the importance of a goalkeeper’s safe pair of hands to the team, Sunshine Stars’ Soliu Suleiman picked up positives from his sides 1-1 draw against Dakkada FC to set personal target for the season.

The Owena Whales goalie and his opposite number, Thomas Omokhudu pulled off great saves during Sunday’s game to turn the Matchday 11 encounter into a goalkeeper affair.

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Suleiman made vital stops to goal-bound effort by Dakkada’s Ifegwu Ojukwu and Femi Ajayi to keep his team in the game while the score line read 0-1 against the home side.

Fuad Ekelojuoti would go on to score a late leveler for Sunshine Stars and crown the brilliant effort of Suleiman earlier in the game.

Nevertheless, the former ABS FC goalkeeper, who was breached by Ojukwu’s 42nd minute shot, expressed his disappointment with the outcome of the match. “I’m not happy with the result because this is a game that we had to win” he said.

“This is not what I want because I wanted clean sheet. Now, I have three clean sheets when I ought to have had six or seven” he continued.

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However, Suleiman was quick to snap out of the setback and added “We thank God that we did not lose it all. We thank God that we gained a point.”

Football reportage is slowly pushing the brilliancy of goalkeepers into the back burner but Suleiman appeared resolute on achieving greatness in the football position. He said “I want to be a great goalkeeper. So, I’m targeting 20 to 25 clean sheets this season.”

“Even though we are now in Matchday 11 in the league, I hope to have 10 clean sheets by the end of the first round of matches (on Matchday 19)” the Sunshine Stars goalkeeper further explained.

Sunshine Stars are currently placed 7th on the NPFL standings, five points behind top-placed Plateau United, but Suleiman also revealed his target for the Akure based club this season.

“This season we are targeting the first two positions because we want to play in the continental competitions,” he concluded.

Suleiman has featured in all of Sunshine Stars’ 11 NPFL matches this season and the goalkeeper is widely expected to keep his place when coach Kabiru Dogo’s team line up against Lobi Stars in the new year’s first Matchday.

Source: npfl.ng

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