Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure have begun the Governor Douye Diri Pre-season tournament with a 1-0 victory over the hosts, Bayelsa United.
The Owena Whales were in control of the encounter, displaying football artistry at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa.
Sunshine Stars’ new signing, Ismail Ayodele, terrorised the hosts with his eyes on goal throughout the match, wasting no time to score in the 35th minute.
Bayelsa United almost immediately pushed for an equaliser that never came.
A superb header was saved by Sunshine Stars’ goalkeeper, Emmanuel Ofori, who was well positioned to deny the hosts from getting a leveler before the half time.
The second half produced no further goals, with both sides pushing for attacking football.
In his post-match interview, Sunshine Stars’ head coach Kennedy Boboye commended his players for their character throughout the game, stating that they were not yet where they aim to be.
The two-time Nigeria Premier Football League winner insisted that the Diri pre-season tournament will be used to assess his players for the 2024/25 season.
He said: “We are not there yet; we are just a week in, by the time we stay together for two or three weeks, we will be better than what people are seeing here.
“We will work on the areas where we observed we are not doing well.
“Our target is to win the league; nothing short of that,” he said.
Sunshine Stars will next face Akwa United on Wednesday by 10am.
Femi Atolagbe
Sunshine Stars
Media Officer