NWFL Premiership: Coach Fatai Bashiru Praises Team Resilience After Hard-Fought Win
By Saheed Afolabi
Dannaz Ladies produced a spirited performance to claim a dramatic 3–2 win over Osun Babes in the NWFL Premiership, a match that tested their resilience, mentality, and depth. For head coach Fatai Bashiru, the victory was more than three points it was a statement of character.
“I’m over-excited because playing a national team coach is not an easy game,” Fatai said at full-time.
“We played them during pre-season and won 1–0. I knew that by them coming again, it was going to be a tough game. But thank God, we could oversee the pressure.”
Dannaz started the game brightly, pressing high and creating early chances, but Osun Babes responded with equal determination, showing why the fixture had been billed as one of the week’s toughest contests. The back-and-forth duel produced goals, momentum swings, and nervy moments.
For Fatai, the heart of the performance lay in his players’ mentality which the technical crew have to continuously motivate them during matches in order not to let their guards down.
“It’s mindset and player mentality to play. Some players, you just give them the medium to do whatever they want to do in their mind, because we can’t dictate a lot of things for them when they’re on the pitch. When they cross the line, they’re to dictate the game by themselves. But when the goal comes, you have to encourage them.”
That encouragement became crucial as fatigue crept in during the second half.
“If you could see on the pitch, some of them were falling down, and we had to encourage them. Let’s go back and play it’s a game we can win. And they came out and played on their own.”
One of the defining moments of the match came from captain Solaty, returning to competitive action after missing the entire previous season. Her influence was immediate and emotional.
“Solaty is the captain, and as you can see, last season she was out throughout,” Fatai said.
“For her coming back now, it’s a hard task, but she’s a good and committed player, and she wants to do it on her own. When you’re talking about Solaty, she’s an exceptional player.”
Her equalizing goal energized the team and swung momentum back in Dannaz’s favor. She nearly added another, but as Fatai noted.
“That’s football for you it can be positive and it can be negative. But at the end, we thank God that we won the game.”
