Akwa United bounced back from their unheralded loss to Go Round on Wednesday when they beat Rivers United 1-0 at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt on Saturday morning.
It was the return leg of the first game played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo last week which the Promise Keepers won 2-0 and by the virtue of Wisdom Fernando’s 58th-minute strike they have succeeded in getting a double victory over Stanley Eguma’s men.
It was the direct response the Promise Keepers needed from their lacklustre performance against Go Round less than 24 hours earlier when they allowed the last season’s topflight entrants to inflict another loss to them just like it was in the league last season at Omoku.
Akwa United players held on to the 1-0 advantage from the time it was scored until the end of the game after Rivers United players poured out in their numbers searching for the equalizer.
It was Akwa United’s fifth friendly game of the current pre-season which has seen them face Heartland, Rivers United (twice), Abia Warriors and Go Round and they won three and lost the remaining two.
The Promise Keepers who finished second in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) last season behind Lobi Stars and quarter finalists in the 2018 Federation Cup are trying to come to term with the departure of their ex-coach, Abdu Maikaba who has since been replaced with Rafael Everton.
The 2015 and 2017 Federation Cup winners have since returned back to Uyo with Sunday expected to be observed as a rest day while they will resume training on Monday.
