Friday named in The Predictor's XI

Ubong Friday

Akwa United's Ubong Friday has played his way into my team for Matchday 13 of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

It is the first time he has impressed me, and he has deservedly been handed one of the three striking roles in my team for the recently-concluded matchday in the Nigerian top flight.

One thing Friday did wonderfully well, which is his usual style of play, is running at the Sunshine Stars defence. He dragged them wide and even interchanged his runs with Musa Newman, Christian
Pyagbara and Moses Ebiye to perfection, making it difficult for Sunshine Stars' defence to look after him.

Friday capped such a fantastic outing with two quickfire goals before the break from assists by Ifeanyi Ifeanyi and Pyagbara to help his team to a 3-1 win.

Friday's teammate, Ifeanyi also earned himself a spot in my five-man midfield for his box-to-box performance against Sunshine Stars. I consider Ifeanyi an attacking midfielder but he played the box-to-box role to good effect against Sunshine Stars and weighed in with that assist which Friday finished well.

Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) goalkeeper Adamu Abubakar may have managed just one clean sheet this season for his team, but he was massive against Gombe United over the weekend. He made all kinds of saves and the only time the Scorpions breached him was from the spot when Samuel Agba scored.

Austine Opara, Aghahowa Otakho and Obi Ekene slot into my three-man defence in my 3-5-2 formation.
MFM's Opara was a steady influence in the backline at Enyimba where they got themselves a point after a 1-1 draw while Otakho's energy for El-Kanemi Warriors kept Niger Tornadoes striker Ebenezer Odeyemi from getting among the goals. Otakho then popped up in an attacking position to provide an assist for Ibrahim Babangida's goal.

Samuel Mathias, Shola Brossa, Anthony Okemmiri and Salefu Oche join Ifeanyi in my midfield. Mathias has been impressive this season and continued that fine form against Tornadoes, rounding it off with a goal in El-Kanemi's 2-0 win.

Brossa is not the biggest of players in the country but against Enyimba his performance for MFM was huge. He sat in front of his team's defence and held the lines so well, tracking the opponents' attacking plays and putting in good tackles too.

ABS FC found Remo Stars midfielder Salefu completely unplayable. He was a master in the middle of the park for the Sky Blue Stars as he bossed the opponents and netted his team's second goal in a 3-0 win.

Abia Warriors midfielder Okemmiri caused Lobi Stars all kinds of trouble with his dribbling runs and crosses. He scored the opening goal in their 2-1 win and it was his pressing play that forced an own goal from the opposition for the winner.

Plateau United forward Ibeh Johnson completes my team for the matchday. His goal against Kano Pillars was a masterclass - he chested, controlled and shot to beat Danladi Isah from an unbelievable distance. But his performance was not just about the goal, as he put in an all-round display to make life difficult for Pillars' defence.

THE PREDICTOR'S TEAM OF MATCHDAY 13

Goalkeeper: Adamu Abubakar (3SC)
Defenders: Austine Opara (MFM FC), Aghahowa Otakho (El-Kanemi Warriors), Obi Ekene (Remo Stars)
Midfielders: Ifeanyi Ifeanyi (Akwa United), Samuel Mathias (El-Kanemi Warriors), Shola Brossa (MFM FC), Anthony Okemmiri (Abia Warriors), Salefu Oche (Remo Stars)
Forwards: Ibeh Johnson (Plateau United), Ubong Friday (Akwa United)