Kano Pillars Technical Adviser, Daniel Ogunmodede, has praised his players for their tactical discipline and attacking commitment following their 2-0 victory over Nasarawa United in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The victory, secured in their Matchday 11 encounter of the 2025/2026 EuroMatch NPFL season, saw the Sai Masu Gida claim maximum points and record a valuable clean sheet against a Nasarawa United side that occupied third position on the league table before the encounter.
Speaking during his post-match interview, Ogunmodede acknowledged the enormous expectations of Kano Pillars supporters, admitting that the pressure to deliver victories at home remains a significant part of the club’s football culture.
He, however, described the supporters’ hunger for more goals, even when the team is comfortably ahead, as a positive attitude that he wants his players to embrace.
“Most of the time, we play with so much pressure here. Obviously, we want to win, and our fans want us to win every game.
“We know what it means when we are leading 2-0 and they still want more.
“But for me, that is the kind of hunger I want from the spectators and from the players.
The good thing is that we are adapting gradually to it,” he said.
The Kano Pillars tactician also commended Nasarawa United for their organisation and tactical quality, describing the Solid Miners as a technically sound side that presented a difficult challenge.
According to him, his team’s tactical approach in the opening stages focused on deploying inverted wing-backs to disrupt Nasarawa United’s defensive structure and create spaces in the central areas.
He explained that the adjustment caused confusion for the opposition full-backs and provided Kano Pillars with opportunities to threaten their opponents, although his players failed to convert some of their early chances.
“In the first 20 minutes of the game, we tried to use our wing-backs inverting, and that created a lot of confusion for their full-backs.
It gave us enough space in the central areas of the field, and we had a couple of chances which we should have taken one of them,” Ogunmodede explained.
The former Remo Stars coach further revealed that his team made tactical adjustments at the beginning of the second half, switching their attacking focus towards exploiting the wide areas.
He believed the changes paid off, insisting that Kano Pillars could have scored more goals but were let down by poor finishing in front of goal.
“In the second half, we came with the plan of trying to exploit wide areas, and I think we deserved to score maybe three or more goals. Unfortunately, we were a little bit wasteful,” he added.
Despite acknowledging the quality of Nasarawa United, Ogunmodede maintained that his players were adequately prepared for the encounter and executed their game plan effectively to secure the important victory.
He also emphasised the significance of the three points, noting that the result would improve Kano Pillars’ position on the league table, ease pressure on the players and restore confidence among their supporters.
“We knew what it means to win this match because it boosts our position on the table, it will calm down the nerves of our fans and also cool the pressure on the players.
“So, I’m happy we got the maximum three points, and not just the three points but with a clean sheet,” he concluded.
The 2-0 triumph represents an important result for Kano Pillars as they seek to build momentum in the EuroMatch NPFL, with Ogunmodede hoping that his players can maintain their growing tactical understanding and translate their attacking improvements into more convincing performances in subsequent matches.
