Naija Ratels faced a tough test in their next Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) fixture and the team ultimately succumbed to a narrow defeat to Rivers Angels in Matchweek 2.

The young squad showed resilience throughout the match, with goalkeeper Vincent Mercy producing a string of brillant saves, yet they conceded to Sharon Onwere’s decisive 55th-minute strike, Footballrover reports.

Naija Ratels’ Youth-Laden Squad Faces Steep Test

With a largely youthful squad, Coach Samson Keshi remains optimistic about the season, promising to guide his grassroots-heavy squad toward a Super Six spot.

Coach Keshi offered insight into the hurdles facing his side:

“I think only two players from last season came in, and there are so many factors that I wouldn’t want to disclose here. We just had to look deep into grassroots and see how we can come out with the numbers. To make things worse, the NWFL’s new rule of underage players has affected us so much.

We have six registered players that we cannot use now. Four as a result of their age and two as a result of a clearance issue. As I’m talking to you now, I have 19 players to work with. Just 19. Three goalkeepers and 16 players. It’s a difficult situation, but as a coach you look in deep and see what you can do. That is how we will be able to come out with this crop of young lads. I would say 90% of them are from the grassroots.”

The Ratels’ reliance on young talent presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

While experience is limited, the squad’s energy and resilience could become a decisive factor in upcoming fixtures.

Maintaining Philosophy While Chasing Results

Despite their defeat, Keshi praised his team’s effort and stressed the importance of philosophy and growth:

“The game of football is so deep. I think I would say we are lucky, and thanks to my goalkeeper for her heroic saves that kept us in the game and made the scoreline to be low. But I will give it to my girls because they fought hard too. They defended well. Going forward, we will just look deep and see how we can strengthen the team and come out with good results. But so far, so good. Rivers Angels are a formidable side. Good football. We will just go back to the drawing board and see how we can come out with better results.”

Keshi is confident his squad can make a meaningful impact in the league:

“Yes, we stand a chance. It’s all about keeping to the philosophy. If they keep to the philosophy like what they have done here today, yes, we can make headway. It’s just for us to see how we manage the mid-season and bring in more legs to make the team a more formidable side.”

His guiding principles are clear: possession-based play, disciplined structure, and long-term team building. As Keshi explains:

“My philosophies are numerous, but one of them is keeping the ball. I want my team to keep the ball as much as possible no matter what is happening. You can see in the course of the game, even when we were one goal down, they were still playing.

We want to change the face of football. It’s not just about raising players that, when they get out of the country, it becomes difficult for them. I want a team with a formidable side, and for those who know my philosophy, they know how my players play. To be very candid, I am not this kind of coach who will just get annoyed easily. I know what I am building, and I am building for the future. Definitely we are going to come out of this.”

Looking Ahead: Super Six Ambitions

After a barren draw at home against Ibom Angels last week and a defeat to the Jewels of Rivers, Naija Ratels will now look to bounce back to winning ways.

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Last Updated on December 4, 2025 8:32 am by footballrover