Rivers United head coach Finidi George has refused to set a target for his side’s unbeaten run, insisting they must continue taking each match as it comes after a goalless draw away to Abia Warriors extended their positive start to the EuroMatch-NPFL season to eight games.
Rivers United remain second in the standings with 16 points from four wins and four draws, one point behind leaders Rangers International.
They have scored 13 goals and conceded only two, maintaining their unbeaten record despite being held at Abia Warriors on Sunday.
Finidi admitted he wanted his side to leave Umuahia with all three points but was satisfied with the outcome against opponents who have proved difficult to beat on home soil.
“Coming on the road to pick a point here, a difficult side. A lot of teams have lost here. So we come in here, controlling the game, trying to see how we can score a goal,” Finidi said after the match.
“It was not possible, but these are things that happen in football. We are quite happy with the one point. We will keep building on it.”
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Asked how far he hoped to extend Rivers United’s unbeaten start, the former Super Eagles winger declined to give a numerical target, preferring to focus on the next fixture.
“I’ll be mute on that. Because the moment I say 20 now, the next match, as Mr Coach said, you get what’s the target,” he said.
“So I will not put any match figure. I just feel we just continue to do our job and hopefully we can keep this run going.”
Rivers United have collected points consistently on their travels, but Finidi acknowledged that the team’s ambition remains to win rather than settle for draws.
Against Abia Warriors, the visitors enjoyed periods of possession but struggled to create the clear-cut opportunities that have characterised some of their performances this season.
“Actually, it’s a game that I wanted to win, but we couldn’t score. We kept the ball so well, but we couldn’t create those chances like we normally do this season,” he said.
However, the coach believes the points collected away from home could prove decisive when the campaign reaches its conclusion.
Rivers United finished last season narrowly short of the title, losing out by a single point, and will hope their current consistency helps them go one better.
“But I think sometimes at the end of the season, all these one points will count a lot,” Finidi said.
“Last season we lost with a one point difference. So let’s see if this time around we can keep this a little bit longer.”
Rivers United’s defensive record has been central to their strong start. Having conceded just twice in eight league matches, they have combined attacking productivity with a defence that has proved difficult to breach.
Finidi credited the work done by his players but warned that the increasing demands of the season could test the squad’s depth.
“I think we have worked so hard this season. We’ve not lost a match, despite the fact that we were knocked out of the CAF Champions League,” he said.
“I think the defence is doing well, but we still have to watch them properly because the accumulation of matches is beginning to set in. We’ll see if others can really come in and do the same.”
The coach added that he was pleased with how his side had handled their away fixtures, even as they continue to look for ways to turn solid performances into more victories.
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Sunday’s encounter ended goalless for the second consecutive season in this fixture, with Rivers United creating some of the clearer opportunities but unable to find a breakthrough.
Rivers United will return to EuroMatch-NPFL action next Sunday when they host Barau FC.
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