Improvement. That would be the word to describe Imperial’s TCC season, again. Perhaps slow and steady one would call it. Coached by the ambitious Opeyemi Azeez, the season reflected the ebullience of their coach and his oft-large persona. A podium finish is remarkable, and if there is any team that deserves accolades more than most, it would be the Odogbolu Boys.

Their campaign was filled with ecstatic highs and some devastating lows. Their bright start to the season was quickly extinguished by two bad losses where they failed to score, but in classic Imperial fashion, the whole world forgot quickly, as they decimated Escola United 7-1. They have recorded sensational victories in the last two seasons, running up the score, like their 5-1 vanquishing of Broad City, and another trademark 4-2 win at Sporting Lagos. Those wins were all recorded in a six-game winning run that was truncated by Beyond Limits, the only other team to record that streak. The run was essential in a title charge that would end with a whimper, as the loss to Beyond Limits triggered a six-game winless run. By the time the rain of goals returned in a 5-2 win over Dino SC at the end of a three-game winning run, the title was already gone, and coach Azeez was wondering what may have been. No one was surprised the season ended as it had begun, with a flurry of goals, as they decision Gbagada FC 5-1, however, what if there were no extended lulls and the team did just enough to stay in touching distance? The title may have eluded them but, No one would forget the excitement generated by Chidera Ezeno, Bashir Abdulkareem, Joel Ashuku, and this band of brothers. As we know, slow and steady often wins the race.  

CUP

The brief Cup campaign betrayed a good league season and a follow-up to a season where they were within a hair’s breath of a final berth. The team never got going, drawing their first three games, before a deflating loss to Dannaz on Matchday 4. They however, were still alive going into Matchday 5 and needed just a win to advance, but like their previous three draws, Imperial never took their chance, imploding against Broad City and forcing their opponents to a 1-1 draw as the tide swiftly turned. The law of proportion must always hold, and this writer believes next season, a bounce-back Cup campaign is on the board.