On their way to a fifth-place league finish and a TCC Cup final berth in the 2023/2024 season, Sporting Lagos went through a long and bumpy road.

Finishing second and scoring the third most goals in the previous season, Coach Shola’s side entered the season aiming to do better. They would start in fine fashion as they made light work of Dannaz, scoring two unreplied goals. They however failed to make it two wins in a row as newcomers, Real Sapphire, put a dent in their perfect start to October, defeating them 3-1.

That first away loss of the season spurred them onto a three-game winning streak at home.

They managed clean sheets against Gbagada and Iganmu, all after edging Beyond Limits in a five-goal thriller.

TCC teams welcomed November with cup ties. But Sporting Lagos failed to make the most of their league run as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Dannaz. In the league, however, Coach Shola’s boys picked up their first away win of the campaign against Atlantic Business. They however couldn’t replicate their away form against Dino and Escola as they settled for draws. By the end of November, Coach Shola was nominated for the Coach of the Month award. Not bad for a month in which the Lagosian did not lose any game.

But similar to a stock whose indices take occasional dips, Sporting Lagos’ form nose-dived

again in December. It all started with a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Imperial. This first home loss of the season saw them concede four goals – the most at home during the season. It was also the first of three home games in a row without a win, despite scoring at least twice in each game. By the time Santa was in town, they could only manage another 1-1 draw in the cup against Imperial.

2024 however came with renewed vigor for Sporting Lagos.

They kicked things off with a 2-1 win over Broad City in the cup before following it up with a rare away win, this time over Valiant. But they failed to sustain the momentum as their biggest win of the season, a 4-0 triumph over Escola, was sandwiched between losses to Broad City and Dino.

Despite losing (again) to Dino in the final TCC Cup group game, the Lagosians secured their

quarter-final ticket. Drawn against Valiant, Coach Shola’s players proved their mettle, knocking out the reigning champs before sneaking past Real Sapphire in the semi-finals on penalties.

Their TCC Cup final tie against Beyond Limits also dragged into penalties after both sides

scored two apiece. But Sporting Lagos fell short on penalties, missing out on a chance to lift the trophy for the first time. Not a fairytale ending to Sporting Lagos’ second TCC season. But they’ll take pride in being:

• One of only two sides to defeat Beyond Limits in the league
• One of the five sides to score at least three goals in six league games