Rangers International Head Coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, has declared that his assistant coaches at the club are the best he has ever worked with, despite the team’s struggles this season, Completesports.com reports.
Ekenedilichukwu Ekeh and Ben Ugwu (aka ‘Surugede’) are part of Ilechukwu’s coaching staff at the Coal City Flying Antelopes.
Ilechukwu, a former coach of MFM FC, Plateau United, and Heartland, made the revelation on Thursday night after his side suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Plateau United in a NPFL matchday 31 fixture at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
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A 73rd-minute strike from Suleiman Morejeola handed Rangers their fourth home loss of the season, a historic low for the seven-time Nigerian champions.
‘My Assistants Are The Best’ – Ilechukwu
Addressing concerns about whether his commitments with the Super Eagles have distracted him from his club duties, Ilechukwu dismissed such notions, affirming confidence in his assistants.
“I have capable assistants. These coaches have done well—really well. At least, I have lost a game while present on the touchline. That’s football,” Ilechukwu said.
“I’ll give credit to them. They are the best assistant coaches I have ever worked with. What happened to Rangers is simply football, and we must take it in good faith.”
For the first time in their 55-year history, Rangers have lost four home games in a single league season, drawing twice—while the campaign is still ongoing.
Their defeats at home came against Kano Pillars, Niger Tornadoes, Shooting Stars, and Plateau United, while they also dropped points in draws against Akwa United and El-Kanemi Warriors.
Title Defence Under Threat
These setbacks have seriously dented the club’s title defence, as they currently sit fifth on the table with 45 points, a 15-point gap behind league leaders Remo Stars, who have 60 points with seven games remaining.
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When asked about the club’s poor home form, Ilechukwu maintained that injuries and challenging periods are part of football.
“There’s no problem with Rangers—it’s just football. Even Manchester City are the English Premier League defending champions, but ask yourself, what is happening there now?” he argued.
“Every team faces challenges. Right now, we are using our third set of midfielders. We’ve lost many players to injuries—Kazeem Ogunleye and some strikers too. Those playing now were meant to be gradually integrated into the squad, but football forced us to accelerate their development. They’ve tried, but they haven’t converted the chances they got.”
Top-Three Finish Still Possible
Despite the setbacks, Ilechukwu remains optimistic about securing a CAF interclub competition spot next season.
“It’s 100 per cent possible. It may seem impossible to you, but for me as a coach, it is very, very possible,” he said confidently.
“We are still on top of our game. This was one of our best performances, but in terms of converting chances, it was one of our worst. That’s football. We won’t give up. We lost today, but we congratulate Plateau United. They did well to get three points here. We will go back, review the game, restrategise, and see how to improve in the next match.”
‘We Were Unlucky’ – Ilechukwu
Reflecting on the loss to Plateau United, Ilechukwu lamented missed chances in the keenly contested encounter.
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“I think we were unlucky. We got into their 18-yard box 15 times but couldn’t score. They entered our box only four times and got one goal. That’s football for you.”
On Isaac Saviour’s Return From Injury
Ilechukwu also explained why he fielded Isaac Saviour, who had been out injured.
“Yes, Silas was not fully fit, but I told him he would play 15-20 minutes because Plateau United is his former club. It was a way of gradually reintegrating him into the team,” he concluded.
By Sab Osuji
