They live to fight another day. On Friday, September 30, 2022, the University's football team, AUN Stallions, showed why they are regarded as one of the best sides in the state when they hosted the Adamawa NYSC team at the GT Bank field. Although this was meant to be a friendly encounter, the NYSC technical crew took no chances and fielded six national professional league players to secure a win against the Stallions, an all-student team but whose reputation instills fear in opponents. However, they met their match in the Stallions' Manager, Sadiq Yahaya Ado, who opted for a tactical formation that neutralized the more experienced NYSC team without sacrificing his team's well-known fluidity and expressive style of play. Nonetheless, the visiting NYSC team dominated play in the first twenty minutes, pressing the Stallions back in search of a goal. The Stallions soaked the pressure well, choosing their battles carefully and avoiding a rash surge forward that would have exposed their backline and give their opponents the opening they sought.
In the second half, Coach Yayaha made a few tactical tweaks to his team's formation, allowing the Stallions to dominate the midfield and take full advantage of the individual skills of their star players. Stallions' captain Ishola Ajala, midfield dynamos Hassano, David, Mohammed Jamo, and defense marshals Marafa and Suleiman Dantata began to assert their skills and play style to entertain the cheering crowd. Having observed possible weaknesses in the NYSC team, Coach Yahaya asked his boys to press forward from the middle and play with more aggression, especially in the opponent's goal area, as they searched for a winning goal in the final minutes. The Coach screamed instructions from his technical area, warning his boys, "We cannot lose this match … Do not give them a breathing space". But the NYSC boys stood firm and warded off the stomping Stallions until the final whistle.
"I appreciate my senior players for taking responsibility in this game," the Stallions' Coach Yayaha told our reporter after the hotly contested game. "We did not field some key players because they went for their lab classes. I had to give a chance to new players to show what they can do. In the end, the senior players stepped forward to show leadership, and I am pleased with the result”.
Reported by Abah John