As Nasarawa United prepares to tackle Rivers United in the quarter finals of the Ahlan Preseason Cup Tournament, box-to-box player, Ibrahim Matthew, has promised a water- tight defence against their Port-Harcourt opponents.

The 1.68 metre tall defender gave the assurance at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, Kano, shortly after Rivers United pipped Kano Pillars 1-0 to qualify to the last eight alongside Plateau United who also beat Kada City 2-0 in the other Group B match this evening.

According to Matthew, Nasarawa United’s technical officials are working on every department of the team, especially the defence, and their technics are yielding results.

“A team’s success is hinged on the strength of the defence. The defence is like the foundation upon which a house is built.

“And if the foundation of a house is faulty, the entire house will collapse, no matter how beautiful it is”, he began.

He said they have received instructions to up their performance and win every game.

“After every game, our coaches analyse our performance and tell us how to better it in the next game, and this helps us a lot”, the former Simon Ben Football Academy of Kaduna player whose playing pattern is reminiscent of Brazillian Dani Alves, told Nasarawa United Media Team.

A dynamic, diminutive, and hard-working player, known for his energy and excellent ball-winning abilities as a right-back, Matthew is considered one of the best defenders at the Ahlan Preseason tournament, after winning most of his on-field contests and bereaving opponents of the ball.

Nasarawa United will file out against Rivers United on Sunday, 13th October, 2019, at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, after topping their group with six points from three matches.

Eche Amos