Marked for Nmecha Johnson
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match15 May 2027
The unbeaten run reaches 12. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market17 May 2027
Only the photograph left for Chimezie Njoku
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Chimezie Njoku will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Abia Warriors the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Market17 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Abia Warriors, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad17 May 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Suraju Lawal
17 goals and a season average of 7.22 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad17 May 2027
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad17 May 2027
Words at Abia Warriors training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Chidiebere Nnachi is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout17 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Chindi Merpring, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.77, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 30. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Market29 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Abia Warriors can pretend not to have heard.
Match27 Mar 2027
7 matches without a win, and then this, against Bendel Insurance. Relief is a strange noise in a football ground and it was the only noise at the end.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match27 Mar 2027
A 2‑1 win over Bendel Insurance, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The terraces29 Mar 2027
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Effimi Nsi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Words at Abia Warriors training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Chidiebere Nnachi is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match9 Jan 2027
There were 88 minutes on the clock and Warri Wolves had all but banked the point. Football rarely reads the room, and Abia Warriors did not stop to explain themselves.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
Chindi Merpring: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Abia Warriors have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Market11 Jan 2027
Barau come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Abia Warriors did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market11 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Abia Warriors can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Ali Ishaku is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 23 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match9 Jan 2027
Whatever happens, Abia Warriors do not lose
6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Chindi Merpring and Abia Warriors agree another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Dec 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Samuel Ogunjimi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words at Abia Warriors training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nmecha Johnson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Fatai Abdullahi, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Chimezie Njoku knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Abia Warriors, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Abia Warriors will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Abia Warriors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Chindi Merpring
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Nmecha Johnson falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Market23 Nov 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market9 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Abia Warriors, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Imo Obot falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kelvin Ihunwo, and the manager let it.
Market9 Nov 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Chindi Merpring trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Abia Warriors will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager makes Faiz Jibrin a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Abia Warriors. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Market9 Nov 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Ugochukwu David signs something — a contract at Abia Warriors or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
Chukwuemeka Obioma was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad2 Nov 2026
34 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nmecha Johnson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Abia Warriors will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Market2 Nov 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Oct 2026
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Abia Warriors training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Chidiebere Nnachi is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Israel Joseph
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Oct 2026
Samuel Faniyi hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Abia Warriors can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Chindi Merpring commits to Abia Warriors for another 4 years.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Nmecha Johnson falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Shedrack Asiegbu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market12 Oct 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Abia Warriors. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Abia Warriors may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Chukwuemeka Obioma was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Chidiebere Nnachi falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Emmanuel Ogbuagu is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Abia Warriors will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Market5 Oct 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Nmecha Johnson has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Abia Warriors.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market5 Oct 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Abia Warriors, another week without a signature from Nzubechi Sunday.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
Elu Wilson has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Elu Wilson has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
Chukwuemeka Obioma and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
7.19, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Abia Warriors had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Kelechi Omeruo chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nmecha Johnson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
Match19 Sep 2026
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Kwara United came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.