?....The Story of one time league hotshot, Edith Agoye
He was easily the darling of most fans of the club when he was still young, in his full element, firing on all cylinders as a player of the famous Shooting Stars Sports Club, formerly known as the IICC Football Club of Ibadan.
In his hey day, Edith Agoye was the key target man as he led the legendary Ibadan club to countless victories in domestic and continental competitions.
Agoye was hot. As a striker, he was a handful as he terrorised defences of opposing teams across the length and breadth of the country, prosecuting league matches.
With the way he had come to be known and accepted as a thorough-bred Ibadan boy on account of the fact that he had lived and schooled all his life in the ancient city, no one would even have believed that he was not from Oyo State.
"I am originally from Ondo State and was born in Ikirun in the present day Osun State. It was natural for most people to see and accept me as a bonafide Oyo State citizen because I lived and schooled in Ibadan," Agoye, now a coach begins.
"It was in Ibadan I went to primary and secondary school, then on to graduate at the famous University of Ibadan. It was also in Ibadan I started my playing career where I often combined studies with playing," he adds.
Agoye had initially started out at the amateur level, fine-tuning his game at Greater Tomorrow, a popular academy known for unearthing great talents that went on to rule the game in Nigeria and beyond.
But it was at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWAH) Football Club that Agoye first showed glimpses of what would define his game -- a knack for scoring breathtaking goals!
And trust the bigger clubs always in the lookout for raw talents to mould into masterpieces. It was not long before Shooting Stars came calling and after tabling an offer he could not refuse, Agoye made the move to the club nicknamed the 'Oluyole Warriors' in 1994.
The rest, they say, is history. Agoye had quickly gone on to establish himself as a true goalscoring gem, tormenting defences and coming away with an avalanche of goals that went a long way in helping Shooting Stars win the league and FA Cup double in 1995.
That same year, he had also helped Shooting Stars reach the finals of the African Champions Club Cup now rechristened CAF Champions League, losing narrowly to Zamalek of Egypt in a two-legged final played in Ibadan and Cairo.
That failure at the continental level notwithstanding, Agoye had succeeded in etching his name into the club's folklore. Even till this day, his name still rings a bell when mentioned alongside legendary names as Segun Odegbami, Felix Owolabi, Duke Udi, Ajibade Babalade, Olumide Harris, to mention but a few, that once donned the famous blue jersey of the club.
Agoye would later leave to further his career in Europe and North Africa where he played for a number of clubs in Switzerland, Germany, Tunisia, Austria and Portugal before returning home to take up coaching.
Well, the former forward would soon find out that there was a whole world of difference between how players and coaches were perceived. That, one could easily turn from being a hero to a villain in an instant if the tap of heady results stops flowing.
Agoye had returned to join Shooting Stars, first as an assistant coach before making the upgrade to a substantive coach.
A series of unfavourable events had unfolded to choke the space particularly in the 2021/22 season.
Despite trying very hard to close his mind to the off-field shenanigans that rocked the club, it was a herculean task to eke out results in an atmosphere of chaos, mutual distrust and conspiracies.
Unfortunately, past exploits for the club would count for nothing as he was naturally made to bear the brunt for the club's dwindling fortunes.
"We were rocked by a crisis which followed the death of one of our most trusted club chieftains and things never remained the same after that," Agoye recalls.
"This affected everyone including the playing staff who were still expected to keep delivering the results in an unconducive atmosphere. Yes, I know that blaming coaches for poor results is a normal pastime of football fans across the globe but in this case, the atmosphere had been too supercharged for us to make any further impact at the club.
"It was during this period I thought it was time for me to end my long romance with the club and cut a niche for myself elsewhere."
Agoye's decision to explore other options has since turned out a blessing in disguise as he has been able to put his once shaky career back on a sound footing.
Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure came calling. The club, just like Agoye, were looking for redemption after years of wallowing in obscurity owing to a combination of factors.
It was a marriage of convenience that has now been hailed as one made in heaven!
Last season, Agoye weaved his magic wand and got Sunshine Stars -- a club that had hitherto struggled to hold its head above relegation waters for many seasons -- within whiskers of nicking a ticket to play on the continent.
Agoye and his Stars from Akure had torn the bookmakers' permutations to shreds as they surprised many with their gritty and exciting brand of football, finishing just behind top teams like Enyimba of Aba, Rivers United of Port Harcourt and Remo Stars of Sagamu in the Super Six in an abridged league format in Lagos.
"That performance in which Sunshine Stars finished 4th place above better heralded teams like Enugu Rangers, Lobi Stars, Abia Warriors and Niger Tornadoes, to mention but a few, suddenly changed the way people once saw us," he says.
"Our reputation as relegation battlers over the years, I should say, accounted for the way fans looked at us and our chances against virtually the country's top sides during last season's Super Six. But all that would change suddenly when we came within a hair's breath of stealing one of the slots for the yearly CAF organised club football championships."
"Today, we are no longer seen as just any club that comes to a competition like the Super Six to make up the numbers. We are now seen as real title contenders," he adds.
That Super Six performance has done lot of good things for Agoye and Sunshine Stars.
"My achievements at the club has raised my profile just as it has helped the club grow out of its shell as an underachiever.
"Also, my small successes at the club has also launched my family name into the orbit of prominence in Ondo State which ironically is the place I am originally from."
That's not the only largesse that has come from his new job. He has also been given an extended, and improved contract that will afford him the space and time he needs to build the team of his dream for his people.
He says he is committed to not only building on the success of last season, he wants to go at least one step further to compete with the same teams that stopped Sunshine Stars from reaching the continent -- this time, vowing to ensure that he does better.
"There is another abridged season loading and I have told myself that we will pull all the stops to ensure that we go one step better than we did the last time. I know that we may not be viewed as dark horses on account of the surprises we pulled the last time but if we must return to the continent after a 12-year absence, then we are condemned to just go out there and prove our mettle as a club once again and deliver the results that every one in Ondo State eagerly awaits," he concludes.
Comments:
Leave a Reply