Oriental Derby: Amuneke talks tough, sure Heartland ‘ll overcome Enyimba

***In 2024/25 NPFL season opener

By Harry Awurumibe,  Editor-in-Chief

Heartland Football Club’s newly appointed Technical Adviser, Emmanuel Amuneke is optimistic his youthful team will surprise their opponents Enyimba International of Aba in Sunday’s Oriental Derby billed for Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.

He said though he would not have loved his team to start the 2024/25 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season’s opener with a tough opponents like Enyimba, Heartland he leads at the present will prevail over Enyimba popularly called ‘The People’s Elephant’ when both teams clash on Sunday.

Speaking exclusively to Prompt News on his mission in Heartland, his home state team, Amuneke who doubles as the club’s General Manager revealed that he has been able to assembly a group of young but determined players he believes will give their opponents in the league a good fight.

The former Nigerian international who is not known to be boastful insists that he has been able to piece together raw talents he spotted from various football academies around the South East and some from outside to form a nucleus of a new Heartland FC to make an impression in the NPFL this season.

Said he:”Having been called upon by His Excellency the governor of Imo State (Hope Uzodinma) to takeover the affairs of Heartland FC and to reposition the club to be competitive once again, I have within the shortest time frame selected about 30 players to start the process of rebuilding the club.

“I am happy that the unveiling of the 30 players inside the refurbished Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri during the week attracted almost a full stadium as our fans came out in their numbers to get a glimpse of the new players in our new jerseys. You can see the hunger in the eyes of these boys and it gives me hope that we shall prevail over Enyimba come Sunday in our stadium”.

Amuneke who excelled as a player for clubs and country as well as winning trophies as player and coach of Nigeria’s U-17 football team, Golden Eaglets in the FIFA U-17 World Cup however disclosed that he is not oblivious of the danger Enyimba International poses for his team but the visitors will return to Aba empty-handed on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the former African Best Footballer of the Year and assistant coach of Super Eagles said that he has the mandate of Governor Uzodinma to turn around the fortunes of Heartland FC which has struggled in the NPFL in the recent time following poor management of the team by past administrators.

“It is no longer news that the once dreaded Heartland FC has suffered so much misfortunes in the recent time especially in the past decade when it has been relegated more than twice due to bad management. I must say that I met a complete rot in the club with no structure.

“Those who ran it left huge debts by owing players, coaches, staff and others, a situation which ensured that the team did not perform on the pitch but I have been given a job to put things in shape and with the full backing of our Governor whom I report to directly, I believe Heartland FC will return to the winning ways”, Amuneke concluded.

Naze Millionaires as Heartland FC, formerly called Spartans and later Iwuanyanwu Nationale are known have won the Nigerian  League five times including a four straight win in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 and also in 1993 respectively.

Heartland also reached the finals of the 1988 African Cup of Champions Clubs and 2009 CAF Champions Leaque where they lost by an own goal to TP Mazambe of Democratic Republic of Congo in Lubumbashi.