Nsuopun Fidelity began their First Division campaign with a 1-0 win against Future Stars on Friday evening. The hosts took all three points from their opening match of the regular season. By then, the home side had already established themselves at the top of the table with three points from one game.
Future Stars started their season on the wrong foot, unable to find any rhythm against a disciplined Fidelity defence. The visitors finished in 16th place after their solitary match, sitting on zero points. To be fair, the match was decided by fine margins rather than dominance.
On their recent form, Fidelity had mixed results before this opener. They beat Rochpak 3-1 and Ashanti Gold 3-0 earlier this year, but a heavy 0-3 defeat to Sky had raised questions. The academy graduate marked his first start with a goal, though the exact moment remains hazy in memory.
Future Stars arrived with similar inconsistency in their record. A 2-2 draw against New Edubiase offered hope, but defeats to Ebusesua Dwarfs and Sokor Intellectuals showed vulnerability. The visitors had nothing to lose and played accordingly, though that approach brought limited returns.
The result puts Fidelity in pole position heading into the next round of fixtures. Future Stars will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid the bottom of the table. The scoreline tells only part of the story — the match was tight from start to finish.