Remo Stars striker Sikiru Alimi is optimistic that after breaking his month-long drought, he is now ready to lead the team's charge for the NPFL title.
The former Stade Tunisien striker has been among the top goal scorers this season, notching up ten goals as of Week 10. However, the goals dried up for him afterwards, owing to injuries and loss of form.
Alimi last scored on Match-day 16 in November 2023 against Heartland in Owerri, but the goals dried up after that.
However, he was back among the goals as Remo Stars defeated Akwa United 2-1 at the Remo Stars Stadium last weekend.
His goal from the spot, his 12th of the season, ended a barren run of eight games as he had not scored since the turn of the year.
Alimi: Goal against Akwa will motivate me
Alimi told afrik-foot.com that he is delighted to be back in the goals and it is a confidence booster for him as a striker.
“It was really a good feeling for me, getting back to scoring. Been struggling with a series of injuries lately and trying to get back to full fitness,” he said.
“It wasn’t easy but all thanks to my Coaches and team-mates for keeping it strong and still believing in me. This is really a morale booster going forward.
“Hopefully, there will be more goals from here so I can help my team get to where we want to be,” Alimi added.
Remo aim for first NPFL title
Remo Stars started the season well and for long stretches were within the top three places on the log.
They hit a purple patch and have dropped down the log, but they have been able to get a good run of games and now are third on the log to keep in touch with the African spots.
For Alimi, ending the season with the title has always been the target as he believes his team has all it takes to be NPFL champions this season.
If Remo wins the title, it will be the first for the Ikenne side, a feat the former Sunshine Stars striker feels is possible with the calibre of players on their team.
“Yeah, generally our collective target this season is to go all out for the title, which obviously seems we are still on course to achieve,” the striker revealed.
“We will give all it takes to achieve our collective target of winning the title for the club for the first time. It has been a tough season with ups and downs which is expected.
“However, it won’t be easy; there are very good teams at the top that we are competing with so we have to give it our best if we want to achieve our goals this season,” Alimi stated.
Tough run-in for Remo and Alimi
When asked what his personal goals for the rest of the season are, Alimi revealed that he has no targets as he just wants to keep scoring to help his team win the title.
He also said he wants to do his best as the NPFL season gets into the deep end with teams fighting for the title or African spots while others are looking to avoid relegation.
“Personally, I have no set targets for the season. I just want to keep scoring as much as I can, keep helping my club achieve, and keep improving personally in all aspects of my game,” the 28-year-old said.
“This is the final lap and the most important part of the season; it’s getting intense as the men are being separated from the boys already.
“Obviously, these remaining games would be decisive, so we are bracing up and hoping to finish on a high. We want to give our fans something to cheer about at the end of the season,” he said.
Remo Stars are in third place on the NPFL table after 29 games. They are two points behind joint-leaders Rangers and Lobi Stars, but they have a game at hand.
