Unilorin graduate, Damilola Ajala makes eye-catching Crown FC debut in NNL

Unilorin graduate, Damilola Ajala makes eye-catching Crown FC debut in NNL

Damilola Ajala, a University of Ilorin graduate, made a memorable professional debut for Crown FC despite their 3-1 defeat to Smart City FC in a Matchday 14 fixture of the Nigeria National League at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.

Coming on in the 70th minute with his side already trailing 2-0, the young central midfielder wasted no time making an impact. 

Wearing jersey number 38, Ajala created four goal-scoring chances and completed three successful dribbles in just 20 minutes, injecting energy and creativity into his team’s play.

However, the debut also came with a painful lesson, as Ajala acknowledged his role in the buildup to the opposition’s third goal.

“I came in in the 70th minute and created four chances. The team was already down 2-0, but we eventually lost 3-1. Unfortunately, it was a ball i missed in the final third that led to the third goal,” he said.

Despite the setback, Ajala remained positive about the experience, describing it as a significant step in his career.

“I felt great to make my professional debut, but I was saddened by the result of the game. I hope this will help me increase my confidence to grow and play at higher levels than the NNL,” he added.

While the result may not have gone Crown FC’s way, Ajala’s promising display offers encouragement for both the player and the club as the season progresses.

Damilola is reputed to be one of the standout players of the University of Ilorin football team known as Unilorin warriors.

He participated in many higher institutions competition for the school among which are Higher Institutions Football League(HIFL), NUGA Games and JAMB inter-university games.