BY SAB OSUJI

Emeka Hego-Ogbonna, says he has no regret punishing his former club, Kebbi United Beach Soccer Club with a hattrick in Thursday's five goal thriller at the Nnewi High School Beach Soccer Pitch, Exclusivenews.com.ng reports.

Ogbonna, who has represented Nigeria at continental and global Beach soccer topmost level for 13 consecutive years and has been rated as Africa's Best Beach Soccer Player by FIFA spoke after his hattrick helped his new club, Anambra Warriors nick a pyrrhic 3-2 win over his former club in the last match of the day two fixtures at Nnewi on Thursday evening.

"When you leave a team for another team, it's always good to show them what you can do, I mean, the stuff you're made of and the potential and qualities you possess so that next time, they don't lose a good player", starts the dark-hued forward.

"I'm very happy that we defeated them even though it wasn't a stroll in the park kind of match", Ogbonna admitted.

In normal football, it's always a delight for a player to score against his former club. And scoring a hattrick against one's former club goes with it a feeling of joy, pride and happiness.

Ogbonna shares his deep feeling of joy, excitement and accomplishment when asked about his feeling gunning down his former club with a hattrick in the 3-2 triumph.

"I feel so excited. I believe its not the first time I'm scoring a hattrick against a team I've played for before. And I give glory to God and also I would want to thank my teammates because, without them, there couldn't be me. So, it's them, my teammates, that made it possible for me to score the hattrick. It was a good one for us and as well a good win for Anambra Warriors".

The Beach soccer smashing forward bare arrived Nnewi, the industrial hub of Anambra State a couple of months ago from the far North State, Kebbi.

Asked how easy and fast he's settled down in his new environment, leading to his replication of the rich form that has earned him national and international honours, Ogbonna said his experience in the game has been a major factor.

He also revealed his mission in Anambra Warriors BSC.

"I think so far, so good. I think, without prejudice or contradiction, I'm one of the oldest players in the Beach Soccer League because I've represented Nigeria in the National Beach Soccer Team for 13 years now and I think I'm the most experienced.

"So what I came to do in Anambra State is to encourage the younger ones coming up and also to teach them how to play the game so that they can learn and grow so that possibly, the national Beach Soccer team (Beach Eagles) can bounce back again so that they can continue from where we stopped".

Every honour goes with its measure of load or challenges. For Ogbonna, being rated by FIFA as Africa's Best and amongst the top 100 Beach Soccer Players in the World wasn't quite a day's job. It equally wasn't a walk in the park neither.

"It has been a growing process all the way. With the old teammates that I've together with, I'm not surprised when I was named as the Best in Africa and third Best in the World.

"It never came to me as a surprise because I knew that I really deserved it at that time. I really worked hard for it and God willing, it came to me and I grabbed it with both hands.

"Since then, I've been trying as much as I can to keep that base even at my age".

Prior to the Anambra versus Kebbi clash, Kwara produced one of the most dramatic comebacks in the game to edge Jigawa 8-6.

The Lawal Olalekan charges came from an incredible 4-1 deficit in the first quarter to snatch a 6-5 lead in the second quarter before snatching an extraordinary 8-6 win at the close of the third quarter.
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