Dolphins get Festus Austin boost

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Feb 11, 2015. 15:41

Dolphins have received a big boast ahead of a CAF Confederation Cup game in Equatorial Guinea this weekend following the return to training of hard-tackling central defender Festus Austin.

Nigeria’s flag bearers Dolphins face Leones Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea in a preliminary round of the second-tier Confederation Cup.

Austin cracked his shin during a league game against Warri Wolves last year, two games after he returned from a year long injury.

He had cracked the same shin two years ago in a league game and was out of action for one year; then he returned for a league game in Enugu against Rangers before he crackedthe shin again one game later in Warri against Warri Wolves

“I have started training on my own and I am right now waiting for the team doctor to give me the go-ahead to join the players on the pitch,” he informed.

“I will meet with him soon. I have just started gym work because I need to gain some strength pending when the doctor confirms I can go into full training.”

The former Bendel Insurance defender said he first feared for his career when he was being taken off the pitch last year on a stretcher.

Austin joined Dolphins from Bendel Insurance in 2008 as fourth in the pecking order of central defenders behind Tochukwu Okolie, Chimezie Nzewi and Emah Godwin, but he soon started playing regularly, took a first-team shirt to become a main stay in the Dolphins defence.

 By Arafat Aliu