Kano Pillars left Ibadan with a hard-fought point on Wednesday after holding Shooting Stars to a goalless draw in a rescheduled Matchday 3 fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba.
For Pillars fans, the result was more than just a point on the road. It came against a Shooting Stars side that finished third in the 2025/26 NPFL season and had earned a continental ticket for the first time in over twenty years, making the clean sheet away from home a notable away day for Sai Masu Gida.
The draw has, however, turned the heat up considerably on Shooting Stars technical adviser Salisu Yusuf. The Oluyole Warriors have now won just one of their last seven league matches, with one win, two draws and four defeats in that stretch, a sharp drop in form from their strong finish to last season.
Yusuf's troubles have not been confined to the league alone. Shooting Stars were knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup at the first preliminary round stage by Tunisian club CS Sfaxien. The Ibadan side had won the first leg 1-0 at their temporary base in Abeokuta, but they could not hold on, losing the return leg 2-0 to crash out of continental football.
Yusuf took charge of Shooting Stars after the club controversially sacked Nurudeen Aweroro just weeks before the season kicked off. Following the stalemate with Kano Pillars, a section of Shooting Stars supporters publicly called for Yusuf's removal and demanded that Aweroro be brought back to the dugout.
For Kano Pillars, the point in Ibadan continues a run in which the team has remained difficult to beat, with the side picking up a string of draws alongside wins over Niger Tornadoes and Doma United FC earlier in the campaign. Pillars will now turn their attention to Matchday 8, where they travel to face Plateau United away on October 11.
Shooting Stars, meanwhile, will be desperate for a reaction when they travel to face Kun Khalifat FC this weekend in their own Matchday 8 assignment, with Yusuf under pressure to halt the slide before it threatens his position at the club.