Plateau United did more than win three points against Shooting Stars. They gave their supporters a clearer answer to an important early-season question: can this team respond when a match begins to move away from them?
On Sunday, 20 September, Plateau United fell behind in the 15th minute at the New Jos Stadium when Taheer Abubakar scored for Shooting Stars. They did not allow the early setback to turn the match into a desperate chase. Instead, they returned after half-time with more urgency, scored three times and beat Shooting Stars 3-1. According to Plateau United’s official match report, Jibril Ibrahim equalised in the 50th minute, Seiyefa Jackson put the home side ahead in the 71st, and Gideon Monday completed the comeback in the 87th minute.
That is meaningful development after four league matches. It is still early in the NPFL 2026/27 season, and it is important not to overstate what one result means. Plateau United have not suddenly solved every problem in their team. What they have shown is more useful: a developing side with a stronger response, a reliable home base and enough attacking improvement to turn pressure into points.
The result was defined by Plateau United’s response
Shooting Stars had the better scoreline at half-time, but Plateau United’s first-half performance was not devoid of threat. The club’s match report records early efforts from Isaiah Sunday, Jibril Ibrahim and Majalisa Andrew, as well as Seiyefa’s pressing attempt to force an error from the visiting goalkeeper. The issue was not a complete inability to attack. It was the lack of a finish and the punishment that followed the visitors’ 15th-minute opener.
The important change came after the interval. Vangsou replaced Isaiah at half-time, and Plateau United played with greater urgency. Jibril’s equalizer came from a free-kick routine: Jonathan Okechukwu laid the ball off, allowing Jibril to finish the move. The goal changed the emotional temperature of the game. Plateau United were no longer chasing an abstract equalizer; they had evidence that their pressure could break Shooting Stars’ resistance.
That response matters because it was not only emotional. Plateau United kept creating situations after making it 1-1. Utin’s free-kick found Seiyefa, and the resulting pressure led to another chance. In the 71st minute, Yahaya’s cross gave Seiyefa the opportunity to finish and move the home side in front. The pattern was clear: set-piece delivery, sustained pressure and better use of the wide areas eventually produced the decisive moments.
The comeback also showed better use of the bench
Plateau United’s substitutions helped change the game rather than merely protect the result. Gideon Monday came on for Jibril in the 63rd minute and later scored the third goal. That is a small but important sign of squad contribution. The win was not dependent on one player carrying the attack for 90 minutes.
Gideon’s goal in the 87th minute also showed a different route to goal. Paul’s cross found the substitute, who headed home shortly after Shooting Stars defender Gbolagade Adelowo received a straight red card in the 84th minute, leaving the visitors with ten men. Plateau United had already scored from a free-kick move and a cross, then added another goal from a delivery into the box. Gideon’s headed goal from Paul’s cross added another example of Plateau’s threat from wide deliveries and the contribution of their substitutes.
There was still a difficult spell after Plateau United went ahead. Utin was forced off after taking a heavy knock in the 73rd minute, and the home side had to manage the closing stages without losing its shape. The club report says Plateau United continued to threaten on the counter and saw the match out. That balance — absorbing pressure while keeping an outlet — was part of the maturity of the performance.
Four matches point to steady improvement, not perfection
Plateau United’s first four league results are now:
- Rivers United 2-0 Plateau United
- Plateau United 1-0 Kwara United
- Niger Tornadoes 1-1 Plateau United
- Plateau United 3-1 Shooting Stars
That record gives Plateau United two wins, one draw and one defeat. They have scored five goals, conceded four and collected seven points. The official NPFL table places them sixth after Matchday 4.
The home form is especially encouraging. Plateau United have won both home league matches, beating Kwara United 1-0 before the 3-1 victory over Shooting Stars. They have scored four times and conceded once in those two games. That gives the New Jos Stadium a practical importance beyond atmosphere: it is currently where Plateau United are turning competitive performances into wins. The away picture is less settled. The defeat at Rivers United was followed by a draw at Niger Tornadoes, a match Plateau United led before a late equaliser and a weather interruption extended the contest into the following morning. That away point showed resilience, but the next challenge is to make the team’s progress travel.
What does the result say about Plateau United’s development?
The strongest evidence of progress was the contribution from different parts of the team. Jibril Ibrahim supplied the equaliser, Seiyefa Jackson put Plateau ahead and substitute Gideon Monday added the third. Set-piece combinations and crosses gave the hosts several routes to goal after a frustrating first half.
The next challenge was to carry that attacking threat into away matches. Winning in Jos gave Plateau a platform; collecting points on the road would determine how much they could build on it.
At the time of publication, Plateau’s next fixture was a trip to Doma United at Pantami Stadium on Wednesday, 23 September, listed on the NPFL fixture schedule.
Subsequent result: Plateau drew that match 2–2 after falling two goals behind. Read our Doma United–Plateau United comeback analysis for how the away test unfolded.