Southern stream champions Dolphins beat their northern opponents Kwara United 1-0 in Abuja on Wednesday to annex the National Division One title.

Both teams had won their respective streams in convincing style and were playing off for the overall divisional winner.

Dolphins almost did not make the trip, following funding issues which meant they left Port Harcourt late and arrived in Abuja just half an hour before kickoff.

But the Garden City side shook off the lethargy to take an early lead when Bitrus Solomon curled in a freekick after just four minutes.

And despite sustained pressure from Kwara, Dolphins held on for the win, leaving coach Stanley Eguma in boisterous spirits.

"I must say they did very well. It is not easy playing under such conditions. They were fatigued and had not trained in a long time since they were on break when the NFF fixed the match and we cut short their break.

"All in all we are happy to be champions. At least we did not finish the season empty handed." Dolphins will return to Port Harcourt on Friday to kick start preparations for the new season.