With eight matches to the end of the Nigerian National League (NNL) current season, clubs have intensified their efforts to secure their places in the four spots available next season in the Nigerian Premier League.

Among the front runners after last weekend's Round 22 matches are Group A leaders- Wikki Tourists Football Club of Bauchi; second placed Kwara United FC, Mighty Jets of Jos, Kogi United and Plateau United respectively which have mathematical chances of finishing as top two teams in the group.

In Group B, Shooting Stars of Ibadan is leading the pack but it is closely followed by Abia Comets, Gabros International, Gateway FC and Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) in that order.

While Wikki Tourists is the runaway team in Group A with 41 points after 22 matches, Kwara United has 37 points just as Jets and Tornadoes have recorded 35 points each to put pressure on the leaders.

However, the battle is hotter in Group B where two point are separating top team, Shooting Stars with 37 points from Abia Comets and Gabros with 35 points each, while Gateway and ABS need only one win to topple the leaders.

Meanwhile, the race against time is getting tougher for some clubs still languishing in the bottom rung of the league ladder. Among the candidates for relegation are two Abuja-based clubs- Nigerian Prisons and TEAP FC with paltry 16 and25 points each in Group A while Unicem, Remo Stars and Prime DC of Oshogbo are most likely to kiss the canvas at the end of the season due to their poor performances in the league.