By Ken Bediako
This is the concluding part of the National Football League’s historic 50th year anniversary in 2008 that was completely unheralded.
The first part of my story last week covered the 1958 genesis of the National League (now dubbed Premier League) comprising eight debutant clubs from the then eight municipal towns in the newly independent Ghana.
The clubs were Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Kumasi Cornerstone, Sekondi Eleven Wise, Sekondi Hasaacas, Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs and Cape Coast Venomous Vipers.
Hearts of Oak then 47 years old became the first winners of the league in 1958.
Incidentally, on the golden jubilee of the league in 2008, Hearts celebrating their 97th birthday won the title for the 20th time.
This is the second round story of the golden jubilee league under review in sequence to the first round published last week.
This second round of the 2008-2009, season started on May 3 2009 in a dramatic fashion when the All Blacks-Kotoko top attraction at Swedru produced three penalty goals. All Blacks won 2-1 from two penalties taken by Daniel Gyamfi within the first 14 minutes. Alex Asamoah scored Kotoko’s penalty three minutes to time.
At Kpandu Samuel Afum scored in the 11th minute to give Hearts a 1-0 victory over Lions.
Other results Faisal 0 RTU 0, Kessben 3 Tema Youth 1; Arsenal 0 Wise 0; Liberty 2 Mirren 2; Ashgold 0 All Stars, Hasaacas 2 Chelsea1.
Tema Youth were on the rampage in the second week whipping Arsenal 6-0 at home. It was a complete one sided affair as Arsenal failed to offer any resistance to the piercing raids of Tema Youth.
Other results Wise 2 Lions 1; Kotoko 1 Kessben 1; RTU 1 All Blacks 0; All Stars 1 Faisal 0; Mirren 2 Hasaacas 0, Liberty 0 Hearts 0; Chelsea 1 Ashgold 0.
The third week saw Kotoko crashing heavily 3-1 to Arsenal at Berekum after taking an 8th minute lead through Alex Asamoah. Prince Atakorah Gyimah equalised for Arsenal on 27 minutes and Francis Aggrey completed the deal with two great goals in the 70th and 83rd minutes.
Other results Hasaacas 1 Liberty 1, Ashgold 1 Mirren 0, Faisal 3 Chelsea 2, All Blacks 0 All Stars 1, Kessben 1 RTU 1, Lions 2 Tema Youth 0, Hearts 2 Wise 2.
Togolese import Ellenson Mensah hit the headlines in the 4th week when his powerful header in the 38th minute gave Ashgold a lone goal away win over Liberty.
Other results RTU 2 Arsenal 0, All Stars 1 Kessben 0, Chelsea 2 All Blacks 2, Tema Youth 1 Wise 0, Hasaacas 1, Hearts 1, Kotoko 0 Lions 1, Mirren 0 Faisal 0.
In the fifth week on May 24 Mirren collected three valuable away points at the expense of All Blacks at Swedru thanks to Francis Boateng’s 27th minute goal.
Other results Ashgold 2 Hasaacas 0, Faisal 1 Liberty 0, Arsenal 1 All Stars 0 , Kessben 3 Chelsea 2, Lions 1 RTU 1, Hearts 2 Tema Youth 1, Wise 1 Kotoko 2.
Kotoko scored a clear cut 3-0 win over Tema Youth in the sixth week top scoring match in Kumasi. Alex Asamoah got a brace for Kotoko and Kwadwo Poku’s powerful shot was diverted into the net by a hard pressed Tema Youth defender in the 89th minute to give Kotoko the third goal.
Other results Ashgold 1 Hearts 0, Chelsea 0 Arsenal 1, Liberty 0 All Blacks 0; RTU 1 WIse 1, All Stars 1 Lions 2, Hasaacas 2 Faisal 1, Mirren 0 Kessben 0.
There was a short break at this stage for the Black Stars World Cup qualifying matches. The resumption on June 14 saw Hearts and Kotoko selling a thriller at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra.
Kotoko won 1-0 courtesy Francis Coffie’s glancing header from a precise cross by Harrison Afful in the 76th minute.
Tema Youth whipped RTU 3-0.
In the other exciting match at Tema Emmanuel Baffoe scored twice and Ekow Benson got the third.
Other results Faisal 1 Ashgold 1, All Blacks 2 Hasaacas 0, Kessben 2 Liberty 1, Arsenal 2 Mirren 1, Lions 0 Chelsea 0, Wise 0 All Stars 0.
There was confusion at the Ohene Djan Stadium after Hearts had lost 1-0 to King Faisal in the 8th week. Hearts fans held coach Papic hostage in the dressing room for losing three matches on the trot. It took time before the poor coach was freed but he was sacked the following day. In that epoch marking match, Faisal scored the winning goal as early as the 8th minute through Eric Poku.
Other results Ashgold 2 All Blacks 1, RTU 1 Kotoko 1, Chelsea 1 Wise 0, All Stars1 Tema Youth 0, Hacaacas 4 Kessben 0, Liberty 4 Arsenal 2, Lions 2 Mirren 1.
Goals were terribly scarce in the 9th week making the 2-1 win by Eleven Wise against Mirren the highest for the week. John Antwi (49) and John Bissiw (75) were on target for Eleven Wise and Nicholas Coffie (77) was the lone marksman for down trodden Mirren.
Other results Hearts 1 RTU 1, Kotoko 1 All Stars 0, All Blacks 1 Faisal 0, Kessben 0 Ashgold 0, Tema Youth 0 Chelsea 1, Lions 0 Liberty 1, Arsenal 0 Hasaacas 0.
Stephen Manu was the toast of Kotoko fans in the 10th week as his 87th minute goal won the Porcupines three vital away points at the expense of Chelsea.
Top scorers of the week were All Blacks who gained a sensational 2-1 victory over league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak at Swedru. Nimble footed Charles Taylor gave Hearts a 19th minute lead but three goals by Bismarck Aidan (21) Charles Appiah (41) and veteran Joe Louis (92) won the day for All Blacks.
Other results Hasaacas 2 Lions 2, Ashgold 2 Arsenal 0, Faisal 2 Kessben 0, All Stars 1 RTU 2, Mirren 1 Tema Youth 2, Liberty 1 Wise 1.
There was drama in Sekondi in the 11th week where Hasaacas beat city rivals Eleven Wise in a tension packed derby.
After Joe Agyemang had scored the opener for Hasaacas in the 12th minute the second half was held up for nearly 15 minutes following a brawl on the pitch that spilled into the stands. The melee started when a player of Eleven Wise tried to break into a human chain formed by players of Hasaacas as they held hands on their way to the pitch. Charles Nartey of Hasaacas was later spotted exchanging blows with Eleven Wise goalie Mohammed Alhassan.
At Berekum Arsenals, Francis Aggrey missed two penalty kicks but scored from a third penalty to give Arsenal a 1-1 draw against Faisal who had taken a 21st minute lead through Dan Addo.
Other results Lions 1 Ashgold 0, Tema Youth 1 Liberty 1, Kotoko 1 Mirren 0, RTU 2 Chelsea 0, Hearts 1 All Stars 1, Kessben 2 All Blacks 2.
Liberty and Kotoko produced a pulsating 3-3 draw at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra in the 12th week.
Kotoko led 2-0 at half time through Kwadwo Poku (23) and Alex Asamoah (33) Liberty struck thrice in the second half through Latif Salifu (57&78) and Issah Kamal (69) before Kwadwo Poku scored a dramatic last minute equaliser for Kotoko.
Other results Faisal 2 Lions 1, All Blacks 2 Arsenal 2, Chelsea 2 All Stars1, Hasaacas 1 Tema Youth 2; Ashgold 1 Wise 1, Kessben 0 Hearts 0, Mirren 0 RTU 0.
Kessben broke the five year unbeaten home record against Arsenal with a dramatic 2-1 defeat in the 13th week. Zufa who had missed a 19th minute penalty scored the curtain raiser for Kessben in the 27th minute. Prince Atta Gyimah replied for Arsenal just befire the recess but Anum Lanquaye made it a great day for Kessben with the winner in the 75th minute.
Other results Lions 2 All Blacks 1, Wise 3 Faisal 2, Tema Youth 1 Ashgold1, RTU 1Liberty 1, All Stars 3 Mirren 0, Hearts 1 Chelsea 1, Kotoko 1 Hasaacas 0.
Kotoko in a last minute chase for the title lost a crucial penultimate game 2-1 against relegation threatened Ashgold at Obuasi.
Daniel Adjei (32) scored first for Kotoko whilst Daniel Asamoah (49) and Anobah (85 pen) scored for Ashgold.
It was a tension packed game with intermittent crowd violence and the Police had to fire teargas at one stage to restore order.
Other results Arsenal 1 Hearts 1, Faisal 0 Tema Youth 1, Hasaacas 3
RTU 1, Liberty 4 All Stars 1, Kessben 2 Lions 1, Murren 1 Chelsea 2, All Blacks 1 Wise 0.
There was a royal presence at the Tamale Stadium in the final match of the season on July 19.
The chief of Tamale Dakpena Alhassan Mohammed Dawuni decided to give moral support to relegation threatened RTU in a decisive match against Ashgold. Luckily RTU won 1-0. Thanks to a 35th minute penalty by Kabiru Imoro.
In Accra, Hearts beat Mirren 2-0 to crown a chequered season in which they started brilliantly but almost finished poorly.
Samuel Afum got both goals.
Other results Chelsea 0 Liberty 0, All Stars 0 Hasaacas 1, RTU 1 Ashgold 0, Kotoko 2 Faisal 2, Tema Youth 1 All Blacks1, Lions 1 Arsenal 1, Wise 4 Kessben 1.
That ends the story of the unheralded National Football League Golden Jubilee that might make the great pioneer Ohene Djan and Ghalca legends like Budu Acquah, Prof Mawuse Dake, Zac Bentum, Kojo Quarshie and Co shake their heads in disbelief in their graves, no matter the odds.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
