By Ken Bediako
Jan 25 – Oct 26
The first division league was rechristened the premier league.
The last six clubs in the previous season, Akotex, Complex Stars, Agona Fankobaa, Tarkwa Gold Stars, Juantex and SS 1974 were excluded from the premier league. By this exercise, the number of factory clubs was reduced to three – Mines Stars, Dumas and GIHOC.
It was a hectic 12 club competition and Asante Kotoko won comfortably with 35 points, followed by traditional rivals Accra Hearts of Oak with a distant 27 points.
RTU set a hot pace with a 2-0 win over GIHOC Stars in the opening game with Mahama Nlai scoring both goals. They continued to hit the headlines with a massive 4-1 win over Hearts of Oak in Tamale in the third week. Once again Mahama Nlai was the toast of fans when he scored a hat-trick; Mohammed Choo scored the other goal and Ibrahim Meriga got the consolation for Hearts.
Eleven Wise halted RTU’s brilliant forward march with a 1-0 defeat at Gyandu the following week but the Tamale boys bounced back to winning form in the 5th week with a smashing 5-0 home win over Cornerstone. Mahama Nlai scored twice with the other goals coming from Shahadu, Mohammed Choo and Peter Kusi.
The other high scoring match was Kotoko’s 4-2 win over Dwarfs in Kumasi. Opoku Nti grabbed a hat-trick for Kotoko and Opoku Afriyie netted the 4th. Francis Ennin and Albert Okoe each scored for Dwarfs. Opoku Nti’s 44th minute goal gave Kotoko a hard fought 1-0 win over Hearts in their traditional “el classico” in Accra in the 7th week.
Olympics were top scorers of the week by beating Cornerstone 4-1 in Kumasi. Robert Tetteh, Sarkodee Addo, Moncar and Botwe scored for Olympics and Kwaku Baah got Corners’ lone goal. The other outstanding feat was the 3-0 spanking of Hasaacas by Eleven Wise in their local derby. Thomas Appiah got a brace and Albert Nyarko scored the third.
Hearts confirmed their superiority over Olympics with a neat 2-0 win in their local derby in the 8th week. Adolf Armah (5th) and Nortey Sowah (89th) were the scorers. Hearts followed this up with their first away win in the season, 1-0 over GIHOC Stars at Nsawam, thanks to Adolf Armah’s goal two minutes inside injury time.
RTU hit the headlines in the 10th week on April 5 when they halted Kotoko’s unbeaten record with a narrow 1-0 win in Kumasi. A powerful 40th minute free kick by veteran P. M. K. Kusi did the trick.
The Tamale boys continued their winning streak when the second round began on June 28 with a clear cut 2-0 home win over Dumas. The marksmen were Mohammed Dauda (10) and Yakubu Abdulai (87). The celebration however did not last long as Hearts trounced RTU 3-0 in Accra the following week. Sowah Nortey (10), Quarcoo(39) and Kwadade(82) scored the goals.
Interestingly, Hearts also had only a brief celebration as they lost 2-0 to B. A. United in their next match at Sunyani. Skipper Augustine Asante (67) and George Arthur (70) were the scorers. With four matches to go, Kotoko had established a clear lead, with three clubs, Hearts, Hasaacas and Wise fighting for the second spot. Kotoko’s 2-0 victory over Hearts in Accra and a fighting 2-2 draw with Dumas at Tema won them the honour of becoming first winners of the novelty premier league.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports .
