GRi Sports Ghana
17 - 09 - 2001
Star Premier League 19th week matches and standings
Asante
Kotoko triumph over Hearts
Bofoakwa
hold Olympics in Accra
Achimota
Golf club get new manager
Star Premier League 19th week matches and standings
Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 September 2001 - The match results and standings after 19th
week matches honoured on 16 September.
Kumasi: Kotoko 2 Hearts 0 Accra:
Olympics 1 Bofoakwa
1
Dawu: Dawu. 1 Adansiman 0
Berekum: Arsenals 0 Faisal 0
Obausi: Goldfileds 0 Ghapoha 0 Tamale: RTU 3 Okwawu
0
Koforidua:
Maxbees 1 Hasaacas 1 Accra: Liberty 0 K’bibirem
1
Standings
Club Local/Region P W
D L F A Pts
GD
Hearts Accra, Greater Accra 19 14 3 2
37 10 45 +26
Kotoko Kumasi, Ashanti 18 14
2 2 30
6 44 +24
Goldfields Obuasi, Ashanti 19
10 2 7
29 14 32 +15
RTU Tamale, North 19 8
4 7 18 15 28
+3
Hasaacas Sekondi, Western 19 8
3 8 18
20 27 -2
Bofoakwa Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 18 6 6 6
17 15 25 +2
Okwahu Nkawkaw, Eastern 19 6
6 7 21
22 23 -1
Liberty Accra, Greater Accra 19 6 5 8
21 26 23 -5
Ghapoha Tema, Gt. Accra 19 5 7 7
12 14 22 0
B.
Arsenal Berekum, Brong
Ahafo 19 6
4 9 14
27 22 -13
Kwaebibrem Asuom, Eastern 19 6
3 10 15
19 21 -4
K. Faisal Kumasi, Ashanti 19 6
5 8 13
16 20 -3
Maxbees Suhum, Eastern 19 5
4 10 16
37 19 -21
Adansiman Obuasi, Ashanti 19 4 5
10 17 24 17 -7
Gt.
Olympics Accra, Gt. Accra 19 3
8 8 12
19 17 -7
NB: King
Faisal was penalised for fielding an unqualified player in the first round.
They lost four points as a result. The GFA is yet to rule on the 18th
week match between Bofoakwa and Asante Kotoko which ended abruptly.
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Kumasi
(Ashanti Region) 17 September 2001 - The Kumasi Sports Stadium was the scene of
wild jubilation by supporters of Kumasi Asante Kotoko as their idol club scored
an emphatic 2-0 victory over their archrivals, Accra Hearts of Oak in the epic
match.
The teeming
supporters broke into prolonged cheers and jubilation as referee I. Alhassan of
Tamale whistled for the end of the titanic match and the loud speakers at the
stadium blared the popular hit "Awurade Kasa" by Cindy Thompson.
The elated
crowd cheered and chanted Kotoko songs as they hugged each other after Kotoko
has scored the spectacular victory, which broke the chain of defeats at the
hands of Hearts.
The victory
was also a sweet revenge for Kotoko whose 1-2 defeat by Hearts in the mid-week
match at the Accra sports stadium caused the May 9 mayhem in which 126 soccer
fans died.
Security
for the match was tight with the military and the police forming a cordon
around the inner perimeter with others in the stands and some with truncheons
and wearing helmet and looking to the crowd.
Kotoko
entered the field at 2.25 pm in their red attire and the crowd cheered as they
jogged around and did light training and five minutes later, Hearts players
also appeared on the field to warm up.
The match
got off to a brisk start after a minute's silence has been observed for victims
of the May 9 disaster and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New
York.
Hearts
forced the first corner-kick of the match in the fifth minute as Kotoko who
looked unsettled failed to stop a move with a defender pushing the ball over
the line.
Kotoko
counter-attacked earning the first of their 11 corner-kicks of the match in the
11th minute and two minutes later, speedster Michael Osei on a good run
outpaced the Hearts defence but shot over the bar.
Kotoko
continued to have the edge in the attack as they forced corner-kicks in the
15th, 17th, 22nd and 24th minutes as Hearts were forced into the defensive but
could not utilise any of them.
Dan Acquah
of Kotoko attracted the yellow card in the 26th minute for a foul and four
minutes later, Hearts inspirer Osei Kuffuor had to visit the touchline for
treatment from a hard knock.
Rampaging
Kotoko whose attacking machinery was in full gear, forced three successive
corner-kicks in the 31st, 32nd, 33rd minutes as Hearts struggled to keep pace
with the game. With Hearts deadly strikers Ishmael Addo, Charles Taylor and Osei
Kuffuor played out of the game, Kotoko played the game at their own pace as the
teeming crowd cheered every move.
Skipper
Godwin Ablordey who captained Kotoko meandered his way through the Hearts
defence in the 42nd minute but his curling shot missed the target.
Kotoko
brought in Joe Okyere for Nana Frimpong at the re-start and this improved
Kotoko's attacking machinery as they launched all out attack.
Hearts came
close to scoring in the 55th minute when Osei Kuffuor's glancing header missed
the post narrowly with goalkeeper Osei Boateng completely beaten.
Kotoko
struck in the 65th minute as Aziz Ansah sliced through the Hearts defence and
placed the ball in the path of Joe Okyere whose flicker beat goalkeeper Sammy
Adjei who was glued to the ground.
Backed by
cheers of the teeming supporters, Kotoko laid a siege on the goal area of
Hearts who played on the defensive. This paid off in the 73rd minute when a
30-metre free-kick taken by diminutive Stephen Oduro nicknamed "Tico"
curled into the net wide off goalkeeper Sammy Adjei in the 73rd minute.
The stadium
was electrified as the chanting supporters drummed and sang almost shaking the
stadium to its foundation. Hearts appeared to have given up the fight as the
players offered little or no opposition with Kotoko forming circles and passing
the ball among themselves to which the crowd cheered.
By this
victory, Kotoko has not only maintained their unbeaten home record but also of
not having conceded a goal at home in the on-going league.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 September 2001 - Bottom club, Accra Great Olympics failed to
lift themselves up from their precarious position on the Star Premier League
table when they were held to a one all drawn game at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The match
played before an empty stadium apparently because fans had moved to the Kumasi
Sports Stadium where the country's two most glamorous clubs- Kotoko and Hearts
clashed in their epic encounter.
The
visitors opened the score with a ninth minute strike by William Agyepong but
their joy was short-lived as J. B. Danquah pulled the equaliser for Olympics
two minutes later.
In-spite of
his magnificent goal, J.B. Danquah caused his team a great deal, as he wasted
glaring chances for Olympics.
Olympics
had a second half goal disallowed after an apparent off side positioning by
Fatawu Barns.
Still at
the Accra Sports Stadium, Liberty Professionals on Saturday lost by a lone goal
to visiting Kwaebibirem United. Nuhu Mohammed scored the only goal of the
match, in the 70th minute through a header.
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Obuasi
(Ashanti Region) 17 September 2001 - Visiting Tema Ghapoha played a great game
to hold Obuasi Goldfields to a goalless drawn game in their premier league
match played at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium.
Goldfields
started the game on a more purposeful note but allowed the visitors to take
over the game having wasted a second minute corner kick.
In the
ninth and 14th minutes, Ben Kwame and Kwabena Boateng tested Goldfields
goalkeeper Michael Robertson as he saved two dangerous situations.
The Miners
resurfaced and dominated play but Nana Arhin-Duah having received a
tailor-measured pass from Princeton Owusu-Ansah in the 81st minute blew the
chance away.
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Tamale
(Northern Region) 17 September 2001 - Real Tamale United registered their
highest score in this year's Premier League by thrashing Okwawu United 3-0 at
the Tamale Kaladan Park on Sunday.
RTU's
skipper Hamza Mohammed scored the first goal in the 15th minute from a close
range shot after receiving a pass from Abass Iddrisu.
Okwawu took
up the challenge and reorganised themselves, making several incursions into the
RTU goal area but Abubakar Sulemana denied them of any goal. The homesters held
the score line till the end of the first half.
On
resumption, and against the run of play, Abass finished off a fast counter
attack started by Hamza in the 70th minute.
The goal
discouraged the Nkawkaw lads who resorted to a defensive game and with
everything pointing to a two-goal victory, RTU's Arola capitalised on a
defensive blunder to score the third goal in the 85th minute.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 September 2001 - Air-Commodore K. K. Pumpuni, former
Hospital Administrator of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has been appointed
new manager of the Achimota Golf Club.
A spokesman
for the Club, who announced this in Accra on Monday, said Air-Commodore
Pumpuni, whose appointment takes effect from October 1 succeeds Mr
J. F. Sam
who retires after 30 years service. He said a competition would be played later
in the month to honour Mr Sam.
Meanwhile,
the international golf competition between Achimota Golf Club of Ghana and
their Togolese counterparts, Golf Club du Lome of Togo scheduled for Achimota
last Sunday, failed to come off.
A spokesman
for the Club speaking to the press said a date would be fixed later for the
competition, which is aimed at fostering good relationship between the two
countries.
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