Glo premier league round-up

Coach Paa Kwesi Fabin

The 2011/12 Glo Premier League kicked off on Sunday with eight matches being played at all the centres. In the end, seventeen goals were scored, out of which eight were netted by home teams, as against nine by away teams, as well as six home wins, as against two away wins being recorded. Emmanuel Baffoe of New Edubiase recorded the first hat trick of the season.

Liberty Professionals and Kpando Heart of Lions were the teams that managed to notch up wins at home, while teams like Tema Youth, AshantiGold and Mighty Jets recorded draws, while Medeama S/C, Berekum Arsenals and Bechem United were the home teams that lost to their guests.

Prior to the official kick off of the league, premier club, Accra Hearts of Oak opened the season with a Mahatma Otoo goal in the 8 th minute to mollify their fans, who were disappointed by their 3-1 humiliation at the hands of Kumasi Asante Kotoko a week earlier at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Following that defeat, many were those who were beside themselves with misgivings as to whether the Phobians could deliver, but on the day they did, and that ensured their bagging the three points at stake, at the expense of stubborn Berekum Arsenals.

When Eric Fordjour secured parity for debutantes Bechem United in the 37 th minute from a spot kick, after Emmanuel Baffoe had drawn first blood for New Edubiase in the 17 th minute in their clash at the Baba Yara Stadium, it appeared the new entrants were going to give Edubiase a good run for their money.

But as it turned out, Emmanuel Baffoe had other plans in store, as he grabbed two more goals later in the match to record the first hat trick of the season and to ensure that his side won the day notwithstanding the grit fight put up by Bechem United.

In what can be described as a perfect farewell to their late President, Alhaji Ibrahim Sly Tetteh, Liberty Professionals chalked a solitary win at home against Aduana Stars, who displayed an unwillingness to lose, as they fought hard to redeem the goal, but try as they did, the Liberty goaltender, Akwasi Acheampong proved too-difficult-to-beat.

At the Accra Sports Stadium, the stark reality of a difficult defence of the title they won last season dawned on Berekum Chelsea, who were held 1-1 by   Tudu Mighty Jets. Frank Osei, who once featured for King Faisal and Kumasi Asante Kotoko stung the defending champions like a bee, after coming on as a substitute, before Abdul Basit equalised for the defending champions.

At the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium, AshantiGold dropped points when they were held 1-1 by Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs, while Paa Kwasi Fabin proved that the fact that he is not handling one of the 'stellar' clubs in Ghana does not mean he is washed up, as he led Kpando Heart of Lions to baptise Wassaman F/C into the premier league, with a lone goal at Kpando. It was Bright Nsiah who hit the back of the net for the Lions in the 34 th minute.

In a late kick off, Wa All Stars stormed the Essipon Sports Stadium and played above themselves to inflict a 2-1 defeat on Medeama S/C. Two first half goals by Joshua Otoo and Adnan Saeed gave All Stars the win, while the consolation goal for Medeama was scored by impressive Louis Agyeman, who was a handful for the team from Upper West.

Referee Vincent Otoo churned out a controversial performance in Tema in the game involving Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Tema Youth, when he failed to award Kotoko a penalty after the goalkeeper, Joseph Halm, had brought down Ahmed Toure, who was moving menacingly towards goal.

This was after he had awarded the homesters a penalty, from which

Abdulai Hamza secured the equalizer. This was after Kotoko had jumped into the lead in the 18 th minute through Ahmed Toure, who towered above everybody to nod home a corner kick.