It was the opening day of the Ghana Premier League. We saw 15 goals, upsets, 7 home wins , 1 away and no draw.

Which things did we learn from matchday 1

LARGE CROWDS A SIGN OF GOOD THINGS TO COME?

One major talking point from all outlets was the large crowds which filled all the match venues. After witnessing a close to empty stadium a fortnight ago in the Ghana Super Cup, there were fears this will be cripple into the league but any thoughts of this were quickly quashed. From Saturday’s opener at Sogakope to Dwarfs’ league game in Cape Coast to Techiman City’s first game at Techiman to Keni’s first home game in Accra, there was a good crowd to witness these games. Ghanaian fans have certainly been starved of local action after weeks of Champions League and Premier League action. This weekend was aided with the English FA cup action and it will be interesting to see the turn out when a league match clashes with a top liner in Europe. For now, it was a good first day and we could certainly hope for me.

2016 YET NO AMBULANCE

Techiman City recorded their first win in the Premier League in front of a large crowd. However, these positives have been overshadowed by the fact that Awisome Fumdaor had to be rushed  to the hospital in a police van rather than an ambulance. The striker fell on his face after contesting an aerial challenge and to the dismay of many at the Nana Ameyaw Park in Techiman, there was no ambulance to convey him to the hospital. There certainly can’t be an excuse for this. What first aid was present in the police van? For now, we can only speculate but we hope Techiman City learn from this and rectify their mistakes in their other 14 league games.

TOO EARLY TO JUDGE KOTOKO

After Kotoko’s slump at WAFA, many have quickly dismissed the Porcupine’s title chances labelling them as mere preseason champions.  However, that will be the biggest error in judgement. The road to the title is far and long and there are bound to be slip ups. The key for Duncan and his troops is to avoid the inevitable. Injuries are part and parcel of the game and before the season could even commence, he was without three of his players: Dauda Mohammed, Kwame Boateng and Jackson Owusu. Issues worsened with further injuries to Fellix Annan and Edwin Tuffour. That notwithstanding, the Porcupine Warriors must put up improved performances in subsequent league games to assure their fans of their title credentials.

KENI DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION AND LIVED UP TO IT

There were eyebrows raised when Kenichi Yatsuhashi was appointed as Hearts of Oak with his credentials questioned. His first official match was always going to be scrutinized and what did Keni do? The Japanese American dressed formally for the occasion in his blue shirt and tie which is only rivalled by C.K Akonnour in the county. On the tactical front, Kenichi switched from one striker to two strikers at the latter stages of the game which coincided with Hearts only goal. The scorer, Sam Yeboah, was brought off the bench in one of Kenichi’s re-shuffle. Good first day for Kenichi but this is the just the beginning. Herbert Addo also won his first game last year.

AND HE BROUGHT A LARGE FOLLOWING AS WELL

One of the talking points on this matchday was the large Japanese fans who trooped to the Accra Sports Stadium. Their mission was very simple: show love and solidarity with their own man Kenichi Yatsuhashi.  It was a great spectacle seeing a hundred of these Japanese in the stands.  They confirmed to Joy Sports as joining the Phobian fraternity now and it might be only a matter of time before Hearts of Oak become a household name in the Japan if it has not already. It will be great for the capital club to build their links and look for diverse ways to improve themselves.

DREAMS THE BIGGEST WINNERS OF THE ROUND
Disregard the scoreline and Dreams recorded the most important win of the round. Neither was it because it was their debut or against a fellow promoted side but winning on the road. Over the past few seasons, teams have consciously made an effort to win all their home matches and thus the difference between champions and relegated teams has been the away form. The Kweiman side have started on the front foot in this regard and with a home game against Bechem in the horizon, they could well be one of the few teams with a 100% record in the opening rounds of the league.

SAMUDEEN MIGHT BE WORTH THE HYPE AFTERALL

Many Hearts of Oak fans have pinned their hopes on the skimmer and if his debut is anything to go by, Hearts fans will be in for a good time. The youngster was a breath of fresh air combining skill and trickery with great understanding of the game. Samudeen drew rings around the New Edubiase defence and it was clearly visible his teammates around him were yet to get on the same wavelength with him. The reigning Division One .MVP has an eye for a pass and it comes as no surprise he bagged several assists last season. His wonderful debut did not go unnoticed as spokesperson of the FA Saanie Daara paid glowing tributes to his attacking talents. Hearts have not had a skimmer since Winful Cobbinah’s departure and should Samudeen continue with this form, he will certainly propel the Hearts team to great heights.

        
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