Starlets draw in first match, Prempeh's Okei awarded "Best Player"
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Prempeh's Stephen Okei (standing on the extreme left) won the Best Player award in the Starlets first competitive match
The national Under-17 team, Black Starlets, played their first major friendly match today
in Kumasi against Ebony FC, a colts club. The game which played at Wesley College in Kumasi
ended goalless.
Prempeh College's central defender
Stephen Okei was honoured with the Best player
award after the match for his outstanding performance.
Okei's performance attracted widespread radio acclaim. Nearly all the radio programs in Kumasi focused on
his performance. Kessben FM and several others praised Okei and Prempeh Headmaster Owusu-Achiaw,
who was credited by the media for having established an incredible sports program at Prempeh. The stations
mentioned that Owusu-Achiaw has consistently produced outstanding players with great reputations who are doing well in
professional leagues.
Potsin Gomoa Academy's captain (right), winner of the 2006 Milo National Player of the year with Prempeh College's
Ahmed Deedat Amoako, 2005 Milo National Footballey of the year and the 2006 best Defender award winner.
Both players have guarranteed places on the national team roster
Because Prempeh's Ahmed Deedat is injured, he did not get to partner Okei in the match. Instead, he stood on the sidelines
and chatted with Coach Bashiru while the boys entertained the crowd with amazing skills.
Ahmed and Okei were actually the first players to be named Starlets -- they have been
guarranteed the numbers "4" and "5" positions respectively.
Other radio presenters argued that if the public feels that Stephen Okei is the best player, then they should wait until
they
see Ahmed Deedat Amoako play. "Ahmed, who is injured, is 10 million times better than Okei, so if he had played today, the
best player award would have gone to a different person, Kess FM argued."
The reporters also chastised King Faisal FC for failing to offer Okei a professional contract when he played for them for a while
during his Prempeh career. They praised Okei's ability to
control events in the midfield and rush back to cover his postion in the central defense at the same time.
Headmaster Owusu-Achiaw is still swollen-headed from hearing all
the great compliments in the media.
