The final 35, 30 players pass test

27th July 2007

Correspondent: Thomas Boakye-Agyeman

Coach Bashir Hayford has revealed to the Kotoko Express from Germany that he now has a fair idea of the players who will be retained by Kotoko for next season. The coach was in fact emphatic that thirty players have passed the test so far and he is only looking for five more to complete the list. Those who have passed the test, the Kotoko Express learnt, include several players in Germany as well as those who made the trip to Sudan and yet some from a third group, (players recovering from injury and those on trials with Kotoko).

All the attention might have been focused on the Asante Kotoko squad currently in Germany for a pre season tour but the players who were left behind are seriously training as the day for the announcement of the final 35 approaches. The first batch of the Asante Kotoko players travelled to Sudan before the squad currently in Germany embarked on this trip. Yet there is a third batch of players who could not make either of the trips. They include players on trials as well as those recovering from injury. These three different sets of players are all hoping to make it into the final 35.

While Bashir Hayford leads the squad in Germany, Coach Johnson Smith is expected to lead another squad to Asamankese this Sunday, all in preparations for the coming season. A look at the Kotoko players currently training at the Ridge Park reveals a strong team of Kotoko players are still in Ghana. They have been training everyday and include crack players like Edmund Owusu Ansah,Stephern Oduro,George Yamoah, Osei Kwame,William Thompson, John Cudjoe, Asamoah Arhin,Douglas Nkrumah,Kobina Dodzie,Godfred Yeboah,Mohammed Alhassan,Ahmed Nyame ,Patrick Lampbert,Justine Manga Manga,David Sarkodie etc.Though a few of them are still recovering from injury thus have been absenting themselves from training, Johnson Smith believes the match at Asamankese is expected to toughen the players up. He said he has been impressed with their output so far at the training grounds and will test their match fitness against the select side from Asamankese.

Most supporters in Kumasi might not even be aware that the players left behind are still training at the Ridge Park but a few of them have been patronizing the training sessions of the club especially in the afternoon. They seem to be following the activities of the players in Germany with keen interest especially through the Kotoko Express and radio reports. The Kotoko Express chanced upon a group of supporters who were discussing the jersey being used by the club in Germany. They are commending management and JAKO for the attire but wondered why Kotoko were not being treated like this before. It is their hope that the club will be appearing in the same quality jersey as they are doing in Germany.