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 Nii Baah’s confidence boosted
By: David Owusu-Mensah
Posted: 28th May 2008
Kotoko’s safe pair of hands, Eric Nii-Baah, is brimming with confidence after keeping a clean sheet for Kotoko over some 225 minutes of soccer action in three weeks.
The goalie has featured for the Porcupine Warriors in three out of four matches, since the start of the second round of the ongoing Onetouch Premier League season.
In all the three respective occasions involving Berekum Arsenals, Tema Youth and Hearts of Oak on Sunday, (where he played only forty-five minutes after replacing the injured Soulama Abdoulaye), the agile goalie scored full marks and never conceded.
Having stayed put at the sidelines for a major part of the season, one would have thought the shot-stopper would rather be sluggish and jittery in post due to match rustiness, but on the contrary, he performed creditably.
The steady increase in Nii Baah’s output after was fully manifested last Sunday when he come on for injured colleague, Soulama Abdoulaye, and ensured Kotoko never gave in to another goal during the duration of the second half where he kept the post.
Moments after the match at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kotoko Express chanced on him and he spoke about his exceptional displays in recent matches.
“There is no special secret to my performance, but I have been training as I always do and I think that is the only reason I can talk about for now”. He noted.
The Ex-Black Meteors goalie, insists being on the bench had not done any harm to him but only afforded him the inspiration to work harder than he is doing currently.
“As a reserve player, I always do anything I am asked by the coach to do without any hesitation and being out of the post for a while now did not disturb my focus at all but rather strengthened me”.
Nii Baah believes that, if he only works hard than he is doing currently, he will get the opportunity to play more matches for Kotoko whether in the domestic competition or continental level.
“Football demands a lot of hard work and I believe continual improvement of my performance would give me the chance to enjoy more playing time”.
The nifty goalie before hitting limelight had been with the Kotoko under-20 side almost all his youthful days of playing active soccer and later earned promotion to the senior team in the 2005 league season.
He picked the number one spot by surprise following a vintage display of ingenuity when he first featured for Kotoko in a league game against Hearts that ended in a draw at the Ohene Djan Stadium.
From then on, Nii Baah has never turned back and really hit his peak before receiving a call up to the National under 23 team, the Black Meteors.
There, he became the number one goalie and held on firmly to the position during the Olympic qualifiers.
Some notable players Eric Nii Baah was promoted together with from the Kotoko junior team to the senior side include, Francis Akwaffo, Prince Anokye, Osei Kwame Jnr, George Cudjoe and a host of others who are having a good season with other premier league clubs.
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