Week 28 of the GN Bank Division One League came on as scheduled this past weekend across the various stadiums with Cape Coast based Elmina Sharks capitalizing on their home advantage to defeat Bibiani Gold Stars by three goals to one to clinch their division and a historic spot in next season’s edition of the Ghana Premier League with two games to the end of the season. It is a well-deserved qualification for the Elmina based Sharks who unquestionably put up one of the best performance in Division One soccer history in recent times, winning 20, drawing 5 and losing 3 thus far from 28 matches.
With the race for the top spot completely over, the fighting and jockeying for morale boosting positioning towards next season’s competition and relegation avoidance will have to continue, and continue it did with the second placed Karela FC capping off an excellent second round performance that saw them give chase for the elusive top spot notching a hard-fought 1-1 tie at Achiken to up their points tally thus far to 54 and also wrap up the runners-up spot in the division over Gold Stars who with their 3-1 at the Sharks gave up their shot for the second spot. Western Show Boys – Sekondi Eleven Wise maintained their push for a top four finish with a 3-0 thumping of Tarkwa Utd for just their third win of the second round and an end to their 3 games non-winning run. With the loss, Tarkwa Utd confirmed their departure from the wilderness of Division One soccer to the abyss of Division Two soccer with two matches to go given their current tally of 24points and the fact that taking the maximum of 6 from their next engagements will still not be enough. And Nzema Kotoko maintained their push for a top four finish with a 2-0 win over visiting Dunkwa Utd to remain a point adrift of the fourth placed Eleven Wise.
Elsewhere on the weekend, one time cellar dwellers – King Faisal – kept their push to distance themselves from the relegation places with a hard-fought 2-1 win over visiting Wassaman Utd to move up to the eleventh spot, albeit, just 2points adrift of the first relegation spot. Proud Utd made hay at home with a 2-0 win over Asokwa Deportivo to up their tally to 36 and 3points away from the first cut-off spot, FC Samartex added to the relegation woes of one-time Kumasi based giant side – Cornerstones – after handing them a lone goal defeat that have them currently holding on to the first relegation spot on 33 points, and Venomous Vipers kept up the push to beat relegation with their second straight win in as may outings, a 3-1 home hammering of Stake FC to improve to the 12th spot on 34points. The loss dropped Starke FC to the 13th spot and left them tied on 33points with Cornerstones for the first relegation spot though they have the advantage of keeping their heads above water for now by virtue of superior goal difference etc.
DAY 28 – 3RD & 4TH AUG., 2016
SUN ELMINA SHARKS 3-1 GOLDSTARS
SUN EJUSU KING FAISAL 2-1 WASSAMAN
SUN CAPE COAST VENOMOUS VIPERS 3-1 STARKE
SUN ADANSI HWEREMOASI ACHIKEN 1-1 KARELA
SAT GYANDU PROUD UTD 2-0 ASOKWA DEPORTIVO
SUN GYANDU ELEVEN WISE 3-0 TARKWA UTD
SUN SAMRABOI SAMARTEX 1-0 CORNERS
SUN ASANDA NZEMA KOTOKO 2-0 DUNKWA UTD
Log table and game day scores courtesy of ghanafa.org
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