Old Friends Could Wreck Title Party For Kotoko

Kumasi Asante Kotoko's long wait for a premier league title could end this Sunday but it will be one hell of ninety minutes for the Porcupine Warriors as they come up against familiar faces this Sunday.

It is ironic but many of the main characters who laid the foundation for Kotoko's fine displays lately, could be the ones who would wreck what they intended to achieve: reclaim Kotoko's place as the best club side in Ghana with a premier league title to show for.

King Faisal, on some days, look like the Asante Kotoko we saw last year. There might be about only four ex-Kotoko men in their line up but those were men who were undoubtedly key for the Porcupine Warriors then.

Godwin Ablordey was by no means the best player at Kotoko but he was an inspirational captain for the side. But time and age, some say, caught up with him so he wears the green and white of Faisal instead.

Hamza Mohammed also added the sort of steel that had been missing in previous Kotoko sides with his solid displays last year as Kotoko impressed all the way to the finals of the African Cup Winners Cup.

But the hero for Kotoko then, particularly in the quarterfinals, was Kojo Poku. Fresh on the scene and unknown by even the most die-hard Kotoko faithful, he emerged from nowhere to rescue the club's African cup challenge with a sterling display in Mehalla. Now, he carries that nickname but he displays his stuff for King Faisal instead.

That plus Ablordey and Hamza's move were made possible by the switching of allegiance by Kotoko's CEO, Herbert Mensah from Kotoko to King Faisal. Herbert evokes mixed reactions in Kumasi where he spent three years attempting to build Kotoko into a solid unit.

There are those who despise him. Others simply love and still stay behind after games for hours to see him leave the stadium. Yet there is one thing both parties credit him for. He, without a doubt, laid the foundation for all the good things Kotoko have done this season. There are those who will be seething at this statement but that remains the irrevocable truth.

Now, he is the man who is managing King Faisal and on the evidence of their performance so far, he has done it fairly well.

King Faisal traditionally have been a mid-table side but I am struggling to remember if they have ever done as well as they are doing now. In third place now, they have played some really good football and look a much-improved side.

This is why they look such a threat to Kotoko's title ambitions. The stakes in Sunday's match between them and Kotoko are extremely high. Three points for Kotoko would mean, barring any boardroom decisions, there is nothing Hearts of Oak can do to retain their league title.

Kotoko are five points clear of Hearts and would be dancing all night long with the league trophy if they manage to beat Faisal.

Those on the red side of Kumasi are extremely confident nothing will stop them. For them, this is the year. The players who have been the major factors in this year's very assured display are confident too but as witnesses to some of the most dramatic fabulous collapses in the past, they are refusing to get excited yet.

Yussif Chibsah who crossed over from Faisal to Kotoko in a protracted transfer, says each and every player is aware of the stakes on Sunday. "Me and my colleagues are thinking about only victory on Sunday because we are very determined for the league title.

" But the player knows like the rest of us that, it would be a very difficult game against Faisal yet he is adamant that "once we want to be league winners, we must do everything to get there.

" While Chibsah and mates at Kotoko view Sunday's tie as something special, Faisal captain, Hamza Mohammed says they are taking a relaxed approach to the game.

"People might call this match special but we at Faisal don't think about it as such. It's three points at stake as it has been in all other games."

Faisal lost the first round tie 0-1 against Kotoko but Hamza insists that was basically because they had not mastered the art of scoring then. Now with the league's leading scorer in Kojo Poku, Hamza reckons that they have found the man who could win the match for them on Sunday.

Poku could become a big influence in the match but what could really decide whether the title goes to Kumasi as early as Sunday is whether Kotoko can keep their nerves calm in the face of the pressure from their fans on Sunday.

Hearts of Oak, at home to Real Tamale United in Accra will be seeking a win in a last ditch attempt to save what looks like a first trophy-less season in seven years.

But that would be only if Kotoko's old demons of letting things slip, come back to haunt them.