Starlets move camp to Sunyani

Sunyani, (B/A) Sept. 11, GNA - The National Under-17 team, the Black Starlets have shifted camp from Winneba to Sunyani, ahead of their final preparation towards their opening qualifier against Guinea for a slot in the Africa Under-17 football tournament next year.

The choice of Sunyani for the crucial encounter is because of the rehabilitation works currently going on at the Ohene Djan and Baba Yara Stadia in Accra and Kumasi for the CAN 2008 tournament.

The technical team of the Starlets' envisage building a winsome side within the week-long camping to face the Guineans on September 17, by familiarizing with the turf at the Sunyani Coronation Park. To this end, the team will engage in three friendly matches against Chelsea FC of Berekum, B.A. United and Platini FC of Kumasi. The Starlets coach, Bashiru Hayford told the GNA Sports in Sunyani that everything was on course to ensure that the team emerged victorious in their match against their Guinean counterparts.

Coach Hayford said the main problem currently facing the team was their inability to score goals but added that everything was being done to improve on their shooting abilities.

"These are young boys and you can therefore not expect them to play like the Michael Essien's, Arhin Duah's and the others in the big clubs. They panic on the field of play and we need to polish them up as they don't have the courage like the seasoned ones", he observed. Meanwhile Coach Hayford said that the technical team has been able to psyche the young players up for their subsequent matches. He said another worrying factor is that, "On the field of play, the boys are not able to accommodate insults from spectators as compared to their bigger colleagues who often ignore such insults from the fans".

Coach Hayford however expressed the hope that the negative insults and boos would change with time and asked all football-loving Ghanaians to lend their maximum support to the team to expect nothing but victory in their matches.

The coach said that he is seeking for some information on the playing style of their opponents so as to enable him map out appropriate strategies against them.

Coach Hayford asked for the prayers and support of all Ghanaians and advised the fans to desist from booing and insulting the team anytime they make mitakes.