Benjamin Asare, Razak Simpson set new standards …as Samartex emerges 13th winner of competition

 The 2023/24 Ghana Premier League produced a 13th differ­ent winner in the history of the competition following Medeama SC’s inability to retain the title.

The Tarkwa lads finished eighth in the just ended campaign as they were ‘overthrown’ by Sameraboi based, FC Samartex 1996.

Statistics released by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed three clubs, Accra Great Olympics, Bofoakwa Tano and Real Tamale United as sides to have suffered relegation while, FC Samartex 1996, Accra Lions, Berekum Chelsea and Nsoatreman FC finished in the top four.

FC Samartex successfully won the Premier League title for the first time to become the 13th different winner of the competition having qualified for the elite league only two seasons ago. They finished the season with 61 points – same points as Accra Accra Hearts of Oak in the 2021/22 season. Record holders, Asante Kotoko, lifted the 2021-22 League title with 67 points, while Medeama SC won the trophy with 60 points last season.

Abrankese based, Nations FC, played in the Premier League for the first time yet set an impressive record as the only unbeaten side at home.

Kasim Mingle’s team won 10 and drew 7 in 17 home games at the Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex. Strik­er Stephen Amankona is the second Berekum Chelsea player to win the top scorers award with 19 goals as he joins Kofi Owusu who scored the same number of goals (19) to win the golden boot in 2015. Stephen Amankona also becomes the second best top scorer in the last four League seasons – three goals behind Yaw Annor who netted 22 in the 2021-22 season.

Berekum Chelsea’s Stephen Aman­kona made the headlines with his goal scoring prowess as he ended the season with 19 goals with Steven Muk­wala Desse of Asante Kotoko netting 14 goals of which nine were scored on the road.

Agyenim Boateng Mensah of Dreams FC scored 14 goals –his best perfor­mance in the League since his move from Division One side, Nzema Kotoko. Ebenezer Abban of Heart of Lions scored 13 goals to become the most prolific defender in the last four years.

Benjamin Asare completed the sea­son with 16 clean sheets yet suffered relegation with Accra Great Olympics after the ‘Dade Boys’ finished in the bottom three. Asare becomes the first goalkeeper in the last four seasons to be relegated after winning the golden gloves.

Still on Benjamin Asare, he is the League’s second best goalkeeper in terms of clean sheets in the last two seasons. Only Iddrisu Abdulai, formerly of Bechem United, has a better record of 18 clean sheets in the 2021-22 season.

Among the debutants in the Gha­na Premier League, Hamza Issah who joined Hearts of Oak from feeder club, Auroras, scored 13 goals in his debut campaign. Heart of Lions’ Ebenezer Abban also netted 13 goals in his first League season having played a role in the Kpando Boys’ return to the Ghana Premier League.

Heart of Lions centre back, Ebenezer Abban, scored nine goals from the spot to equal Vincent Atinga Addae’s record (9 goals) for Medea­ma SC in the 2022-23 Ghana Premier League.

Among the 18 Premier League teams, only Accra Lions played the entire season without a single goal from a spot kick. Heart of Lions were awarded the most (11) penalties this season.

Great Olympics goalkeeper, Ben­jamin Asare, featured in the League more than any other player with 3,258 minutes. Nine of the top 10 players with the most League appearance are defenders with one goalkeeper in the list.

Nations FC defender, Razak Simp­son, won the NASCO Man of the Match awards more than any other player. The former WAFA Centre back bagged seven Man of the Match awards in his debut campaign with Nations FC.

The 2023/24 season recorded 628 goals, one more than the 2021-22 sea­son which had 627 goals. The 2020-21 season produced 691 goals (highest in the last four years) with the 2022/23 season following in second place with 644 goals.

Matchday 4 and Matchday 24 recorded the least number of goals in the season (11), while Matchday 8 had 28 goals (the highest in the season) with a total of 628 goals scored in the just ended campaign.

Accra Great Olympics, Medeama SC and Heart of Lions had the cleanest of sheets in the season (16). While, League Champions, FC Samartex, Nsoatreman FC and Berekum Chel­sea had 15 clean sheets each in the season.

Nsoatreman FC and Asante Kotoko SC recorded five away wins each to end the season as teams with most away wins.

Clubs with the most goals scored, included champions FC, Samartex (45), Dreams FC (44) and Aduana FC (43).

Ghana Premier League record hold­ers, Asante Kotoko, scored 17 away goals this season with Steven Muk­wala Desse netting nine of the goals. (Record away goal scoring form by a player in the League).

Relegated Real Tamale United lost 21 games (worst record by a club in the League), Aduana FC lost 16 games having finished in fifth place.

Bofoakwa Tano, who suffered relegation, recorded 15 draws – the highest in the League. Heart of Lions, Accra Hearts of Oak, Bechem United and Accra Great Olympics occupy the top five spots.

Also, League Champions, FC Samar­tex, won 19 games in the league with 16 of them coming at home and three others on the road.

Accra Lions played the entire sea­son without receiving a red card but Legon Cities and Nsoatreman recorded six red cards each. (Season’s worst record).

Thirty-One (31) centre referees officiated 306 Ghana Premier League games with Julian Nunoo officiating 17 of the games – the highest of the season. Juliet Appiah is the only fe­male centre referee to officiate in this seasons League.