With Asante Kotoko winning the historic twenty-sixth league title, historic victories were at the heart of the onslaught.
With eleven wins at their own backyard, eight victories on the road, two defeats away, three losses at home, the Porcupine Warriors finally won the coveted Ghana Premier league with sixty-seven points.
Surprisingly, Asante Kotoko had not won the league title in eight years, since winning in 2014 under current Black Stars assistant coach Mas-ud Didi Dramani, the longest league drought the Porcupine Warriors have gone since the ten-year barren run between 1993-2002.
After giving up the league for arch-rivals, Hearts of Oak, last season; coach Mariano Barreto was sacked and more than ten players were shown the exit.
New coach was needed and player recruitments inevitable.
Dr Prosper Narteh Ogum's appointment divided opinions, presented a huge challenge to the 'University lecturer', who before then had no records of winning titles but a known talent developer, and the management to make a statement.
Prosper Narteh was finally given the opportunity, of a lifetime, to prove his tactical nuances and ingenuity espoused by his admirers.
Sixteen players, Mostly young unknown talents, were recruited both locally and internationally to complement the experienced old lads to deliver the arduous task.
Inasmuch as each match is three points and all must be treated with the seriousness it deserves, certain matches goes beyond the ordinary including the bragging rights and history between the clubs.
Winning against certain teams at certain venues have great effects; psychological boost and generally improves your points build up- that's why even with three matches to go Asante Kotoko had won the league.
Hitherto 'jinxed' venues were to be 'exorcised' like never before, barriers crossed with ease before victory will be guaranteed.
Two venues readily comes to mind; Osagyefo Nana Agyemang Badu Park and Sogakope Arena.
Match week 11: Aduana Stars vs Asante Kotoko- Nana Agyemang Badu Park.
Games between Asante Kotoko and Aduana Stars goes beyond football to historic battles between the Asante's and the Aduana clan in 1800's.
Asante Kotoko is the 'symbol' of the Ashanti Kingdom whereas Aduana Stars is the 'totem' of the Aduana clan.
With conquest and wars between two traditional clans or better still Kingdom's waning, sports serves as an avenue to show superiority over old foe.
With the current spiritual leaders of both Aduana's and Asante's, Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II and Otumfour Osei Tutu II, respectively, going toe-toe on historic facts and traditional authority over each other, the clash between the clubs was anticipated.
On matchdays in games between Aduana Stars and Asante Kotoko especially in Dormaa Ahenkro, it's tensed and the atmosphere is charged ahead of a battle with familiar foe, Asanteman and not the football club, nothing but victory is accepted.
And remarkably, Aduana Stars had not lost to Asante Kotoko at home since coming into the Ghana Premier league in 2009.
Asante Kotoko had tried on several occasions to break the 'voodoo' at the home of one of its fiercest enemy but failed woefully.
With King Faisal inflicting a second defeat on Asante Kotoko in the MTN FA Cup in midweek ahead of the weekend cliffhanger, the task was looking insurmountable even though they were on the same points with the Ogya boys, at the summit of the table.
Omgba Mfegue's powerful nineteenth minute header gave the Porcupine Warriors the lead in the first forty-five minutes.
Aduana Stars banged on the doors of the Porcupine Warriors to open but failed after several attempts, before Richmond Lamptey chanced on a defensive blunder in the dying embers to double the lead to seal the historic victory away in Dormaa Ahenkro.
Two unanswered goals scored, Asante Kotoko won and open a three points gap at the top.
The 'Porcupine' finally invaded the territory of the 'dog' after more than a decade of dominance.
Aduana Stars 0:2 Asante Kotoko
Match week 27: WAFA vs Asante Kotoko
West African Football Academy regained top-flight status in 2014, the year Asante Kotoko won their last league title, and have always been a thorn in the flesh of the Kumasi-based side at home.
Asante Kotoko had never sent three points back from their trips to Sogakope to face WAFA.
Asante Kotoko's last three games away in Sogakope before this season had ended in a stalemate, which was celebrated, because the previous four visits had ended in defeats.
Before last season, now Asante Kotoko gaffer Prosper Narteh Ogum lead WAFA to a 1-1 draw against the Porcupine Warriors after Kwame Poku cancelled out Daniel Lomotey's opener.
Admittedly, WAFA were a pale shadow of its former self and surprisingly, finished in the bottom three, relegated.
Asante Kotoko capitalized on the perfect opportunity to break the jinx even though they had lost their previous two games against Real Tamale United and Legon Cities.
With three wins, nine points, needed to win the league, Asante Kotoko were motivated to worsen the plight of the Academy boys.
None other than Dr Prosper Narteh will savour the opportunity to overcome the herculean task because he knew the fortress, Sogakope Arena, better than anyone.
Asante Kotoko reduced WAFA to mere passengers in the game in the first half but couldn't break the deadlock after making several goalscoring incursions.
Prosper Narteh restrategized for the second half before Andrews Appau released a through ball to Franck Mbella to go past defender Henry Oware before rounding off goalkeeper Osei Bonsu calmly to slot home on the 65th minute to seal the historic victory.
And Franck Mbella Etouga's brilliant winner didn't only broke a jinx in Sogakope, also broke Eric Bekoe's seventeen-goal record in the 2007/2008 at Asante Kotoko to be the first player to cross that mark after more than a decade.
Full time: WAFA 0:1 Asante Kotoko
The former WAFA trainer led his team to exorcise 'jinxed' venues on their triumphant journey.
Asante Kotoko conquered difficult territories and broke barriers on their full scale invasion of the Ghana Premier league.
By: Abdul Razak Salim
