Auroras is Accra Hearts of Oak’s development team and plays in Ghana’s third tier league. It isn’t the most popular club in Ghana; it may not be a club with an avalanche of silverware but when it comes to producing talents who have carved a niche for themselves as far Ghana’s football is concerned, they stand among the giants.
The club can boast of producing talents at all levels of the country’s men national teams. Few clubs have been blessed with the number of exceptional players that have played for the club over the last decades. They are very adept at snapping up talented youngsters and developing them into fully fledged stars under their wing.
The likes of Mohammed Polo- regarded by many to be Ghana’s greatest footballer, Ofei Ansah, Ben Kayode, Ben Adjei,Douglas Tagoe,Tanko Ayuba,Anyetei Sowah, Ezekiel Alamu,Sammy Adjei, Ishmael Addo, Francis Bossman, Laud Quartey, Malik Akowuah,Uriah Asante, Abel Manomey, Abdul Manaf Umar, Michelle Sarpong just to mention but a few are all products of Auroras.
As the motherlode of talents, hardly a year passes by without a new star emerging from Auroras. Auroras, this season, topped the Zone 5 of the Second Division League and would participating in Middle League in their quest to secure promotion to play in the First Division. They amassed 50 points in 27 games to win the zone albeit a very poor start to the season.
Here, kickgh.com reveals a list of eight hot prospects expected to make a mark for the Phobians next season.
Hamza Issah (Forward)
The most likely of them all is without a doubt the young forward who battered defences and found the back of the net with resounding alacrity. Hamza Issah scored a staggering 15 goals in 20 appearances for Auroras as they won the zone.
He is fantastic in the air and lethal with both feet, able to run in behind and also hold his own in physical duels with defenders. With Hearts’ attack struggling for imagination, Issah is primed to breakthrough next season.
Michael Adjetey (Attacking Midfielder)
A creative attacker with pace, skill and an eye for a pass and goal, his size isn't seen as a stumbling block for him just yet. Fleet of foot, Adjetey is capable of moments of magic and is a joy to watch.
He has great playmaking ability and has an eye for goal, but most importantly, has a certain flair to his game that is sure to excite Auroras and neutral fans alike.
He scored 7 goals and registered 3 assists in 21 games in the just ended season. Funnily enough, he started his Auroras career as a left-back.
Marvin Dzane (Central Midfielder)
Performances of Auroras’ skipper Marvin Dzane has fans of Auroras chomping at the bit to see the midfielder starring for the first team. He bagged 4 goals and 3 assists in 21 games.
Dzane has drawn comparisons to former Hearts player Obed Ansah. His silky way of bypassing brutish tackles without looking at all fazed has reminded Hearts fans of one of their former heroes.
His ability to press high and energetically, combined with an unerring knack for finding pockets of space between opposition lines, make him a constant threat when he roams as the player behind the main striker.
Prince Rasheed Brimah (Defensive Midfielder)
Brimah’s combative style of play lends itself to a place in front of the back four, though he has proved time and time again that he's got the ability with the ball at his feet to play slightly further forward.
One of the most underrated facets of Brimah’s game is his eye for a pass and the youngster's ability to execute eye-of-the-needle through-balls. It is something you rarely see in a player so young.
Moving forward we can expect to see him playing in an orthodox central-midfield role given his qualities both defensively and offensively. He bagged 3 goals and an assist in 15 games.
Stephen Ashitey (Right-Back)
Ashitey is a right-back by trade. His strongest asset is his crossing, while his experience as a winger means he is just as aggressive in the attacking has the overflowing creativity boasted by the established names in the sport.
He has the pace and physical attributes necessary for a full-back in the Hearts setup, and is the right age to be compete with Kwabena Anane. He scored 1 goal, registered 6 assists in 24 games.
Enock Addo (Left-back)
Addo has shown he has the pace, power, defensive awareness and attacking nous to offer a long-term option at both left-back and centre-half. He's a (much) younger Korsah - with perhaps a bit of attacking flair that even Korsah doesn't possess.
His versatility makes him a potentially incredibly valuable asset to Hearts, and provided he is willing to bide his time, a run in the team could come sooner rather than later for him.
Theodore Quartey (Forward)
Another of Hearts’ young guns poised to take advantage of Hearts' offensive uncertainties and Theodore Quartey will no doubt be casting a keen eye over the futures of certain players in the Hearts attack.
What makes Quartey so valuable is his ability to play literally anywhere across the front line without any real drop-off in his performance levels. He is bold, quick and a powerful player who can skin defenders in all sorts of ways. There’s obviously a gulf in quality. He bagged 6 goals and recorded 3 assists in 18 appearances.
Eric Amamu (Goalkeeper)
Hamza Issah has received most of the attention of Auroras’ run to the top of Zone 5, but look beyond his goal record and you will see that Auroras are far from a one-man team. Behind every team’s great success is a fine goalkeeper, and Auroras are no different. He kept 7 clean sheets in 21 games.
It’s not just his superb reflexes and shot-stopping that have made him indispensable, but a vital knack of making huge saves when Auroras need them most.
Keeping the opposition out when games have been close has helped Auroras push in front of Beskitas F.A. Accra and 7th Wave FC. Amamu looks extremely comfortable racing off his line to close down attackers.
Always alert, he narrows the angle quicker than the forwards can react and snuffs out chances regularly.
Player Stats compiled by: Gordon Guggisberg of Phobia Fans Zone fame
Story By: Godfred Budu
