Clean-sweep for Cantonments as U17s go unbeaten

December 20th, 2008

We have finally reached the end of the season for all of our youth teams and it appears that Cantonments Football Club has received an early Christmas present this year. We can now proudly boast a Youth Academy competing in the Premier Division competition next season after all three teams won their leagues, achieving the desired promotion. Although such a stellar season makes singling out individuals almost an almost impossible task, it is clear that there has been a stand-out team amongst the Youth Academy ranks. For the first time ever, the U17 Team managed to survive the entire league campaign unbeaten, suffering only two draws and notching up a breathtaking sequence of eight wins in a row. "Thoroughly deserved," was the verdict of Technical Director David Flaschner. Commenting this evening after this remarkable triumph, he added "Everyone involved with the club deserves a massive amount of credit for making this possible. We talk a lot about not putting pressure on young players to win matches and I stand by that principle. I simply believe that all of our players from the youngest Under 10 to the oldest Under 17 have a natural passion for the game and when enthusiasm mixes with natural ability, results often follow as a matter of course."

On the subject of going the whole season unbeaten, Under 17 Team Coach Kofi Enogu-Owusu could hardly contain himself: "It's brilliant! They are quality players who score amazing goals. I never thought they could do it but they have surprised us all. We just thank God for blessing us and next year maybe we can win the Premier league!"

It is worth remembering this stage last season when similar scenes of jubilation led to heartbreak for the players. The Ghana Football Association stipulates that all promotion and relegation is decided solely on the results of a club's Under 17 Team. As a result of this we narrowly missed out last year when the Under 12 and 14 Teams won their leagues with room to spare but the Under 17s were pipped to first place in the final game of the season. Thankfully, there is no danger of a repeat this time with the 'invincible' Under 17s taking the title by a huge 11 point margin. Congratulations to everyone involved!