FA Cup: Will it be Ashgold having a shot for their No.2 or Chelsea for No.1?
Who makes it to the final as Ashgold chase their second cup trophy and Chelsea chase their first?
On Sunday afternoon at 3 pm when centre referee Selorm Bless blows his whistle for the start of the first semi-final match in the ongoing MTN FA Cup competition, it will be two sides fighting for the same thing but in different narrations. One will hope to get a chance to contest for their second cup title whereas the other will be hoping for the same chance but to having a maiden taste of its glory.
Obuasi Ashanti Gold has been a mainstay figure in Ghana football with their recent success coming in the league six years ago; four years after their semi-final opponents had annexed the title from Aduana Stars. That success was their fourth and made them the third most successful team in the league’s history after Kotoko (24) and Hearts (21). Their rivals opponents at Cape Coast on Sunday however remain clinched to that 2011 triumph and are yet to add to it.
In the cup competition, the Miners are also a step ahead of their opponents and can thus be considered to have a better experience with the trophy having won it once and being losing finalist on two previous occasions. Their opponents, the Blues are yet to reach a final in the competition’s history. One point to note is that none of the final appearances by the Miners has been in recent times, with their most recent one being a losing effort in 2012 against New Edubiase when they were undone 1 – 0.
The road to this season’s semi-final has been a two-way story for both sides and interestingly both had to go to extra time in the last round before getting their tickets to Cape Coast. Ashanti Gold dispatched premier league rivals King Faisal 0 – 1 in the round of 64 before seeing off third-tier side Aboi Young Stars 1 – 2 in the next round. Aduana Stars was their next challenge and they sailed through with a 2 – 4 victory. That then gave them a date with academy side Kintampo Top Talents in the last 8 fixtures which they won 4 – 2 after extra time.
Chelsea on the other hand had to deal with second-tier side Bofoakwa Tano in the round of 64, a fixture the Blues won 4 – 1. They then had a date with another Division One side Steadfast FC whom they saw off with another 1- 4 victory. Their next opponent was second division side Kintampo FC and that was their pain point since the start of the competition this season. They had to settle it in a penalty shootout which the Blues won 4 – 5 to advance and set up a date with Kotoko in the last. After another painstaking 120 minutes of football at Obuasi, they advanced via the lottery of a penalty shootout.
Their fairytale journies to the semi-final will be a source of inspiration for them both and with a chance to play in Africa next season if they win the completion, they will have an extra patch of motivation to produce their near-best if not the best on Sunday. A win for either of them will set up an entertaining final against either record winners, Accra Hearts of Oak or two-time winners Medeama SC.
For Ashgold, that would be a perfect climax to an otherwise fair season which was marred in match-fixing allegations on the last day of the season following a 7 – 0 thrashing of Inter Allies that had undoubtedly the most dubious own-goals in football history scored. For Chelsea, a mid-table in the just-ended season would be good if only they can make amends by claiming their first-ever FA Cup title this season.
By: Clifford Adumbire | myactiveonline.com
