Ashantigold‘s disastrous defence of their premier league title this season is the worst in the history of the competition by any champion since Great Olympics’ 1971 title defence failure and for Ashntigold it is the poorest title protection ever made.
The Miners deservedly won the 2014/15 title having played some wonderful football featuring such talented players like Yakubu Mohammed, Benard Morisson, Petrus Shitembi, Emmanuel Osei Carlos, Emmanuel Osei, Didier Kore, Kadri Mohammed, Robert Dabuo, Fatau Dauda and also they produced the most valuable player of that campaign in the person of Eric Opoku “Hello Kwaku”.
Bashiru Hayford‘s side lifted the title with a win-draw-lose record of 15-7-8 and never lost a single game at home in what was an extraordinary season for Ashantigold who won their first league crown in nineteen years.
However this season Ashantigold endured a torrid time. First, they were kicked out of the Champions league by Algerian side MO Bejaia in the preliminary round before Asokwa Deportivo added to their woes by eliminating them in the Round of 32 of the MTN FA Cup.
In the premier league, the Miners won just two of their opening fifteen games against Medeama and Edubiase United whilst losing three fixtures including two home losses to Dreams FC and Accra Hearts of Oak.
Ashantigold were not the same team again that lifted the league trophy last season as the departures of Morisson, Yakubu Mohammed, Petrus Shitembi (loan return), Didier Kore, Lawrence Lartey and co coupled with mediocre replacements meant the team had nothing good to offer in their bid to maintain the trophy in Obuasi with the club finishing the season at a deplorable 11th position, the most tragic title defence they have ever served their fans.
The Obuasi giants under the previous name Goldfields, successfully defended the league title in 1994/95 and 1995/96 as they bossed the competition for three years in a row until Hearts of Oak displaced them off their perch in the 1996/97 season in which the Miners settled at a respectable third place.
Meanwhile in the 1971 Ghana national soccer championship, Great Olympics finished 12th as defending champions of the 1970 competition and remains the worst title defence ever put up by a side in the Ghana premier league history.
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