With round one in the Normalisation Committee Special Competition effectively over, except for a few outstanding games in Group A, the return of local football has been a welcome relief for many fans of the sport in the country.
There have been a number of standout moments so far with some blistering performances, controversial calls and surprising results.
Group A
Kumasi Asante Kotoko are the early leaders in the first group with four wins from six games and only one loss; a 1-0 defeat at Medeama in the second week.
Led by top marksman Fatawu Safiu and his 6 goals (in six games), Kotoko have garnered 13 points, scoring nine goals along the way. Their defence has been very impressive so far, giving up only two goals.
Medeama (3), Aduana (2) and Ashanti Gold (2) are the only other teams in the group with more than one win, while their defences have been considerably less impressive than Kotoko’s (all three teams have a goal difference of under 3).
Bechem United, Eleven Wonders and Berekum Chelsea have one win each, with Chelsea being the lowest scorers in the competition with one goal.
Group B
There’s an interesting battle developing in Group B with Karela, WAFA and Hearts of Oak all off to decent starts.
Karela and Hearts have four wins each with WAFA’s three wins and three draws from seven games keeping them sandwiched between the two teams.
The Sogakope club are also the top scorers in the competition so far with ten goals.
Elmina Sharks are the only unbeaten side in the competition and are yet to concede a goal but they have picked up only two wins and five draws.
Liberty Professionals are one point behind sharks with Ebusua Dwarfs, Dreams and Inter Allies bringing up the rear.
Inter Allies have the most porous defence, having conceded ten goals in seven games.
Key Stats:
Away wins have always been a rare currency in local football and the NC Special Competition continues the tradition with only five wins in 48 games so far.
There have been 83 goals so far, an average of 1.7 goals per game with almost half as many draws as there have been wins.