National Under-17 coach, E.K. Afranie has praised his team, the Black Starlets, following their trophy winning feat at the Assumption 2008, a four-nation tournament hosted by Ivory Coast last week.
Less than a week after assembling 55 players at the national camp to prepare for the African Championship qualifiers, Afranie’s programme was disrupted with a late invitation to the four-nation tournament coming in.
Despite the short notice, the Black Starlets went on to win gold at the tournament.
The Black Starlets maintained a hundred percent record after winning all three games to win the tournament at the Robert Champroux stadium.
The Black Starlets swept two other awards with Aaron Amoah picking up the tournament’s best player while teammate, James Nkansah was voted the best goalkeeper.
“It was a good test for us though it came too early in our planning stages. We have a large number but had to make quick decisions and assemble a team for the competition.
“But let’s not play down the achievement of the boys. They played really well and deserved it. Winning the competition after having not been in camp for over week does not mean our opponents were weak.
“We had tough opponents but the boys were up for it,” Afranie says.
However, the veteran coach has cut short any partying as he looks to reduce his squad to 35 players before naming a regular team for the qualifiers.
"That is in the past now. The real work lies ahead," he said.
“We have a little time on our hands now. The game against Libya is in August and with this large numbers at our disposal, you can imagine the task we have on our hands.
“Players of this age have varying degrees of developing. Some pick up after a point while others are set for the task right from the start but might fade out.
“You don’t have to discard them totally but look at them closely as the situation keeps on changing,” the national Under-17 team coach said.
Ghana would play Libya in the opening match of the African Under-17 Championship qualifiers in August.