Battle for Division One slots: Best XI thrash N.T Youth …as 10-man Five Star draw with Rences 

Bubiashie-based Best XI FC put up a marvelous second half performance to beat New Town Youth FC 3-1 on match day-two of the ongoing 2021/2022 Greater Accra Regional Football Association (GARFA) Middle League game played at the Accra Sports Stadium yesterday.

Goals from Anthony Arthur, Francis Mensah and Egya Ansah in a spell of nine minutes, was all the Zone Five champions needed to put the spark back into their quest for qualification to Division One.

Having lost the first game to Rences FC, Best XI FC needed all three points to put them in good position – and handing them a realistic chance of going through, after the final round of matches.

New Town Youth started the game on the ascendency and created two very good chances within the opening 10 minutes, but agile goalkeeping on the part of man-of-the match Dickson Boateng, prevented Francis Havor and Christian Ardeyfio from grabbing the opener in the ninth and 12th minutes of the game.

Havor called Boateng into action with a straight shot on the 21st minute mark, but the goalkeeper was up to the task, parrying the ball away from goal.

The resultant corner saw Daniel Kofi Anane blasting the ball in to the stands.

Despite their early dominance, New Town Youth were shaky at the back, allowing the likes of Leonard Abrokwah and Arthur to have a go at the backline, testing the agility of goalkeeper Abdul Rahman Issah.

On the 29th minute mark, in one of their usual forays into the goal area of Best XI FC, the ball found Havor who did not waste the begging chance that came to him this time, slotting it under Boateng for the opener.

New Town Youth FC should have ended the half with more goals but the laid-back attitude of Havor, Ardeyfio and Bernard Coffie in front of goal denied them.

With their back against the wall, Best XI FC restored to long balls and running behind their makers, which brought some stability into their play as they dictated the pace until the half ended.

Five minutes after recess, a lurking Arthur in the box had all the time in the world to slip home the equaliser after Mohammed Iddrisu found him in the box.

The goal unsettled New Town Youth who went missing on the pitch as their midfield broke down allowing their opponents to have a field day.

Francis Mensah made it two against the run of play in the 54th minute to send the New Town supporters into coma.

And as if that was not enough, Egya Ansah headed home from an acute angle to make it 3-1 in the 59th minute, putting the game beyond the reach of the New Town Youth contingent.

The New Town Youth, who lost their first game 2-1 to Accra Five Star FC on match day-one, have thus surrendered any realistic chance of making to the next stage.

The day’s top-of-the-table clash in Group A saw a 10-man Accra Five Star FC drawing goalless with Rences FC after skipper Rashid Ibrahim was sent off midway in the first half of their game.

Group B’s table-topping clash between leaders Na God FC and Validus FC ended 2-1 in favour of the former with goals from Ernest Appiah and Emmanuel Tackie, while Ibrahim Weimah got the consolation goal.

BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY