Northern ladies clash with Pearl Pia in Northern derby Friday – Northern Zone preview
An exciting weekend of football awaits us this weekend in the Women’s Premier League as clubs get ready to battle for honours on match day four. Eight high profile games will come off across eight League centres, beginning from Friday, February 4, 2021 when Northern ladies host city rivals Pearl Pia ladies at the Aliu Mahama stadium in Tamale. The other derrby in the Northern Zone is between Ashtown ladies and rivals Fabulous ladies. Here is the preview for match day four.
Kumasi Sports Academy v Prisons Ladies
KUSA have picked just four points from a possible nine and lie in 5th place in the zonal league log. Coach Anokye Frimpong is desperately in need of points to improve their fortunes in the competition having in mind the challenges a defeat would present to the team. Kumasi Sports Academy lost narrowly to lost Ashtown Ladies on match day 3 with a defensive blunder gifting the away side all the points to dash the hope of clinching a point. Despite the defeat, Sandra Osei Nyarko was in top shape for them.
Perhaps the loss of some key players including goalkeeper Azume Adams to injury is having a bigger impact on the performance of this Prisons ladies squad. Drawing at home on match day 3 places the team at 4th position in the league table with 4 points, an unusual phenomenon, per the teams’ standard.
Matches between the two sides are usually close to call as they shared the spoils in a similar fixture last season. Elshaddai Acheampong scored for Kumasi Sports Academy while Helena Obeng netted for Prisons Ladies in a 1-1 stalemate. On the balance of play, Kumasi Sports Academy seems to have the edge but their porous defense could harm them in this encounter and goalkeeper Kerrie McCarthy must be on red alert to avoid an embarrassing score line.
Northern Ladies v Pearl Pia Ladies
Northern Ladies pulled a massive comeback to pick a point against Prisons ladies in an away game last season after their home defeat on match day two. Northern ladies star player Rahama Jafar was a in red hot form against Prisons ladies as she tormented the defence of the home side in last weekend’s draw. She is expected to light up the Tamale stadium on Friday in the much-anticipated Northern derby. Pearl Pia ladies picked their first win of the season last weekend courtesy a brace from Rashida Shahadu and will now turn attention to the defeating their city rivals for three points and bragging rights. A win for Pearl Pia will give Coach Baba Nuhu a sigh after a disappointing start to the season.
Both teams have 4 points and occupy the 3rd and 4th places in the League log with just one goal separating them and another mouth-watering fixture is brewing and ready to be served at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium on Friday.
Ashtown Ladies v Fabulous Ladies
The Ashanti Regional derby will soak up the headlines in Week 4 of the 2020-21 Premier League season, as Ashtown Ladies and neighbors, Fabulous Ladies renew their rivalry. Ashtown picked up their first win of the season with an inspiring 1-0 win over Kumasi Sports Academy at the Okese Park in Ejisu, where a 76th minute strike from Comfort Baah Nuako sealed victory for the team. That notwithstanding, the team lies 7th on the league log with 3 points. Alex Kamara’s side are now buoyed by that result but have a daunting task against sworn rivals Fabulous Ladies. The latter have just one point from their last 3 Premier League outings and head into the oldest regional derby, with loads of issues. Coach Nana Atuahene and his side need a rebound of their own after going down meekly to Ampem Darkoa ladies on match day 2. The team however lies bottom of the league log and will need a win to boost their survival. It will Grace Acheampong of Ashtown Ladies will battle her national team mate Alice Kusi of Fabulous Ladies in this fixture which ended goalless.
This looks like a battle of equals but Ashtown ladies recent surge in form swings the tie slightly in their favour.
Ampem Darkoa Ladies v Supreme Ladies
Ampem Darkoa will be feeling fairly confident having passed a stern test in Kumasi last week against Fabulous Ladies on Match day 3. A first half goal from Tracy Twum guaranteed the Techiman-based side the needed win and propelled them to the apex of the Zonal league log with 7 points. Heading into week 4, the team must brace themselves for a tougher test a Sandra Owusu Ansah’s Supreme Ladies.
Supreme Ladies however recorded their first slipped away last Saturday in Tamale by losing 2-0 to a struggling Pearl Pia Ladies side. The loss drops them to 2nd place on the zonal league log with 6 points.
Historically this is a fixture that has always produced an avalanche of goals. Last season, 8 goals were recorded when the two teams met with Ophelia Serwaa Amponsah netting a hat-trick. Akomaa Amankwa also grabbed a brace as Tracy Twum and Victoria Osei scored a goal each. Nancy Amoh pulled one back for Supreme Ladies.
