The much talked about premier league sponsored by Africell and organised by the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) ended over the weekend with two decisive encounters in Freetown – one at the football academy and the other at the National Stadium playing at the same time.
At the National Stadium Ports Authority football club did everything possible to defeat Old Edwardians and succeeded by a goal to nil to win the first edition of the Africell sponsored premier league in a grand style clinching this year’s championship from FC Kallon with 53 points out of 26 matches played
The much needed goal for the day was scored by Morlai Sesay in the second half effectively sealing the last nail on the coffin of their opponent Old Edwardians who played their best match in the league creating possible chances to score which never materialized. The first half of the match was exciting
After Ports Authority’s goal, their opponent Old Edwardians were in the offensive looking for an equalizer that never materialized as the Ports defence was able to stop the Edwardian attackers from scoring.
Speaking to AWOKO sports after the match the head coach of Ports Authority Daniel Koroma (Diamond Toes) said winning the premier league was not a surprise to him as they have one of the best teams in the country who can produce the much needed result that any coach will like.
He said during the start of the league they were leading the league table but his boys lost focus and they were removed from the position in one or two occasions but they were able to finally take the lead at the end which helped crown them champions.
Coach Toes said that winning the league in Sierra Leone is not a strange thing to him as he has won championship in any club he coaches, boasting that he has what it takes to achieve that.
In the other encounter Kallon FC also defeated Wusum Stars on the same day at the football academy by a lone goal but that winning has no effect on Ports Authority who also won their match. A draw for Ports Authority should have seen Kallon FC retain the trophy for the second time in a row.
Kallon FC now becomes the runners up in this year’s premier league with 52 points out of 26 matches played and Blackpool is third with 50 points out of 26 matches played.
In their last match against Central Parade they defeated Central Parade by two goals to one(2-1) on Saturday at the national stadium in a very thrilling encounter that saw both teams playing up to standard.
The administrative secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Abubakarr Kabbah said that this just concluded premier league was a competitive one as it was not easy to have won it until the last matches in the league were played before knowing the winner.
It has taken a long time to see Sierra Leone league ending in such way. He praised Africell for coming to their aid in a very difficult period when the association was in need of funding to complete the second phase of the league
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