GPL week 12 highlights: Sinking sharks, surprise Dreams and Hearts pattern and fabulous Kotoko

The participation of the Black Stars in the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon may have overshadowed this week’s fixtures, but there was still some excitement in week 12 of the 21/22 season.

The fans of Kotoko will certainly be the most gladdened of the lot after their team secured an impressive 3-1 victory over neighbors and rivals Ashanti Gold in Kumasi on Sunday.

The Porcupine Warriors by virtue of the win maintained their incredible run as well as their lead on top of the league table after 12 games.

But of course, Kotoko’s win was not the only highlight of the week, with Dreams and Hearts of Oak exhibiting some patterns worth noticing.

The data from week 12

Goals

Week 12 of the 21/22 Ghana Primer League season saw just 15 goals being scored across the match centers.

Of those 16 goals, Kotoko scored the highest with three against Ashanti Gold, while Eleven Wonders and Bechem United scored twice each in their respective games.

The remaining eight goals were shared among Legon Cities, Hearts of Oak, Olympics, Karela United, Medeama, Berekum Chelsea, Aduana Stars, and Ashanti Gold.

King Faisal, Real Tamale United, Bibiani Gold Stars, Elmina Sharks, Accra Lions and WAFA were the sides who failed to score in week 12.

Home and away performances

Out of the 9 games played in week 12, only 3 wins were recorded on home soil, with Eleven Wonders, Bechem United and Kotoko being in that category.

Legon Cities, Hearts of Oak and Aduana Stars also secured wins on the road, taking the tally of wins in the match week to 6.

Highlights from week 12 

Sinking Sharks 

Elmina Sharks after just 12 games look favorites to return to the second tier of Ghana football.

After narrowly escaping relegation in the past season, Sharks have not been any good, lying in last place and looking lost among the pile.

The Elmina based side are on awful run of results, having lost all of their last 5 games and it is easier to explain their position on the table.

Sharks have the lowest points among the 18 teams with just 7 points recorded after 12 games and 5 behind the 17th placed team.

Their low points tally means that they have recorded the lowest Points Per Game (PPG) among the participating teams with 0.58.

They have a PPG of 1.00 for matches played at home, which is one of the lowest in the league, and 0.17 PPG for matches played away.

There is still a lot of games to be played in the season but Sharks seem to be the likeliest team to sink.

Fabulous Kotoko 

With a game in hand against the defending champions, Kotoko are on top of the pile with 26 points and three points adrift of second and placed teams Aduana Stars and King Faisal.

The Fabulous boys are one of two teams to have lost just one game this season, with Accra Hearts of Oak being the other side.

But unlike the Phobians, Kotoko have an incredible PPG of 2.36 and a win percentage of 78.

King Faisal and Aduana Stars again are the closest to the Porcupine Warriors with a PPG of 1.98 and a win percentage of 58.

Kotoko also lead the away form table, having won four of their five away games this season.

Their defeat at the hands of King Faisal means they have lost once at home and puts them third on the home form table.

The Porcupine Warriors also have an impressive goal difference of +12.

They have scored 19 goals this season and conceded just 7 after 12 games.

The stats show that they are having a great season and with the addition of Justice Blay, they could become even stronger in the weeks to come.

Dreams playing ‘openly’ The Hearts’ pattern 

Dreams FC could perhaps be higher up the table at this stage if not for their ‘open’ style of play this season.

The Dawu outfit are currently in 8th place with 16 points after 12 games.

Unlike any other team in the division, they have scored a staggering 23 goals in the league but have conceded 22, ranking first for both goals scored and goals conceded.

The aforementioned stat leaves their goal difference at +1 and have cost them a lot of points.

Accra Hearts of Oak are also exhibiting a pattern of their own.

Having drawn their first four games of the season and with doubts arising on how hey could fare in the campaign, the Phobians have turned the corner.

But their decent form in their last fixtures have not been as consistent as the likes of Kotoko who have won 5 straight games.

Accra Hearts of Oak are alternating between wins and draws and are yet to win two consecutive games in their last five fixtures.

The Phobians won 2-0 at home to Accra Lions, drew with Dreams and won 2-0 again against Berekum Chelsea.

In their last two games, they have drawn and won once against Bechem United and Gold Stars respectively.

What’s next ? 

Week 13 will see Elmina Sharks visiting Ashanti Gold at Obuasi in what will be a defining game in their quest to survive in the league.

Kotoko will also look to maintain their winning run when they play Berekeum Chelsea while Aduana Stars and King Faisal play Accra Lions and Karela respectively with the goal of securing all three points to keep the pressure on the Porcupine Warriors.