Lions booked their place in the betPawa Premier League after winning Zone Three of the Access Bank Division One League last Saturday after close contenders, Vison FC, lost 0-2 to Attram De Visser while Semper FI lost 0-2 to Na God FC in their 25th-week encounters. Lions thus opened an unassailable 16-point lead over their closest rivals who had no chance to overtake the Kpando lads.

Last Sunday, Lions defeated Golden Kicks 4-2 at the Tema Sports Stadium to take their points haul to 59 ahead of their coronation at the Kpando Park this weekend when they play host to A5 Rences FC.

Hard work, resilience
For Dr Abbey, the technical team and playing body deserved commendation for the club’s return to the elite division in style eight years after their relegation to the second-tier division.

“We have been knocking at the door of the Premiership since we were relegated, and have always been competitive in the Division One League. We should have qualified last season but missed it with bizarre circumstances.
“However, we were committed and determined and by dint of hard work, we have been able to clinch it this time with a bang. This explains why I congratulate the team on such hard work,” Dr Abbey told the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview.

On their plans for next season, Dr Abbey said having qualified for the elite division, they were eager to stay and be highly competitive.

“As we have returned to the top flight, we will take a step to be competitive for us to stay,” he noted, explaining that they were putting things together to ensure that all mistakes that sent them to the soccer wilderness were corrected.

Strategy for Premier League
Dr Abbey, who is a member of the Ghana Football Association’s Executive Council, said Lions would draw useful lessons from the mistakes committed and strategise well to ensure that they not only remain in the top flight but also remained competitive.

He admitted that even though the present state of the Kpando Park was not fit to host Premier League matches per the Club Licensing Regulations, the club’s management would make every effort to put it in good shape to ensure that Lions honoured all their home matches at Kpando.

“The current state of the Kpando Park is not fit for the betPawa Premier League. To qualify under the Club Licensing Regulations, you need to have a minimum of 2,000-capacity seater and 200 VIP lounge capacity, as well as a media centre, a good playing field and a place for the technical benches.

"This means that we need to construct a new playing facility to meet the requirement for the Premier League, so we will try to push hard before the football season begins. We will do whatever is necessary to keep playing at Kpando,” he said.