IN MEMORIAM: ROBERT HAMMOND — CAPTAIN, SUPER STAR, AND ‘MR. EXPENSIVE’

Accra Hearts of Oak has had a lot of great players in its 109-year existence. But not many come close to this man who went by the name Robert Hammond.

Hammond would have been 70-years-old on 5th May, however the Hearts legend joined his ancestors three years ago on this day, 30th May 2017, in the United States.

I did not see or watch Hammond play for Hearts; I was not even born when he led the Phobians to the final of the 1979 Africa Club Champions Cup. All I have heard has come from those he played with and those who watched him play. And yet, he keeps popping up in whatever old newspaper, magazine or book I have come across; and it’s not that his name is an appurtenance being trudged but he’s the cynosure — be it good or not too good.

It’s only once did I see his name in the bad book (if I can call a red card a bad book). Hammond, together with Seth Ampadu, was sent off for protesting against the home side’s equalizer, in a league match against Kotoko in 1978, leaving Hearts with 9-men, who against all the odds went on to miraculously win the game 2-1 in Kumasi, thanks to a late belter from Douglas Tagoe.

What do you do when your name and reputation has been dragged in Ghana’s biggest game? Hammond would serve the Hearts faithfuls with the answer in 1979 putting up a stellar performance and capping it with the only goal of the game as the Phobians beat Asante Kotoko in the league at the Accra Sports Stadium. Zero-to-Hero

Are you following?

In 1981, Hearts were on the verge of winning the FA CUP finals but a late mistake from Hammond ensured that Abedi Pele’s Real Tamale United had a lifeline, which they gleefully took advantage of and forced a replay at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Guess who stepped up again for Hearts? Robert Hammond. He was the villain a few days prior but he became the hero and cynosure as his lone goal over RTU helped Hearts to her fourth FA CUP win.

This was what made Robert Hammond, Robert Hammond. A man who could fall to the bottomless pit in one minute and rise to the very highest apogee the next second.

Hammond’s Hearts career was not only a matter of rise and fall. There were so many highs for the mercurial star and one time the most expensive player in Ghana football. In the mid-70s, Hearts had to break the bank and snatch him back from their city rivals Accra Great Olympics. He came at the cost of ONE-THOUSAND-GHANA-CEDIS. This might look small today but it’s huge back in the day.

Hammond did not disappoint. He won the league four times with Hearts. The FA CUP three times. And twice he played in the finals of the Africa Club Champions Cup in 1977 and 1979. He scored four goals in the Africa Club series in 1977 including the away goal in far away Zambia and what had been the ephemeral equalizer in the finals against Hafia Conakry.

He’s captain and leader when Hearts lost 5-4 on penalties to Union Doula in 1979.

Robert Hammond played across all the midfield (and attacking) positions for Hearts. He’s a star of the “Fearsome Fivesome” squad of Hearts. He’s Mr. Versatile (ambidextrous footballer). He’s also Mr. Expensive. But more importantly, Robert Hammond is one of the greatest players to have ever played for Accra Hearts of Oak.

Continue to Rest In Peace, Capito.

IN MEMORIAM: OPOKU AFRIYIE — MADE IN KOTOKO, CELEBRATED AT HEARTS

“NII OPOKU”… THE PHOBIA MANTSE.

Opoku Afriyie is no more. Born on the 2nd February, 1955; died on the 29th March, 2020. Footballer, striker, and two-time Ghana Premier League top-scorer.

He made his name with Kotoko but his short stint with Hearts of Oak in the mid-80s would never be forgotten, not just for what he accomplished on the field of play, but how he showed Hearts the “light” off the field.

“Businessman”, “Bayie”, “Ayen”, had been his monikers during his heydays with Kotoko but he’s christened “Nii Opoku” after he helped Hearts to her first league win in five years in 1984.

The former Kotoko captain had been a thorn-in-the-flesh of the Phobians. He scored in the 0-3 and 3-0 Kotoko victories over Hearts in 1980 and 1981 respectively, but his first goal against the Phobians came in May 1975 in a 2-0 home league win for the Porcupines.

Opoku Afriyie was deemed surplus to requirement at the end of the 1982 season by the management of Kotoko. But he was thrown a life-line by Hearts in 1984 by the Seth Abadji administration, having spent a whole year without playing football. And it would proved to be a chef d’œuvres come the end of the season.

“Nii Opoku” started his football by playing for Kumasi Hearts Babies Colts team, at the tender age of 10, and despite his relationship with Kotoko, for whom he won countless trophies, incidentally ended it by finishing his career with the Phobians.

A royal by birth, Opoku Afriyie hated anything that had to do with winning unfairly. A fair man, Afriyie dared the Hearts management to drop some key players (whose name I wouldn’t want to mention) ahead of a titanic league clash with Kotoko in Kumasi, on the pretext that they had been compromised.

Management listened. And Hearts won 0-1 courtesy of Joe Amoateng’s lone strike. But it’s not just the win that turned the tide for Hearts. It’s the eye opening revelation that made the Phobians sit up ahead of matches with Kotoko.

Prior to his coming, Hearts had lost five out of seven consecutive league meetings with Kotoko (0-3, 1-1, 0-1, 2-0, 3-0, 0-2, 3-4*) in the 80s.

But thanks to Bayie’s clairvoyance, Hearts stopped recording 3-0 and 0-3 margins of defeats against their arch-rivals in the league.

Opoku Afriyie changed the thinking of a whole club. He made his name with Kotoko but he made the biggest single influence on Hearts when it came to matches involving the two rivals. He sparked a mini revolution that lasts till this day.

This single selfless gesture I come to celebrate. And at the same time mourn the passing of one of Ghana football’s fine gentlemen.

Goal-scorer, top-scorer, revolutionary, Nii Opoku, sleep well, your highness.

[Opoku Afriyie, son of Nana Kofi Poku, Oyokohene of Kumasi, and Madam ABENA Mansah, Hearts of Oak is grateful].

Flashback: Shaun Mason October – The Phobian star from South Africa

Exactly a decade ago, when Hearts beat South African giants Santos FC in Cape Town in the CAF Confederation Cup, a lifelong Santos fan, Shaun October Mason, then only 14 years old watched as Bernard Dong Bortey’s goal from his own half gifted the Phobians a first victory on their first trip to the land of Nelson Mandela.

Life, being so unpredictable, has brought the boy who watched Hearts for the first time with his Dad at the Athlone Stadium, into the camp of the Rainbow Club from the Rainbow Nation as a man.

And just like Hearts’ smash-and-grab victory in 2004, Shaun October has weaved his way into the heart of Hearts fans since pitching camp for a trial on the 12^th June, 2014 under recommendation from ex-Black Stars and former Santos FC player John Paintsil.

Shaun October has boyish looks and a slightly effeminate mannerisms without the ball, but once he is in action, the debonair outward appearance gives way to a stylish, energetic, effective, and composed footballer of the Brazilian ilk.

Hearts fans are connoisseurs of the beautiful game by virtue of their innate nous to recognize a good player and they have warmly received Shaun October Mason. The South African has taken more applauses from the ATTC training grounds Park of the Phobians than any other player since he began training with the club.

October has bamboozled his admirers and critics in equal measure, and even the technical team have not been left out of the Shaun October stupefaction. Initially purchased as a defender, he has been moved to the left-side of midfield, and at times as part of the striking trio in a 4-3-3 formation due to his versatility.

In the beginning, there were doubts he could not perform in the Ghanaian game due to his outward calm, benign and composed nature, but he has torn those doubts down to shreds, making up his lack of strength with his superb range of passing, tackling intelligence, and set-piece technique.

Shaun October has scored twice for Hearts in friendly games – none inside the 18-yard box – and numerous assists.

The 24-year old has slowly established himself as an important cog in Coach Herbert Addo’s team for the 2014/15 season.

The former Santos FC youngster opened up on his new surrounding, his ambitions and targets, and a whole lot more in this Exclusive interview. Read more below:

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Who is Shaun October Mason?

Shaun October: Mason October is a normal guy from a normal family in a normal town in Cape Town – where I was born. I went to school in Strandfontein High, in the Mitchells plane area in South Africa. Ever since I started growing up, I just wanted to be a footballer. Whilst I was in school, my father pushed me to pursue my academics, but I just knew one day I would be a professional footballer. I even got a scholarship to go to America to study at Michigan College, but I turned it down to play [football] for Santos FC.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Did your family agree with your decision to play football instead of going to school?

Shaun October: The decision was basically up to me and my dad. Whatever I decided, he was going to support me. So if I chose academics, he would support me, and so would my mum. Whatever I chose, they were going to support me, and I chose football.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: How many siblings do you have?

Shaun October: I am the only child. [He laughs]

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: How did you get into football and Santos FC?

Shaun October: My first club was Red Rovers, my local club. We used to play in the lower division in the districts. Santos were doing Coaching Clinics, going round primary schools and they came to my school – Vanguard Primary in the Vanguard district. I loved football so anytime or small opportunity I got, I played football. So I trained at the Santos Coaching Clinic, they saw me there and they scouted me. I even remember the name of the guy who scouted me and why I jumped at the opportunity. He promised me he was going to train me from the junior team through the reserves and into the first team because of the potential he saw in me.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What position did you start with when growing up?

Shaun October: I started as a striker at Red Rovers, but when I arrived at Santos, I was playing left wing. But I played under local legend Keith America, who coached me until I went to the first team of Santos, and he was the one who made me a defender.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: So what is your favorite position and who are the people ‘big’ players you played with at Santos?

Shaun October: I enjoy playing left wing when given the chance but I am comfortable in defense too. My Dad still believes I am a left winger. I have played with a lot of experienced players including John Pantsil and many others, but Preston Adams is my favorite. I miss playing with him a lot. He is my blood cousin. We started at Red Rovers and he joined me at Santos when he came for a trial.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Would you refer Preston Adams for Hearts if the opportunity arises?

Shaun October: Yes, there are a few brilliant players in South Africa I would refer to Hearts and Preston Adams would be one of them.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Have you been capped at any level by South Africa?

Shaun October: No, not yet.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: How did you hear of Accra Hearts of Oak?

Shaun October: I have watched Hearts before in Cape Town when they played Santos in 2004 in the Confederation Cup – that was when I first knew about them. I did not know of the achievements of the Club, and how big it was until I met John Pantsil, who told me a lot of good things about the club and the history and all the stuffs.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What is the relationship between you and John Pantsil; and did he convince you to come and play in Ghana?

Shaun October: We were teammates at Santos. You know life makes you friends, but football makes you brothers. There were a few clubs in S.A [South Africa] that I was about to sign for. It was just a matter of me going in to sign, but John [Pantsil] told me not to sign, and so I took his words and did not sign for any club in my country and came to Ghana.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: It is quite rare for South African players to play in other countries, especially on the continent (in Africa). But why the peculiar move and what is the intention behind you moving to Ghana to play here?

Shaun October: Look, [Accra] Hearts of Oak is a very, very, very big club. I want to play for my National team, and if I do well with Hearts of Oak, the National team [Bafana Bafana] will have no choice than to give me a chance. Do you understand? So that is my motive.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Can we say you are using Accra Hearts of Oak as a launch pad for your International career? And how are you feeling in Ghana?

Shaun October: I wouldn’t say using Hearts in that sense of the word, but I want to have a very good football career. Playing overseas and out of my country, is an achievement on its own. I really feel at home here; I really don’t miss home. I miss the people at home but everybody here at the club, and in Ghana, has welcomed me and made me feel at home. So I settled in very quickly as well.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Who has been your closest friend at training?

Shaun October: Emmanuel Hayford (we are definitely very close), as well Selasi [Adjei] and “Blackie” Quaku [Kweku Andoh]. They are the people who are very close to me.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What of the fans, they have been extremely impressed by your outputs especially when we played Tema Youth, and they have been cheering your every single move and pass. How does that make you feel?

Shaun October: I want to do my best all the time for the club, and for the team. If I can make the fans happy in doing the two things above, then that is a bonus.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What are your ambitions and targets for the Club?

Shaun October: My immediate ambition is to help the club win trophies and do my best at all times for the team.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: How would you describe or judge your time here, if at the end or during your stay with Hearts, you get a call-up into the South African [Bafana Bafana] national team?

Shaun October: I will love Hearts of Oak forever in my life, even more than I really do if I get a call to the Bafana Bafana during my time here.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Who are the players you look up to in the world of football and who do you model your game on?

Shaun October: I like [Cristiano] Ronaldo. I like his style of play because he is the best in the world. But in my position, I like Marcelo [Brazilian left-back with Real Madrid]. I try to watch and learn from him and how he goes about his business.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: We have heard you keep a picture of former Hearts player and legend Bernard Dong Bortey in your home, how true is it?

Shaun October: No, that is not true because I think someone heard me wrong. We do not have Dong Bortey’s picture in our living room at home. Dong Bortey’s picture is at the Santos FC office in South Africa. They have it in one of the offices in the Club. That is where the picture is.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Have you seen him play, where you there when Bernard Dong Bortey scored that long-range goal from his own half, against Santos in 2004?

Shaun October: Yes, I saw him play in Cape Town when Hearts played Santos way back, and I remember his beautiful goal too.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What do you do after training?

Shaun October: Mostly, I just stay at home and prepare myself for the next day of training. But if not, I go to the [Accra Shopping] Mall with my friends. I like watching sports and music videos. I like to listen to music too.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Who is your favorite musician, and have you settled on any Ghanaian artiste?

Shaun October: I like to listen to Hip-Hop and R&B. I like many artistes from Hip-Hop and R&B too; but in Ghana, I like Kwesi Pee’s music. He is my good friend and I like listening to all of his songs.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Have you picked up any of the local languages?

Shaun October: I am learning a bit of Twi and Ga.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What can you say in those languages, can you give me a sentence?

Shaun October: [He laughs]. “Medaase for the call”. [Thank you for the call in Twi]

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Can we ask a relationship question? Are you in a relationship?

Shaun October: Yes, I am in a relationship. I have a girlfriend in South Africa.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Our matches are telecast live on Super Sport, and it is very likely the people back home will see you when the league starts. Will that put a lot of pressure on you when the season starts?

Shaun October: No, not at all. I am actually excited about that prospect. I think my folks back home too will be excited about that too. That will be the way we can see each other, so that will be lovely. I will be very excited [not under pressure].

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: What do you make of the new changes in the team, the technical team?

Shaun October: I haven’t met any other technical team and Santos is the only team I know. But I feel we have an understanding. I can understand everything they say about the tactics and formation, and they also understand me. There is no language barrier. I like how they go about things and they are very professional. I believe they will send this club to the very top with their methods.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: You have played in a lot of games here, what differences do you see between the Ghanaian game and the South African game?

Shaun October: Ghanaian football is a little bit more difficult than the South African game. But South African football is very much developed in terms of infrastructure.

HeartsEleven.wordpress.com: Shaun Mason October, thank you very much for your time. We will catch up with you again.

Shaun October: Thank you very much too, and it is a pleasure talking to you.

What do you think is Shaun October’s best position? If you have watched him play, what has really impressed you about the South African?

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