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
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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.
Cecil Jones Attuquayefio born on the 18th October, 1944 was a loyal servant of Accra Great Olympics -Hearts of Oak’s city rivals – but it was with HEARTS of OAK that he made his name as a coach.
The ex-Black Stars player, after battling with throat cancer for close to eight years, finally lost the fight on the 12th May, 2015. He fought to the very end of his life…….
FROM STAR PLAYER TO LEGENDARY COACH
Attuquayefio’s footballing career spanned almost 20 years. He started with Ghana Academicals in the early sixties, transferred to Accra Standfast F.C for a short-stint, later joined Ghana Republicans and finally settled with Accra Great Olympics – where he played from 1966-1974- during their most successful spell in Ghana football which culminated in two league titles in a space of four years. He was a member of the Black Star team that won the African Nations Cup in 1965.
His coaching career kicked off right after his playing days, his first job was with the Accra Great Olympics team in the mid-seventies. He managed the “wonder club” for almost a decade. He was the Assistant-coach of the Black Stars from 1985-1987.
He managed three teams in four years between 1988 and 1993. He was in charge of Okwahu United for a year and proceeded to Cote d’Ivoire where he managed local giants, Stade Abidjan. He was not there for long and came back to Coach Obuasi Goldfields-present day AshantiGold FC- from 1990-1995; the first three years was spent with the senior team and the last two years were with the Academy side of Obuasi Goldfields.
HISTORY MAKER WITH HEARTS
Attuquayefio was appointed manager of Accra HEARTS OF OAK in 1998 after a short stint with his former club Accra Great Olympics. He brought a new dimension to the reigning Ghana League Champions. Attuquayefio’s Hearts of Oak made it into the Group Stages of the CAF Champions league where they placed second in Group A level on points with Power Dynamos of Zimbabwe who had a superior goal difference.
Hearts and Attuquayefio were back in Africa the following year, but after whipping Ela Nguema of Equatorial Guinea 9-0 on aggregate in the preliminary round, the euphoria was quickly subdued when they placed third in their Group, unable to better the record of the previous year. Hearts went on to retain the Ghana league title which was Cecil Jones’ second league triumph with the club.
After those two unsuccessful stints on the African continent, Cecil Jones moulded -arguably- Hearts of Oak’s greatest team. The lessons in the previous fiasco were learned; the shenanigans of away and home games on the continent were understood; the will-power to not succumb was inculcated into the players. The alchemist and leader of men had found his right formula and with it the antidote to dominate the African terrain.
The new, rectified and fortified team Attuquayefio created came to be known as “BATTALION 64.” Some of the notably members of the “64 Battalion” were: Sammy Adjei, Africa’s Best Goal-keeper at Junior level in 1999, took over the goalkeeping reigns from Eben “Dida” Armah and James Nanor; Stephen Tetteh and the veteran -erstwhile midfielder- E. Agyeman Duah were the heart of the defense. They complemented each other perfectly with Stephen Tetteh, the young, energetic and tower of strength; on the other hand, Agyeman Duah brought experience, calmness and composure to the defense. (Sannie Wahab, the best Hearts defender at the time, missed the final. Agyeman Duah replaced him at the back.)
On the right of defense was the mercurial and marauding Yaw Amankwah Mireku; Captain Jacob Nettey: reliable, hardworking, indefatigable and passionate occupied the left flank.
The centre of battle and the hub of the team had the combative, hard tackling, athletic, Lawrence Adjah Tetteh( a mirror-image-of-Edmund Copson) who win the ball and distribute it effectively; and the silent, wily, shadow wall Joe Ansah marshalling the midfield.
Charles Taylor and Charles Allotey occupied the left and right of midfield respectively. The former, a very skillful, quick, left-footed, defense terrorising, slippery and trickery Charles Taylor; the latter, a very small, underrated, hardworking, passionate, gutty and pocket-Hercules Charles Allotey.
Ishmael Addo, the precocious, pacey, and finisher extra-ordinaire, added youthful enthusiasm to the front-line in tandem with Emmanuel Osei-Kuffor – the General- as he was named by the fans.
Emmanuel Osei-Kuffor, the erstwhile right-back, had been converted to a striker by Cecil Jones Attuquayefio. Osei-Kuffor was creative as a playmaker, and had a strikers instinct in equal measure but his greatest attribute was his composure and calmness-personified in front of goal – Emmanuel Osei Kuffor was the top-scorer in the 2000 CAF Champions League.
As the saying goes, ” A team is as good as its bench” and so the equally talented men were the backbone of the team: J. Nanor, Eben Armah; Justice Ampah, James Zoglo, Emmanuel Donkor, Emmanuel Adjogu, Ali Kwame, Dan Quaye, and man-mountain Osmanu Amadu.
HEARTS OF OAK and Attuquayefio were making history, sweeping all before them on the domestic stage thanks in no small part to the trilogy of Osei Kuffor, Ishmael Addo and Charles Taylor. They were unplayable at times and rightly regarded as one of the continent’s finest combinations. The pair registered more than 15 goals between them in the CAF CL.
Attuquayefio’s artistic team, the 64 battalion, went on to win the CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE in 2000 -defeating Esperance in Tunis (ending a close to 30 years home invincibility record of the North Africans in continental football) and winning the return leg 5-2 on aggregate at Accra
Jacob Nettey kisses Hearts’ first ever Africa Champions League in 2000.
. The appurtenance of their success was the sweeping of all the domestic trophies in the year 2000. The icing on the continental cake was the 2-0 win over African giants, Zamalek SC of Egypt, in the Super Cup the following year.
Attuquayefio’s team had rigour at the back, finesse in the middle and panache in front of goal. But of all the qualities that got them through -and distinguished them from the Hearts of Oak team of old- was the we-shall-not-be-over-awed never say die attitude. This conviction was accentuated when they came from a goal and a man down, to beat Esperance 2-1 in Tunis.
Attuquayefio had succeeded where Charles Addo Odametey had failed twice; the battalion 64 had laid down the gauntlet for the legendary “fearsome-five” squad which comprised Robert Hammond, Mama Musah Acquah, Peter Lamptey, Anas Seidu and Mohammed Ahmed Polo. They had -in effect- threatened the very existence of the afore-mentioned quintessential “fearsome-five” squad in the pantheons of Accra Hearts of Oak Legends; they had marked their claim, rejoiced where the erstwhile deities had mourned, and had usurped all the HEARTS OF Oak sides before them as the greatest side ever assembled in the then 93-year history of the Oak tree.
Yes, they were guided, regimented, drilled, indoctrinated, mollycoddled and masterminded by the great CECIL JONES ATTUQUAYEFIO – Accra Hearts of Oak’s coach of the century.
The football world celebrated Cecil Jones Attuquayefio in June, 2012. Well, we will forever celebrate the man and his impeccable achievements.
Accra Hearts of Oak Board Chairman, Togbe Afede XIV, presenting a cheque to Cecil Jones Attuquayefio during his testimonial match.
*Attuquayefio’s first game in charge of Hearts was the 1-0 defeat away to Eagle Cement.
**Ernst Middendorp had managed the team till the last round before the group stages. Cecil Jones took over and won the maiden trophy
Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio returned to Hearts to make it a hat-trick of continental trophies by pipping Kotoko to the Confederation Cup.
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SUPER CUP: 1
2001: winner
2005: runner-up
Ghana Premier League Champion: 5
1998, 1999 (double), 2000 (treble), 2001 and 2004/2005 (double)
Ghana FA Cup: 2
1999 (double), 2000 (treble)
Attuquayefio, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana and Africa is grateful for the years of service to HUMANITY. Ayekoo.
Goodbye, Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio – You have been the HOLY one for Accra Hearts of Oak. We shall never forget our Jones…..
[This article first appeared on June, 29th 2012, on modernghana.com, written by @HeartsEleven….. TITLED: CELEBRATING CECIL JONES ATTUQUAYEFIO – The First Conquest of Africa with HEARTS OF OAK
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