Stephen Ahorlu

Stephen Ahorlu: Only hard work will ensure Black Stars call-up

Isaac Ashietey Football Jul - 22 - 2020 , 11:50

A former Black Stars goalkeeper and current goalkeepers’ trainer of Heart of Lions, Stephen Ahorlu, has urged the current crop of goalkeepers in the country who have an ambition to feature in the Black Stars to put much effort into their training.

Ahorlu, who captained Heart of Lions at the peak of his career, said his exploits with the club helped Lions to qualify to the Ghana Premier League in 2004.

Lions’ participation in the elite division resulted in his call-up by the then head coach of the Black Stars, Milovan Rajevac, as the third choice goalkeeper alongside Richard Kingson and Daniel Agyei for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

In an interview with Graphic Sports, the goalkeepers’ trainer of Lions said it was very difficult to earn a call-up to the senior national team and that one needed to be extremely good to get into the team since it called for extra effort for a goalkeeper to reach that height.

“As a keeper, your mind should always be on the field and planning how to avoid strikers’ craftiness; lack of concentration would make things difficult for you while keeping the post,” he stated.

According to the former shot stopper, young goalkeepers should focus on their career ahead of the immediate reward and do their best to guarantee them a bigger platform in the near future.

“Since hard work pays, they are not supposed to rely on their managers but rather dedicate enough time to sharpen their career.

“I worked extra minutes on my own after official training sessions and it really helped me in my playing days. That will also help the young ones if they want to succeed,“ he stressed.

“Although I met good keepers in the Black Stars, I had good working relations with Kingson and Agyei to help the cause of Ghana. I was not intimidated by their experience and skills as I was determined to help the nation.”