Kumasi, Nov. 11, GNA - Head Coach of Ghana's Black Starlets, Emmanuel Afranie, has said he is optimistic that his team was poised to qualify to the 2009 African Under-17 Championship to be slated in Algeria. "The current U-17 squad has some character traits which are similar to the World Cup winning team of 1991 in terms of commitment to duty, discipline, team work and perseverance", adding that all soccer loving fans should therefore rally behind the team in the qualifiers to enable the team achieve its aims.

Coach Afranie said this in an interview with GNA Sports after the Starlets defeated their Gambian counterparts 3-1 in their African Under- 17 Championship qualifying encounter played at the Baba Yara Sports stadium in Kumasi on Sunday.

Coach Afranie entreated Ghanaian football fans to exercise patience and restrain as the team strives to go through the qualifying series successfully, saying "we need your total support at all stages of the competition".

Commenting on the match, the Head Coach lauded his boys for their sterling performance and living up to expectation to enable them clinch the three maximum points at stake.

Coach Afranie called on supporters of the team to continue to lend their unflinching support and prayers for the team as they travel to the Gambia in a fortnight's time for the second league of their match, saying his team was committed to defending the two-goal advantage they had in the first leg to catapult them for victory.