Unique Style Of Ghana Defender Thomas Hammond

Nicknamed ”Baba Gambo”, Thomas Hammond had a unique style that probably no defender in the game of football has. His style of play earned him the title ”First in the air”, and when he died in August 2010 the descriptive catchphrase was ”Baba Gambo catches the box”. He was a complete testament to a recent comment by Rev. Osei Kofi, another Ghanaian football maestro in his time. He said, most of Ghana’s footballers today are football players and not footballers. The thought-provoking statement gave the leads for football generational comparisons.

Thomas Hammond was the conspicuous defender who could be spotted with bushy hair and a handkerchief loosely tied around his neck on the field of play. He joined Accra Hearts of Oak from city rivals Great Olympics at the end of the 1984 league season, continually as a member of the regular eleven of the team. He joined Hearts with returnees like John Nketiah Yawson, Mohammed Polo, Adolf Armah, and Sampson Lamptey. Also joining Hearts in the same period were Dan Nyarnu from Great Olympics, as well as Marlon Quarshie and John Ofoe Mensah from Agaza FC of Togo.

When the Black Stars of Ghana failed to qualify for Mexico’s ’86 world cup, Thomas Hammond became part of the reconstituted Black Stars in 1986 that hosted the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, SCSA Zone 3. Liberia, Togo, and The Gambia. The only survivor from the previous squads, Abedi Pele, scored the winning goal in the grand final against Togo, with a carpet shot. The new face of the Black Stars was made up of Goalkeeper Isaac Salifu Ansah, Isaac Nana Eshun, Phillip Tagoe, Thomas Hammond, Kwabena Asiedu, Abedi Pele, Ebo Smith, Sarfo Gyamfi, Abdul Aziz, Anthony Yeboah, and Asare Boateng. The reserves included Rauf Iddi, Joseph Odoi, Nana Yaw Amaning, Ibrahim Merigah, Alhaji Bello, Saarah Mensah among others.

Thomas Hammond joined Kumasi Asante Kotoko in 1987 after being a victim of mass player transfer by Hearts of Oak. The Adabraka boy was reportedly encouraged by a former senior teammate at Hearts, Douglas Tagoe, to try his luck with the porcupine warriors. On the day Asante Kotoko walloped Egypt’s Zamalek 5-1 in Kumasi, Thomas Hammond was on the victorious side. It was Mohammed Odoom, Isaac Nana Eshun, Kwaku Otchere, Thomas Hammond, Ahmed Rockson, Abdul Razak, Sam Ayipey, Sarfo Gyamfi, Yahya Kassum, Prince Polley, and Kofi Abbrey on that Africa Clubs Championship stupendous display.

Whilst all the players transferred by Hearts in 1986 were not given return tickets, only Thomas Hammond made a comeback to the Phobian side to play in the Hearts team that had the likes of Shamo Quaye, Emmanuel Armah, Ablade Kumah, Thomas Quaye, Eben Dugbartey and Ben Adjei between latter ’80s and early 90s. He was a different kind of defender.

He could jump and whilst suspended in the air, jump again to touch the ball either with the head or feet. No player in the world had his special acumen which was the bicycle or scissor kick. When you saw attacking players in bewilderment and ”jack where are you” fashion, those forwards probably encountered the superior defender called Thomas Hammond who magically flung himself in the air to clear the ball with the bicycle. It is disappointing that Ghana did not qualify for the world cup in his playing time which stopped short of the African Cup of Nations hosted by Senegal in 1992. Ghana had failed to qualify for the continent’s soccer fiesta in 1986, 1988 and, 1990 thus denying Baba Gambo a chance to be seen in national jerseys before international observers.  He hanged his boots in 1991/92, only for his name to spring from anonymity in 2010 that the icy hands of death have stretched to him