Accra — Like many Ghanaians I was disappointed to see the Black Stars fail in their bid to become Afrikan champions at the recently ended tournament in Angola.

The Black Stars more than held their own against the Egyptians and it looked that the game would go into extra time when the Egyptians got a late goal to sink Ghanaian hearts.

That said, the Black Stars dominated the game and in the aftermath of defeat it is fair to say that the Black Stars leave Angola with their heads held up high and their reputation greatly enhanced. Few observers gave the Black Stars a chance of reaching the final, especially after the loss to La Cote D'Ivoire and the premature departure of talisman Michael Essien.

However, the Black Stars in the guise of the Under-20 World Cup winning team proved to those doubters and the rest of the continent and indeed the World of football that they were more than capable of holding their own.

Guided by the coaching of the much maligned Milovan Rajevac, the young Black Stars were able to show that they have what it takes to compete at the highest level. The likes of Dede Ayew, Samuel Inkoom, Opoku Agyeman, Agyeman Badu and Dominic Adiyah showed that they are just as capable of competing on the highest level just as their illustrious elders like Essien, Appiah, Mensah and Panstil.

The young boys demonstrated grit, a steely determination and above all great discipline and organization to reach the Afrikan Cup of Nations final. In the final itself our young guns more than matched the Afrikan champions and even during parts of the second half threatened to score against the Egyptians.

However, the reigning Champions showed why they are the best in Afrika with resolute defending and character, then having soaked up all the pressure the Black Stars could muster, scored a killer goal with few minutes remaining on the clock.

What the Pharaohs of Egypt proved is that you don't need "star" players and more importantly a foreign coach to be crowned Afrikan champions. They also showed that great team work (incidentally they have the strongest domestic league in Afrika) and team spirit are great qualities to possess in a major tournament.

It is this team work and team spirit, together with a ruthless discipline and organization that coach Rajevac has began to inculcate in the Black Stars.

With the absence of so many key players through injury and other issues many thought that the young guns would not be able to handle the pressure but coach Rajevac instilled in these young guns a can-do spirit coupled with a steely determination and a disciplined organization and will to succeed.

Although the Black Stars did not win, by their displays in the tournament especially in the final, they have made the nation extremely proud and it all bodes well for the future when the bulk of these young boys gain experience with their clubs and by playing more games for the Black stars.

It is certain to say that once the more experienced players are back, the Black Stars will have a formidable team which if this momentum of discipline and determination is maintained could do well at the forthcoming World Cup.

I believe that the mix of youth and experience is vital and coach Rajevac and the GFA will have to take this into consideration when making their final choices for the squad to go to South Afrika - this will also include looking at the Ghanaian Diaspora and the likes of Derek Prince Boateng, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and that potential great Mario Balotelli.

However, one thing that CAN 2010 showed was that Ghana if it did not already know, need to get a world class striker. Although Matthew Amoah and Asamoah Gyan did their best, if Ghana is going to pose a serious threat at this summer's World Cup, then we need a pacy striker and this is where I would like to see this role taken by Dominic Adiyah.

It was Adiyah's great exploits in the Under-20 World Cup (he was the golden boot winner) that made the Italian giants AC Milan sign him. AC Milan should know about strikers - they have signed some of the great strikers of all time including George Weah, Marco Van Basten, Philippo Inzaghi and Ruud Guillit. So they know a thing or two and it is not for nothing that they have signed Adiyah because in Adiyah Milan see a potential George Weah.

Therefore it is for the GFA and Coach Milovan Rajevac to see this potential and play Adiyah in all the warm up games leading to the World Cup because as he showed in the Under-20 World Cup, he has an eye for goal, has blistering pace that can scare defenders and more importantly is a clinical goal scorer.

With Adiyah leading the line with his blistering pace, Ghana will definitely have a chance in South Afrika and beyond that the future for the Black Stars is bright as I can see this team of promising youth and trusted experience being crowned Afrikan champions either in 2012 or 2014 - Go Black Stars!!