Can Ashgold capitalise on unrest in Hearts?
Pressure appears to be mounting on Accra Hearts of Oak coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi to produce his first win in four Premier League matches when his side take on Ashantigold at Obausi tomorrow.
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Hearts’ performance has taken a sudden nose dive after a brilliant start to the season, but lately the Phobians seem to be falling off from their early lead, having picked just two points out of a maximum nine and are yet to recover fully from their home defeat to Wa All Stars.
Hearts’ 1-3 loss to All Stars, followed with drawn games with Techiman City and WAFA, in addition to their elimination from the MTN FA Cup by second-tier side Sarmatex, have left the Phobian fans disenchanted. Recent developments on the field and in the boardroom have left Kenichi’s future hanging by a thread and another bad result at Obuasi will push the Japanese-American closer to the exit door.
Ashgold coach Bashir Hayford faces similar pressure to turn the club’s fortunes around, following a poor start to their title defence. The club have won just two matches and are lying 10th spot on the league log and need to return to winning ways to reduce the agitation among the club’s supporters.
Even though the Len Clay Stadium has been a difficult terrain for the Phobians who have won just once in their last six matches at Obuasi, a 1-0 victory dating back to 2007, the statistics alone will not guarantee the home side victory as a result of their unimpressive showing in the league so far, having won only one out of four home matches.
Under-fire Coach Hayford will be under no illusions that tomorrow’s game would come easy as he seeks to capitalise on the troubles within the Hearts technical team, and will unleash his best arsenal of Tijani Joshua, Robert Dabuo, Awudu Nafui, Augustine Sefa, Nuhu Fuseini and Joseph Ato Bissah for the Phobians.
Fans of Kumasi Asante kotoko will be in expectant mood as the club play host to New Edubiase United at the Baba Yara Stadium, with stand-in coach Michael Osei expected to guide the team to their third straight league win against the competition’s bottom club who stunned the Porcupine Warriors 2-1 at the same venue last season.
Elsewhere at the Nana Gyeabour Park at Techiman, Bechem United play host to Techiman City in a regional derby and a potential thriller, while WAFA Coach John Killa is expected to find replacement for his leading marksman Samuel Tetteh, who received a red card in their mid-week game agianst Hearts when the academy lads play Ebusua Dwarfs in a clash of mid-table sides at the Sogakope Park.
In-form Liberty Professionals will trek to Essipon Stadium to battle 12th-placed Sekondi Hasaacas in a match that favours the home side who won last season’s fixture 3-1, while league leaders Wa All Stars are tipped to win against Inter Allies at the Wa Park.
Dreams FC would make the uncomfortable trip to the Golden City Park in Sunyani to redeem their image against Berekum Chelsea following their loss to Kotoko, while the Dormaa-Ahenkro fans can look forward to a thriller between Aduana Stars and Medeama.