‘Hearts will not fail’
After getting his Premier League campaign off on a winning note with a 1-0 home win over New Edubiase United last Sunday, Accra Hearts of Oak coach, Kenichi Yatsuhashi says his players’ confidence remain high and believes the Phobians will not fail their followers this season.
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For the US-trained coach, last Sunday’s victory was a sign of good things to come, following their disappointing performance last season. But the test of the Japanese-American’s confidence will come on Sunday when he leads Hearts to face Medeama SC at Tarkwa in the top fixture of the second week.
He told the Graphic Sports on Tuesday that he was confident his players would carry their winning mentality into their next match against the FA Cup and Super Cup holders.
“I am 50 per cent sure that we will win our next game, and even if we don’t win we will pick a point from that match. We just need the fans to come in their numbers and support us,” the Hearts coach stated.
He, however, lamented the long distance his team would have to travel by road to Tarkwa, adding that travelling long hours usually took a toll on the players.
“We have to travel so many hours and that’s a challenge but I am still confident that it will be worth it by the time the game ends.”
But in sharp contrast, Medeama’s Swedish trainer, Tom Christian Strand, called the bluff of his Hearts counterpart, declaring his team’s readiness to give the Phobians a run for their money.
Strand noted that he was not ready to lose again, particularly at home in the presence of their teeming supporters.
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“We are playing at home and we are not ready to lose again. We lost to Ashgold last Sunday but it does not mean we will lose again,” he told the Graphic Sports on telephone yesterday.