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Thereâs a saying that last days are dangerous and that goes without saying, that indeed if Hearts of Oak rest on their oars on Sunday, they will be surprised as they welcome stubborn Heart of Lions to the nations Wembly, Accra sports stadium this Sunday.
After Sunday's game, the curtains will come down on an eventful first round of the 2011/2012 Premier league, which by far has been good to the Phobians, judging by their position on the league log so far. For Hearts of Oak however, what a way to end the first round as they do one more battle for the three points against Lions, a side which has consistently sprung series of surprises and shocks when both sides met in either friendly or competitive platform. Coach Nebojsa and his charges know too well the capabilities of this Lions team who have had a relatively average outing so far this season if their point buildup and their positioning on the log is anything to go by. The last time both teams met and the same venue were early last year, week 19 fixtures to be precise and Lions surprisingly piped the Phobians by a lone goal. This goes without saying that, it was during the era where there the belief that some ‘juju’ had been planted on the pitch, one that caused Hearts to lose most of its home matches. But now the supposed juju which was planted by God knows who has been uprooted and the team is winning its home matches, though it started with the two goal project and periodically dropped to one , before it was increased to three goals just last Sunday against Ashgold. For once in a long while Hearts of Oak have an enviable home record as they have never tasted defeat on home grounds so far in the season and certainly Heart of Lions will not be the team to dint that record as the team is fired up to end the first round on a high. The fans who were at the stadium last Sunday were thrilled to very good showcase of football and eventually returned to the various homes proud with the knowledge that the three points were in the booty. This is the same expectation they will be hoping to mirror on Sunday, a case that that will see them go into the break head up and chest high, and safe in the knowledge that their darling Club is truly on course to win back the title it lent to Aduana and Chelsea last season and the season before. With the Board and Management making huge promises to both the playing body and the technical team on a regular basis the players will be their own undoing if they would indeed allow their bonuses which have see tremendous growth in terms of percentage, to be denied them by the less fancied Lions. Hearts has no business even drawing this game, as they must keep it at the back of their minds that Kotoko might also be winning against Medeama. The players themselves after Wednesday’s game against Bechem United have mentioned that they will approach this game like their lives depended on it. We are all aware of the implications of a possible loss or draw, and it won't happen. Lions are very anxious for survival and as such they will come heavily. We did not do well defensively last Sunday and we almost paid the price for it. Sunday offers us a fresh opportunity to make yet another to make up and probably win handsomely without conceding any goals. "Let's make the best of it"-Bonsu Defensive strongman Osei Bonsu has urged his colleagues to make the best of what's left of the remaining matches stressing that only a win will give his side an excellent of chance of reclaiming confidence from their fans. The player sees last Sunday's win over Ashgold as the turning point in the team's fortunes but added that much effort will depend on their ability to keep winning hence the call to all to get behind the wheel to give it the deserved push to achieve their ambition to avoid the drop. Hearts play as hosts on Sunday in a League match against Heart of Lions and Bonsu believes he it will take something more extra from the Hearts team to overcome the threat of their opponents in the remaining matches of the Premiership competition. We have a relatively easy challenge in a buildup to the last match as we will be playing our final game of the first round on home grounds, in front of our fans and we have to make the best out of the situation. A win on Sunday will help us but we must sure we come out of it rather clean because there is no more room for mistakes. It's an opportunity - it's another massive challenge for us to try our best to overcome this Lions side on Sunday to ensure that we get the necessary push. We've met many massive challenges this season but we certainly see this one as an opportunity to get back to really win the hearts of our fans. The importance of the game is the fact that last season they beat us here t the Accra sports stadium and that should sound as a revenge tone for us. We know too well the consequences of dropping points again but we will not wait for that. We are going to fire at them on Sunday from all cylinders and trust me when I say we are going take all three points. I can't guarantee anything, but I would love to make those fans proud. "Referees must protect us" - Uriah Asante calls for help. Accra Hearts of Oak marksman Uriah Asante has stressed the need for Ghanaian referees to protect the stars in the Glo Premier league from rough tackles in order to prolong their playing career. According to him, the current stars in the league are the future of Ghana football and must seriously be protected from offensive tackles from defenders. “Look at league like the English premier league and the Spanish la liga. They record high turnout at the various stadia in each match because the stars are there and are often protected by the referees. The moment the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Rooney amongst other tackled the referees come to their aid. We don’t see that here as we are lowed to be buttred day in day out by defenders simply because we are skillful. He noted that a rough tackle could end a good player's career, which will become disastrous for the player's family and all who depend on him. “Can we all imagine what harm it will do to the Uniteds, Real Madrids and the Barcelonas if their key men like Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney got injured and were billed to sit out of the team for close to a month or two? This is why I'm calling on the referees to help us improve our game. The youngster had just recovered from injury sustained in the sixth week league match Hearts played against arch-rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the Accra sports stadium. He was in the starting lineup against Ashgold, but could not continue the second half after he received series of knocks by the defence and midfield men of the opponents, a game which saw the team win by 3 goals to 2. "Bobby Short" "I'll work hard to be a regular Diminutive midfielder Joseph Tagoe (Bobby Short) is flattered that Nebojsa has put his faith in him but he knows he has plenty of work to do to become a regular in the Hearts first team. Nebojsa has praised the rate of Bobby Short improvement in recent matches and he demonstrated his trust in the player by giving him a few starting roles as well as some impressive substitutes performances and that didn’t go unnoticed. It's a very flattering thing for him to do that and believe in me. Obviously I'm still young to his system but I do think I am capable of playing. I've got the ability and I have it in me to be playing now - it's just up to me to play well, take my chances and make sure I keep that place. It's very nice for him to believe in me and put me in the team in the first place. Bobby Short has been on a steep learning curve since he joined the team during the first transfer window, and he is determined to prove that the powers that be were right in bring him back to the Club. “There's a lot more improvement for me to do and I know I have a lot more in me to show it. “But I know I have to improve if I want to be a regular at this football club. It's nice that he thinks that [I am improving] but I know I have a lot more to do to get where I want to be. I think the main thing was that he saw some potential in me during the preseason. From what they told me I think the technical team was quite impressed with my athleticism - the fact that I can get up and down the pitch.
Source : Accra Hearts of Oak
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