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Finally the day of reckoning is here and Hearts of Oak, buoyed on by the beefing up of its squad in much qualitative terms, are readying for that three or so hour trip to a den at Kpando where guests, Heart of Lions are stationed as the two do battle for the right to mass up three points.
Lions lie 11th on the Premiership league log but the phobians are perched third and are so eager to close the four points build-up in difference between her and eternal rivals Asante Kotoko that, pretty every arsenal has been sharpened to aid Hearts smother the roaring Lions right on their pet home ground. The build-up to this particular game has been an interesting epistle to tell for against the background of a 2-2 drawn encounter in the first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium, Hearts of Oak which views a third placing on the League log as a sharp reminder of a jaded side from the quality it has set itself all these years, are determined this time around to flatten the stubborn Lions once and for all. And to see to it that the dream is carried on to a successful conclusion, management under the workings of the new board of directors, only recently hunted for and finally located the very stars the technical department had penciled in, to beef up the existing fleet for some added advantage. That being the case Hearts nabbed into its fold an impressive array of players led by the tried and tested Emmanuel Laryea Kingston, Edward Affum, Sadat Karim, James Abban, Moro Iddrisu, Haruna Ganiyu and a handsome addition of other players, which management hopes, will fuse together with the rest of the lads who featured in the first round to return the phobians to glory days. Interestingly Lions remain resolute and have never ceased reminding everyone else including the phobians that, even when they had not psyched themselves so much for the first round encounter, they were able to claw back goals to cancel the two leads the phobians took in the game to come away with a point. So that, having beefed up their squad in the playing department and toughened it up in the technical department too with the return of former coach Paa Kwasi Fabien, only an escape route or something of a very miraculous nature could save Hearts of Oak from tasting a defeat. Fabien who had been in charge of these same Lions had had a national assignment to coach juveniles yet, in his spare moment he has indicated he feels motivated to come over to pout in an impartation stake, if only it will enable the Lions devour the phobians while restoring their pride. But thank the heavens Hearts of Oak is not entirely deaf to these pronouncements, and have stuffed their cartridges for a gigantic battle where it says, the stubborn Lions will fall to their death after 90 minutes of battle. A host of motivational packages have upped the determination of the lads already and whoever among the crop that wins the day to wear the rainbow jersey knows too well, what assignment lies ahead in the process of clawing the three points into the phobia bosom. The attractive winning bonuses aside, there is the urge to win the three points and close the gap, after which the individual contributions of the players would be paramount to ensure he is an automatic first-team choice material, from now onwards. And with the pet fans trekking all the way from their stations to Kpando on Sunday, Hearts of Oak owe it to themselves to subdue the lions by silencing their chorus of roars, before planting the Oak tree as a symbol of victory of QUALITY over MEDIOCRITY.
Source : Accra Hearts of Oak
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