Hearts of Oak exposed

The Kotoko Express has intercepted a dossier on strategies Accra Hearts of Oak intend to adopt to beat Kumasi Asante Kotoko on Sunday at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium. The two sides will clear an outstanding league match that should have been honoured last week. That match was postponed as a result of Hearts’ Champions League qualifier against FC 105 of Gabon.

The Phobians have been unimpressive since the league started. However, they are moving heaven and earth to ensure victory over Kotoko this Sunday. The Kotoko Express is not permitted to disclose in detail information in the dossier as management and the technical bench have been working hard to develop effective counter-measures to outwit the Phobians.

Management and Coach Bashir Hayford have their strategies well spelt out. On the evidence of what this paper has seen, there is no way Hearts will escape defeat. The Phobians played another struggling side Zaytuna United yesterday at the Ohene Djan Stadium. And as part of management’s strategies to overcome their opponents, two former Kotoko players accompanied by a trusted coach were at the Ohene Djan Stadium to watch the Hearts-Zaytuna game and they are expected to pass on their observations to Coach Bashir Hayford by close of today.

Even before that, Kotoko’s technical bench has been watching some of Hearts’ matches two of which are their recent Champions League qualifier against the Gabonese club FC 105 as well as their league encounter against Real Tamale United at the Tamale Sports Stadium in February. Coach Bashir Hayford and his assistants have therefore lost no sleep in identifying the weaknesses and strengths of Hearts since laying hands on tapes of Hearts’ matches.

Hearts’ strengths and weaknesses are being studied repeatedly by Coach Bashir Hayford and assistant Johnson Smith. The duo has as well been pointing out the tactical flaws in the Hearts set-up with particular reference to their defence and attack. The Porcupine Warriors are poised to beat their rivals in Sunday’s game with what they are being thought.

Kotoko has not beaten Hearts of Oak in a league match in Accra since 1993 when Kotoko recorded a 1-0 win with a penalty converted by Frimpong Manso. Developments in Hearts’ camp suggest that they are bent on preventing Kotoko from smashing that record but victory for Hearts of Oak is unlikely especially when Kotoko have their eyes on everything Hearts are doing ahead of Sunday’s game. Kotoko’s preparation for Sunday’s match has been completely different.

The team pitched camp at an undisclosed location shortly after recording a difficult 3-2 victory over Heart of Lions at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Wednesday evening. Nobody including Kotoko Express reporters has gained entry to the club’s camping site. This paper is however reliably informed that Coach Bashir Hayford’s tactics for Sunday’s match will be distinctively effective. On the basis of Kotoko’s fine performance so far, Kotoko fans are confident that the assertion that matches between Kotoko and Hearts usually follow no form-guide, will not hold.

Commenting on the dossier secured by Kotoko as well as the team’s preparation for Sunday, Director of Communications Kwame Baah-Nuako expressed the hope that Hearts would be beaten irrespective of how good they prepare for Sunday. “We have been aware of their plans. We have therefore developed a counter strategy. We believe in ourselves. What we have done is good enough for victory. There is no way Hearts will have their way on Sunday” said Kwame.

By: Jerome Otchere