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 We are not close to league title yet – Coach Bash
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 29th May 2008
Despite winning 2-0 against Kessben FC in Wednesday’s Onetouch Premier League fixture at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium to increase Kotoko’s points to 49 with eleven games left for the Porcupine Warriors, Coach Bashir Hayford says his team is not close to winning the league title.
He said it would be wrong for Kotoko supporters to think that the team had already won the competition.
Coach Bashir Hayford told Kotoko Express in a post match interview that with more than ten matches remaining (outstanding against RTU inclusive) there were more to play for hence the need to eschew complacency and maintain the winning spree. He said though the club’s dominance in the premiership was glaring, the competition was not over. “In football it is not over until it is finally over. We don’t have to be complacent. We are in good form but there are more matches. We have not won the league” he said.
The coach insisted that the competition would get keener at the closing stages adding that he could only declare Kotoko champions when the team had played twenty-five matches or more. Reviewing the Kotoko-Kessben match, the coach noted that his side had quite a good opposition saying that the match was not easy as perceived by some supporters.
“It was no easy match. For me, every match is difficult because you cannot tell what will happen in a game. We have to plan for every assignment. An easy match is that which is over” he said. The Kotoko-Kessben match was not particularly exciting. However, with Kwadwo Poku securing a brace for the second time in three matches, Coach Bashir Hayford could not conceal his thoughts on the young striker and first talked about the work he has been doing on the striker.
“The hallmark of a good coach is to study his players. At a point Kwadwo Poku was not scoring. I told him not be disturbed. I worked on him. I also advised him to take his time. He is picking up and as time goes on he will he hit the best form” Bash observed. Kotoko’s first goal came in the 4th minute when Kwadwo Poku perfectly finished a good work done from midfield by Francis Akwaffo, Daniel Nii Adjei, Jordan Opoku and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.
The brilliant passes and organisation by the four midfielders ended with the latter laying an excellent pass to Kwadwo Poku. The striker without delay fired on target and goal keeper Mohammed Alhassan though touched the ball he still failed to prevent the goal.
 Francis Akwaffo was a delight to watch on the day. His pace, ball control and deft touches invariably created problems for the Kessben defence. In the 7th minute, the skillful winger sent the sparsely seated crowd to their feet when he beautifully dummied two defenders on the right side of defence, sent a powerful cross which was expertly blocked by Bobbie Ansah in the penalty box.
The resultant corner kick taken by Francis Akwaffo saw unmarked Osei Kuffour heading the ball over the crossbar. Though Kotoko dominated play, Kessben FC created decent chances, the best of which came in the 25th minute when former Kotoko defender Michael Ofosu Appiah almost beat Eric Nii Baah with a spectacular shot which the goalie exceptionally dived to punch away.
The danger was however not cleared as Bismarck Idan pounced on the rebound but before he could cause havoc, Eric Nii Baah recovered in good time to finally clear the ball to safety. Bismarck Idan, Douglas Nkrumah and Edmund Owusu Peprah accounted themselves well in attack. They occasionally invaded the Kotoko defence but lacked the aptitude to score.
Kwadwo Poku scored his fifth goal in three matches in the 27th minute when Francis Akwaffo fired from a free kick spot to Jordan Opoku whose direct shot was returned by goal keeper Mohammed Alhassan. Kwadwo Poku who was hovering around the goal area, beautifully connected in to make it 2-0.
 Six minutes after the goal, Coach Bash was compelled to substitute goal keeper Eric Nii Baah when Bismarck Idan elbowed the Kotoko goalie in mid-air, injuring him in the process. Isaac Amoako came on for Eric Nii Baah as he rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where the deep cut he sustained on his head was stitched. Referee Jonathan Tetteh could only show Bismarck Idan the yellow card for that serious offence.
The game produced no goals in the second half. However, Kessben FC made a few dangerous incursions on Kotoko. It never looked like they would get a goal though. Kotoko on the hand searched for third goal by introducing Kwabena Yaro for Emmanuel Osei Kuffour and Stephen Oduro for Ofosu Amoah. For Kessben FC, Sampson Cudjoe replaced Owusu Debrah with Michael Ofosu Appiah making way for Akwasi Adu.
Owusu Debrah in the 68th minute tested Isaac Amoako’s agility with a terrific 25-yard drive. The Kotoko goalie stretched to his elastic limit to save that superb shot. As Isaac Amoako kept a clean sheet, Kwabena Yaro teamed up Kwadwo Poku quite well for the third goal except that the former missed a couple of brilliant chances which could have given Kotoko more than a 2-0 win.
Kotoko line-up: Eric Nii Baah/Isaac Amoako, Isaac Anderson, Samuel Inkoom, George Asare, Prince Anokye, Daniel Nii Adjei, Jordan Opoku, Francis Akwaffo, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour/ Kwabena Yaro, Kwadwo Poku, Ofosu Amoah/Stephen Oduro.
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