|
Tight schedule ahead of Kotoko
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 5th May 2008
The next four or five weeks will surely test the resolve of Kumasi Asante Kotoko as it seeks to maintain its leadership in the Onetouch Premier League and also book qualification to the lucrative group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Porcupine Warriors lost 2-0 in Calabar, Nigeria to Dolphins FC barely a week ago in the 1/8th stage of Africa’s second most prestigious club competition, the Confederation Cup.
As the team battled the Nigerian club, the second round of the Onetouch Premier League also got underway with second place Liberty Professionals closing in on Kotoko with a 2-0 home victory over Sekondi Hasaacas.
The Dansoman based club has 32 points – four short of what Kotoko accumulated in the first round. Kotoko’s outstanding match against Real Tamale United at the Tamale Sports Stadium could not come on owning to the club’s late return from Nigeria.
As things stand now, the Porcupine Warriors will have two outstanding league matches after the remaining premier clubs honour their match-day seventeen matches last weekend.
Besides the late arrival of the team from Nigeria, another reason which compelled officials of the Professional League Board to reschedule the Real Tamale United clash was Black Stars Coach Claude Leroy’s apparent refusal to release five Kotoko players who were part of the local Black Stars team that was preparing for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Togo on Sunday.
Director of Communications Kwame Baah-Nuakoh hinted Kotoko Express that the Stars coach was not keen on releasing the Kotoko players.
“He was not prepared to release our players in the team that even included our team manager. We could have honoured the game on Friday but Leroy was not sure whether the players will be fit enough for last Sunday,” Kwame said.
Meanwhile at the time of going to press, the Professional League Board had not fixed a new date for Real Tamale United-Kotoko duel. But while a new date will help management and the technical bench in their planning, it will however not ease the pressure on the team to honour and win the next four or five matches lined up in the coming weeks.
Kotoko is billed to play Dolphins FC in the second leg tie of the Confederation Cup qualifier on May 11 in Kumasi.
Before that game, the club will clear one outstanding match against Berekum Arsenal on Wednesday May 7.
The home match against Dolphins FC is expected to bring the best out of Coach Bashir Hayford and his team.
After that potentially difficult Africa match, will be tough league encounter against another league title contenders, Kpando Heart of Lions at their Kpando base.
The load of work ahead of the Porcupine Warriors clearly calls for careful planning, hard work and determination to succeed.
It is good and proper that the team plunged into serious training last Wednesday afternoon. They are bent on devising an effective strategy to conquer all opponents whether on the domestic or international scene.
|
