There is a new leader in the Ghana Premier League and that would be music to the ears of Accra Hearts of Oak fans and their new Portuguese coach Sergio Traguil.
The competition entered Match day 19 over the last weekend with no television coverage as usual but massive presence on radio and social media.
There were 7 games spread across the match centres, 9 goals, 5 wins and 2 draws. Techiman City’s game against Medeama was called off due to the Tarkwa side’s involvement in the CAF Confederations Cup in mid-week against the Young Africans where they drew 1-1.
The Tanzanian outfit opened the scoring in the 2nd minute through Donald Ngoma before Bernard Ofori clawed back to level the score for the Mauves.
Medeama are still without a win in the group stage of the competition after two games but the draw offers a tiny boost to their ambitions of finishing in the two and progress to the CAF Confederations Cup. That however did not still satisfy their coach Prince Antwi who feels they could have done better.
Young Africans are managed by former AshantiGold and Heart of Lions boss Hans Van der Plum who now aims to punish Medeama in the reverse fixture in Takoradi.
Owusu is one of several new coaches on the scene after the usual managerial sacks and resignations. Another one of them Sergio Traguil is a happy man. The man who promised tiki taka football has not deleivered that yet at Hearts of Oak but he has the Phobians on top of the table, two points clear of Wa All Stars.
The win eases a bit of the pressure that flowed from Hearts’ string of draws under the Portguses who took over from Kenichi Yatsuhasi with Hearts two points off the top.
Cosmos Dauda scored the solitary goal for the Phobians in a 1-0 win over Hasaacas to take his tally for the season to 8 and enhance his reputation for scoring crucial goals a lot in away games.
Traguil was thrilled with it. Dauda’s goal knocked Wa All Stars from top spot after they fell in Sogakope where Wa All Stars have almost always been dominant. Kennedy Boateng & Komlan Agbeniadan scored the goals for WAFA before All Stars pulled one back through Matthew Andoh.
It underlined a running theme throughout WAFA’s season; superb at home, fluffy and weak on the road. For All Stars it merely means a brief spell off the top spot but they are very much still in a title race with as many as five clubs in with a good shout of winning.
And that includes Kumasi Asante Kotoko despite their blank show against Bechem United on Sunday. The Porcupine Warriors have lost their bite upfront these days and that much was evident against Bechem United.
That blank also cost Kotoko the chance to at least tie at the top of the standings with rivals Hearts of Oak. Instead, the Porcupine Warriors are two points off the top.
Bechem are fast becoming Kotoko’s bogey club this season having beaten them in the MTN FA Cup. Their coach Zacharia Da Costa was pleased with the point.
One of the results of the weekend has to be Dreams FC’s 1-0 win over Liberty Professionals in Dansoman. It was a rare win on the road for the Dawu based side but Liberty coach George Lamptey who is reportedly on the verge of the sack reckons it did not reflect the action
While Hearts of Oak enjoy top spot, New Edubiase are stuck to the bottom of the league table after their 1-1 draw at Aduana Stars.
There was a bit of respite for AshantiGold who won only their fourth game this season against eleven draws. That 1-0 win over Inter Allies lifts them up the table but sends Allies mighty close to the relegation spot again.
There would be mid week action on Wednesday before the massive Hearts-Kotoko game on Sunday. All other league games for the weekend would be played on Saturday.
By Sports Desk|3news.com|Ghana