FootyDream

Medeama SC striker Jonathan Sowah says his outfit will make light work of Hearts of Oak in their Ghana Premier League clash this weekend.

The Yellow and Mauves will play host to the Phobians in matchday 14 of the domestic top-flight on Saturday at the Akoon Park.

Ahead of the clash, the newly signed forward has targeted Hearts of Oak scalp as they seek to secure all points at stake.

“We are preparing to surprise Hearts of Oak on Saturday. Everyone knows they are champions but I promise the people of Tarkwa that we will beat Hearts of Oak hands down” he said.

Medeama SC are 11th on the league table with 17 points whiles Hearts of Oak occupies 4th spot with 21 points after 13matches into the campaign.

Hearts of Oak are struggling to raise a team for their betPawa Premier League gameweek 14 clash with Medeama at the Akoon Park in Tarkwa on Saturday, January 28.

The Phobians are in dire need of a change of fortune having failed to score or win any of their last 3 games in all competitions, including a FA Cup defeat in the hands of Dreams FC last Sunday.

The club’s problems have compounded, with management struggling to raise a team for Saturday’s league game against Medeama in Tarkwa.

Hearts of Oak currently have 5 of their players with the Black Galaxies in Algeria for the 2022 TotalEnergies Championship of African Nations (CHAN).

The players include Gladson Awako, Seidu Suraj, Konadu Yiadom, Dennis Korsah and Daniel Afriyie Barnieh who will officially be transferred to FC Zurich after the CHAN.

Hearts of Oak as well have numerous players on the sidelines. In Sunday’s game against Dreams FC, the Phobians managed to raise only 16 players for the game, with 3 of 16 players being goalkeepers.

Caleb Amankwah and Isaac Mensah missed the game due to varied injuries. Gideon Asante and Linda Mtange as well missed the game due to sickness.

The Phobians in the course of the game on Sunday were forced into making two changes due to injuries, Robert Addo Sowah and Salifu Ibrahim the casualties.

The situation leaves Slavko Matic with a slim squad for this weekend’s trip to Tarkwa. Hearts of Oak hasn’t won against Medeama in Tarkwa since 2016 and the club’s current situation makes ending that poor run a difficult task.

Hearts of Oak are in talks to sign Ghanaian defender Sylvester Appiah as a replacement for Mohammed Alhassan.

The Phobians parted ways mutually with Mohammed Alhassan few weeks ago and are yet to find a replacement for the bulky centre-back.

However, footydreamsgh can exclusively report that the Accra-based club are in advanced talks with Appiah to help their quest in clinching this season’s league title.

Appiah is one of seven players released by Zimbabwean side, Dynamos FC this year after they finished third in the league instead of first.

In January 2020, the Ghanaian defender joined DeMbare from ZPC Kariba.

He was adjudged 2019 ZPC Kariba’s Player of the Year following an incredible campaign after beating Zimbabwe international defender Ian Nekati.

Hearts of Oak legend Mohammed Polo has indicated that the coach of the side, Slavko Matic, should be partly blamed for the club’s recent shambolic performance.

The Phobians are winless in their last three Ghana Premier League games failing to score a single goal in theprocesd. Matic’s charges will not have the opportunity to defend the MTN FA Cup they won last season after they were bundled out of the 2023 edition by Dreams FC on Sunday in Accra. 

According to Polo, Matic’s decision to do away with some senior players when he took over from Samuel Boadu was wrong. The Serbian tactician informed the management of the club that he was not interested in the services of former captain Fatawu Mohammed, Mohammed Alhassan, and Cameroonian Junior Kaaba.

Reports indicate that he also told Richard Attah, who was the club’s number one goalie, to work on his body size before he gets the chance to play.

“How can a new coach just decide to sack players he thinks are aging without thorough knowledge about them?” “If you cannot adopt a technical direction that will suit the players available to you as a coach, you will always have problems, and that is the exact problem Hearts is confronted with,” he told Akoma FM in Kumasi.

“The players at Hearts are fantastic, but it’s the coach who needs to develop a strategy that will see Hearts win. Sacking the players is not the solution.”

“It will be difficult for Hearts to win the league, though I believe the league is a marathon. Now that they are out of the FA Cup, they should fight for the league. Ironically, those who were not patient with Samuel Boadu when Hearts was struggling, now that the club is confronted with a similar situation, what will they say now? 

“The coach (Matic) must be partly blamed for the poor run of the club; he needs to fix it as soon as possible.”

Hearts are without four key players, who are with the Black Galaxies at the ongoing CHAN tournament in Algeria. They include Gladson Awako, Konadu Yiadom, Dennis Korsah, and Suraj Seidu. 

They have also sold Daniel Afriyie Barnieh to FC Zurich, and he will therefore not return to the club after the CHAN competition.