HARD WIN FOR KOTOKO (BACK PAGE, JUNE 29)

WITH sheer bravado and skill, Sporting Mirren nearly succeeded in forcing Kumasi Asante Kotoko to drop vital home points until Alex Asamoah fetched a late goal to win the day for the champions at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi yesterday.
Putting up a performance that was at variance with their bottom placing on the league table, Mirren were never overawed by the form and huge reputation of their hosts as experienced coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie produced the formula to render Kotoko ineffective for the greater part of the match.
The home fans had trumpeted a massive win over the hapless Mirren but the reality dawned on them about the difficulty at hand as Kotoko struggled to find a way through the Mirren back line.
Two rapid goal attempts by Kotoko in the 8th minute saw Stephen Manu grazing the bar, with Francis Coffie firing away from just six yards out.
Strong defensive play from Gideon Baah, Prince Boateng, Osei Berko and Richard Ladepo siphoned off the little venom in the Kotoko attack in the first half.
And when the visitors pushed forward, striker Nicholas Coffie messed up two great opportunities in the 15th and 18th minutes.
Playing in an unfamiliar midfield role, Harrison Afful found things difficult and was booked by referee S.B. Bortey in the 27th minute for a foul on an opponent.
Kotoko brought on Prince Anokye for Godfred Yeboah just before the restart and coach Hebert Addo reshuffled his team with Afful returning to his familiar left back role.
The visitors also brought in Achite Kome for Nicholas Coffie after 56 minutes, as the battle remained in the middle.
When it became clear that Kotoko needed extra firepower upfront, Alex Asamoah was brought into the game to replace Hanan Giwah in the 57th minute.
The introduction of Asamaoh brought some life into Kotoko as his speed on the flanks proved threatening to Mirren.
The stadium rose in anticipation of a goal in the 66th minute when a swift break saw Alex Asamoah in space, but his last touch hit the bar only for the hysterical Kwabena Yaro to blast away the rebound.
With the fans sitting on tenterhooks Stephen Oduro was brought on to bring some fluidity in the middle but Mirren were all over winning most of the 50-50 balls.
The deadlock was broken in the 88th minute when Oduro found Asamoah with a quick free kick and the striker wasted no time hitting the ball into the roof. The shot tore the net and it had to be mended for the game to resume.