Thursday, March 4, 2010

KOTOKO HOPEFUL TOO (GRAPHIC SPORTS, BACK PAGE, FEB 12, 2010)

AHEAD of their CAF Champions League match at the Demba Diop Stadium in Dakar on Saturday, Kumasi Asante Kotoko management member, Jarvis Peprah, has called on the club’s supporters and indeed all Ghanaians, not to lose hope in the team.
  Naturally, the uninspiring performance in the domestic league could result in pessimism, but he was confident saying, “we hope to pull off a shock victory that will serve as a springboard for greater things”.
  “You can see that the team has been picking up gradually in the national league and this should signal everyone that Kotoko is on the road back to winning ways,” he told the Graphic Sports in Kumasi.
   The team flew out to Dakar last Wednesday night, desperate to make up for their disappointing domestic performance with a game of their lives against Senegalese champions, ASC Liguare.
   When the Porcupine Warriors line up against their opponents, they would be fighting to prove the pessimists wrong.
   It has not been easy for the Porcupine Warriors this season, lying 8th on the Premier League, and are in need of a welcome relief.
   And coach Paa Kwesi Fabin is hoping a confidence boosting performance tomorrow would not only establish their continental pedigree but also have a significant effect on their domestic fortunes.
   Even as the players and technical team left for Senegal with some level of confidence, a section of the support base in Kumasi is looking ahead with cautious optimism.
   To the pessimists, the typical workaholic performance, which had virtually deserted the team, leaves them with little hope for a good result.
   The team lost by a lone goal to division one side, Emirates FC, on the synthetic turf of the Tema Park last Tuesday, but they still believe the scoreline was immaterial, especially as the team played so well.
   Indeed, when one considers the history of Kotoko and Africa club football, it would be difficult to write the team off against a club that is making its maiden appearance in top flight Africa football.
   But, history has very little to do here. This calls for a serious approach to the game, and with a little bit of luck, they can cause damage to the Senegalese.
   Kotoko’s misfiring attack has been so evident in the league and Ghanaians can only hope that the coach sharpens the rough edges.
   The signing of former international, Baffour Gyan was expected to add power to the attack, but he has not yet proved to be the striker we all know.
   The strongest area of the team has been the middle where Daniel Nii Adjei and Jordan Opoku bring a great deal of stability. Nii Adjei can score himself when least expected.
   In defence, the two Ofosu Appiahs, Osei Kwame Jnr, Iddrisu Yahaya and Gideon Baah must provide the barrier that would prevent the Senegalese champions from causing any havoc.
   Kotoko should return with, at least, a draw to make the task less arduous in the return leg in Kumasi.

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