Asante Kotoko and Aduana Stars bounced back to winning ways as Hearts of Oak’s poor away form continued in the 25th round of matches of the Ghana Premier League. It was also good news for King Faisal and Great Olympics as their wins lifted them away from the relegation zone.
Here are five talking points from the matches.
GODWIN ABLODEY TAKING GOOD CARE OF KING FAISAL
Godwin Ablodey, who was appointed caretaker coach for King Faisal until a permanent replacement is found following the dismissal of Jimmy Cobblah, appears to be doing the right things after only a week in charge.
He led the team to their first back-to-back victories since November 2022 with their latest victory over Accra Lions. Those results have also lifted them out of the relegation zone, and if there is consistency, their season could be saved.
ACCRA LIONS OUT OF TOP FOUR
Accra Lions’ form threatened league leaders Aduana Stars at the top a few weeks ago, but their intensity and urgency with which they played has significantly decreased, causing them to drop out of the top four in a short time.
They teamed up with Bechem United and Hearts of Oak to mount pressure on Aduana Stars before the unexpected form dip.
Lions were defeated by King Faisal for the second time this season, having previously lost to similar opponents in November 2022. As a result, they have suffered back-to-back defeats for the second time this season.
SIGH OF RELIEF FOR KOBBY MENSAH
Bismack Kobby Mensah, who took over Great Olympics at the beginning of March, has struggled to produce the desired results for the team. After winning his first game against Hearts of Oak, the team had not seen a win until Sunday, when they defeated Berekum Chelsea, ending a five-game run.
Despite the fact that the young manager was hired to address the club’s issues, which included former coach Yaw Preko’s poor results, nothing significant has changed in that aspect. The kind of results Kobby Mensah’s boys had recorded even pushed them into the relegation zone, making their recent win over Berekum Chelsea all the more important.
He might have been under pressure but after another win, the former Karela manager’s future with Great Olympics may look positive again.
ADUANA’S INDISCIPLINE COULD COST THEM
As the only team to remain unbeaten at home this season, Aduana’s misconduct may end up costing them more than they expected.
They have successfully transformed the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park into a fortress by attempting to achieve positive results regardless of the circumstances.
A glimpse of this was seen in their game against Real Tamale United, where they came from behind to save their unbeaten home record. Over the weekend, they won again thanks to another late goal.
However, their fans’ attitude to making away fans inconvenient by violently attacking them has triggered the Ghana Football Association to restrict them from their home potentially putting at risk their title aspirations.
HEARTS’ EXCELLENT AWAY FORM JEOPARDIZED
Hearts of Oak were one of the best sides on the road a few weeks ago, but have since been consistently bad given their recent away results. They only failed to win their first two away games, against Aduana and Kotoko, but then went on a ruthless run, winning four and drawing one of their next five matches.
Even though virtually every team have been poor on the road, The Phobians’ away form was rather beneficial to their title aspirations.
However, their draw against Dreams FC on Saturday has now left them winless on the road in five straight games.
