The second round of matches of the Ghana Premier League saw Kotoko succumb to their first defeat of the season while Hearts of Oak bounced back by beating Nsoatreman. Bofoakwa Tano, Nations FC and Aduana Stars earned their first win together with Karela United who have started remarkably at the Aliu Mahama Stadium.
Here are five things we learned from the matches.
Hearts of Oak end terrible spell
Hearts of Oak finally found a win in a competitive match after five months. Having last secured a win against King Faisal in April, they got a win against Nsoatreman at the Accra Sports Stadium marking their first win of the season. New signing Kashala Ramos scored his first goal in the Ghana Premier League after joining the Phobians in the previous transfer window.
Despite the result being the first win for new coach Martin Koopman it was also a good way to stop Maxwell Konadu who had dominated the Phobians with several teams.
Hearts of Oak will hope to build on the crucial victory to earn more positive results as they prepare for their next game against Bofoakwa Tano.
Kotoko’s problems intensified
The season is still very young but very difficult to pinpoint progress in the Porcupine Warriors. The return of coach Prosper Narteh Ogum was expected to inject an instantaneous revival but the story has been different perhaps their new project will demand time and patience from fans.
Losing to Bibiani Gold Stars for the first time in the club’s history may not sit well with fans, especially after coming on the back of a ‘lucky’ draw against returnees Heart of Lions who got a goal controversially ruled out.
The signings of young and to some extent inexperienced players obviously give an impression of a rebuilding agenda but whether fans would wait is another issue.
Positive start for promoted sides
All three promoted teams have shown ambitions in their first two matches and could be on the right track should they maintain their momentum.
Nations FC who lost their first match against Dreams FC bounced back remarkably securing a 2-0 victory over FC Samartex.
Heart of Lions could have gotten more than just two draws in their first two games but they have equally been impressive and may quickly need to add goals to their game to stay afloat.
Meanwhile Bofoakwa Tano after drawing with Great Olympics secured their first win over Real Tamale United pushing them to the top of the table at least until Monday evening which is a positive sign from a team which has missed top-flight football for 16 years.
Slow start for champions
The divided attention for Medeama SC seems to have taken a toll on them as they have failed to win any of their first two matches.
They have been impressive so far in their CAF Champions League campaign but have lost key players to injury in the process forcing Evans Adotey to use second-choice players in certain positions which has not yielded the desired results as they currently lie bottom of the table with one point.
The competition is at an early stage but the effect of such factors cannot be undermined.
No CAM Park, no problem for Karela United
Karela United formerly based at Ainyinase adopted the Aliu Mahama Stadium and kicked off to a good start as they beat Berekum Chelsea 3-1. Despite a 2-1 defeat in their opening game against Legon Cities, they dominated in their first home game, thus their first from the Crosby Awuah Memorial (CAM) Park and got the essential victory to restore hopes as the season unfolds.
Karela United have established themselves as one of the team’s difficult to beat at home in the last few years and are hoping to translate that at the Aliu Mahama Stadium.
Their decision to switch camps was due to the unreadiness of their two proposed venues, the Koforidua Sports Complex and the Nduom Sports Complex.
