Ghana premier league side Accra Hearts of Oak have winded up their preseason camping with a narrow win over Elmina Sharks in a club friendly on Thursday.
The Phobians scrapped to defeat coach Yaw Acheampong’s side by a lone goal at the Glow Lamp Academy park near Cape Coast in the central region. It was a keenly contested game between the two premier league sides as they prepare for the commencement of the 2020/2021 football season on November 13, but the 20 times league champions proved stronger, running away with a narrow win.
New signing forward Abednego Tetteh converted from the spot in the 35th minute in the first half to shoot his side in the lead. The match was anybody’s game as both sides shared the dominance of play until Hearts of Oak won a penalty which they buried home to finish the game with a 1-0 win.
Accra Hearts of Oak moved to the Glow Lamp Academy facility for camping on October 27, and have since remained there for preparations for the league campaign. Coach Odoom’s side have played a total of five (5) friendly matches, with the Elmina Shark’s game being the 5th. The Phobians have scored a total of 14 goals in the five friendly matches, conceding 4 goals.
Hearts of Oak opened the journey with an emphatic 4-0 victory against lower-tier sides Scientific Soccer Academy, and followed it with a 6-1 win over Lagos Town United. The next contest was against the elite division campaigners Cape Coast Mysterious Ebusua Dwarfs which ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
On Wednesday November 4, the Phobians were held to a 2-2 draw by second tier side Proud United, after the former had taken a two-goal lead via Michelle Sarpong and Emmanuel Nettey. The 2004 CAF Confederation Cup winners have finished their preseason tour on a positive note, beating Elmina Sharks by a lone goal to wind up the tour.
Hearts will open their 2020-21 Ghana Premier League campaign with an away encounter against Aduana Stars at Dormaa when the new season begins on the weekend of November 13-15, 2020.