Former Asante Kotoko, Sekondi Hasaacas right back Samuel Inkoom has underscored the implications of results from a Hearts of Oak vs Asante Kotoko match on both clubs, especially that of the latter, saying it is the match every fan of the Porcupine Warriors loves to watch regardless of the competition.
Asante Kotoko travel to the Accra sports stadium come Sunday February 20 to face their old ”foes” in a rescheduled Match Day 7 of the Ghana Premier League (GPL), a game that will draw the curtains on the first round of the current campaign. Samuel Inkoom, who has had a taste of the fixture during his days at Asante Kotoko between 2008 and 2009 has been measuring the nature of the game, the ecstasy it brings, the prominence attached to the results by club administrators of the two clubs and just to mention few.
According to the former FC Basel defender, during his days at Kotoko, beating every other premier league side is regarded as nothing if Kotoko should lose to Accra Hearts of Oak. The 32-year old Ghanaian international was coy over who will carry the day on Sunday despite having his heart set on Asante Kotoko, but shared beautiful memories in an attempt to balance his stance on what the out come could be.
“Both teams are traditional teams, both teams are the biggest clubs in Ghana”, Inkoom described, speaking to ghanasportspage.com.
“In my time [at Asante Kotoko] even if you beat everybody and you couldn’t beat Hearts of Oak then it’s cos 90, you have not done nothing (SIC) for the team. This is the game that every fan of Asante Kotoko loved to watch, so the feeling is different, and for me that is the kind of game I want[ed] to play every time when I was in Asante Kotoko, so when it comes to that game I also do everything; my training, everything is different”, he explained.
Inkoom confirmed that at Asante Kotoko, you can win every match but losing against Hearts of Oak is never a good feeling. “Guess what, Asante Kotoko is a team that you can win every match but when you lose against Hearts of Oak, my brother, it’s not a good feeling. So this is the game that I think every player wants to play but this is the game that you have to bring everything out as a player”, he explained.
Pushed to predict who he thinks will carry the day on Sunday, Inkoom declined to sticking his neck out but managed to wish both sides good luck, wishing Hearts of Oak too good luck with reasons why he needed to give some recognition to the exploits of the Phobians.
“You know I’m a fan of Kotoko, and who doesn’t want his team to win, but this is a game that I’m a Ghanaian as well, Hearts of Oak is also a Ghana team, and we want the best for the league, that’s why I said I wish both of them good luck”, he concluded.
Both Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak have a total of 45 league titles between them with the Porcupines leading as record winners with 24. Asante Kotoko will go into the game come Sunday as favourites and as league leaders, having accumulated 36 points from a possible 48 in 16 league matches. Holders Accra Hearts of Oak have been very inconsistent in their points accumulation this season, and currently sit 8th on the league log with 24 points [out of possible 48] from 16 matches, trailing Kotoko by 12 points difference.
