Ex Asante Kotoko midfielder Stephen Oduro has advised the current squad on what to do to carry the day when they play against Accra Herarts of Oak at the Accra sports stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Ghana Premier League’s biggest match comes off this afternoon at the Accra sports stadium between league leaders Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak, and both teams are much determined to win the game not just for three points at stake, but also to make their numerous fans happy and to keep the bragging right over each other.
In an exclusive interview with ghanasportspage.com, Stephen Oduro, who have played and scored a couple of times during his days with Asante Kotoko has rated the match as the most important for both clubs and their supporters, and has urged the Kotoko players not to be swollen headed by their current red hot form, but be guided by history which has shown over the years that form guide counts less when it comes to this fixture.
To Oduro, the players of Asante Kotoko should take the match very serious than any other match, but should remain calm while on the field of play and play their normal game.
“As a former player of Asante Kotoko, the little advice I can give to the players [of Kotoko] is that, that game is a game that you as a player must take it as a match of your life. Whether the supporters will accept you, praise you or hail you depends on that match, that is the match they cherish the most”, Oduro describes.
“So I will advice every player to take the match serious and win it for the supporters, because if they win it for the supporters it brings a lot of things to the team; traders, hawkers. So I will urge them to take this match serious than all the previous matches they’ve played. It is true they have beaten a lot of teams but when it comes to Accra Hearts of Oak and Aasante Kotoko game it different; that match can kill your career as a player, so they should take the match very serious, he added.
The former RTU midfielder however cautioned, that the players should not be too ambitious while on the filed of play. He urged them to stay calm and play their normal game but with all seriousness in mind.
“Though when they go into the game they should take as a normal match, but playing it we don’t play it like how you play with other teams [in the league]. They should take it that Hearts of Oak is coming with eleven players, same as them, and I think for now in terms of player to player, Asante Kotoko has a [stronger] team than Hearts, but for Kotoko and Hearts game, who has a good form does not count”, he said.
Stephen Oduro recalled a similar situation during his time at the club when Asante Kotoko had take a commanding lead on the league log far ahead of the Phobians, but struggled to settle for a 3-3 draw with them at the Baba Yara sports stadium, and he wants the current players to use that history as a guide.
“I remember during our time under coach Bashiru Hayford or so, somewhere [the year] 2008 or 2007 or so, similar thing happened we were leading the league table with almost 12 points or so. In our game against Hearts of Oak, all the supporters were saying that was a time for us to revenge that 4-0 they beat us with some time ago, because we thought the team we were having at that time comprising of myself [Stephen Oduro], Eric Bekoe, Jordan [Opoku], [Daniel] Nii Adjei, Harrison Afful, [Samuel] Inkoom, that team. Everybody thought with that team we could also score that 4 nil, but when started the game, we took the lead through Kwadwo Opoku Mahala, then Hearts of Oak came from behind to equalise and took a 2-1 lead before we made it 2-2 and they scored again.
It was even me who scored I think the last goal to end the game 3-3 before we were relieved. So for Kotoko vs Hearts sometimes it’s not about the one with good form, sometimes it’s the team that plays well that carries the day, so that’s the little I can say”, he narrated.
