Hearts Coach Nana Yaw Amankwah strongly refutes any suggestions of relegation fears

Hearts of Oak assistant coach Nana Yaw Amankwah has confidently dismissed concerns that the club might find itself battling relegation this season, as it has in the past two years.

Amankwah remains optimistic that the ‘Phobians’ will recover and emerge stronger as the season progresses. Last season, Hearts of Oak narrowly avoided relegation by securing a crucial final-day victory over Bechem United after weeks of hovering near the relegation zone.

However, the start of the new campaign has been troubling, with the club suffering back-to-back defeats in their opening two matches.

Their latest setback came over the weekend with a 2-0 loss to Heart of Lions in Kpando, where late goals from Kwesi Pong and Ishmael Addo sealed a painful defeat for the Accra-based side.

Despite the poor start, Amankwah, who joined from Medeama SC ahead of the 2024/25 season, remains upbeat about Hearts of Oak’s prospects. He strongly refuted any suggestions of relegation fears, emphasizing that it is too early to make such predictions.

“No, it will never happen. It is too early for anyone to say Hearts of Oak will be fighting relegation, even though we didn’t start very well,” Amankwah stated.

“Last season, some teams were at the top of the table after four or five matches, but by the end of the season, they were nowhere to be found. Hearts of Oak will never be relegated.

“The 21-time Ghana Premier League champions will face a tough test in match-week 3 when they host Bechem United, a side known for their resilience.