Coach Nuttall dismisses Kotoko threat

Hearts of Oak Head Coach, Frank Nuttall has insisted that his team will be ready for Asante Kotoko on Christmas eve, when the second leg of the 60th Independence Anniversary match is played at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi.

Nuttall, who arrived in the country last week from holidays in his native Scotland, has been actively involved in Hearts’ training activities. He’s confident of assembling a good team for the match.

“As you can see, we are still in training. The problem is that, prior to the end of the league and even after the season, there was no date fixed for the game, so this puts both teams in a form of rush.

“But we are training and doing our best to cope with the absence of some key players who have left. We will be ready for Kotoko on Sunday” he added.

For Nuttal, the fans should expect nothing short of a good victory adding that Hearts will be going in with a winning mentality irrespective of what happened in the first leg.

“We know we’ve a 3-1 aggregate score line in our favour but we are going into the game as if nothing happened. We must lift the trophy for the fans” he said.

The Phobians won the first of the two legs 3-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium. A draw of any kind or indeed victory will see them lifting the trophy. Conversely, Kotoko must win by a two-goal margin or more to be champions.