Coach Nassam training with Soulama
Hearts of Oak goalkeepers trainer Nassam Yakubu is content with the level of support rendered Soulama Abdoulaye after his blunder against Kotoko, but has urged the fans to help the keeper regain full confidence.
The experienced Burkina Faso goalkeeper had a day to forget last Monday when Kotoko pipped Hearts at the Accra Sports Stadium courtesy an own goal from Soulama Abdoulaye.
Soulama was still the cynosure of the game when he got sent-off in the second half to complete a miserable day at the office against his former club.
“Apart from that big mistake that Soulama committed, I think his performance was okay although a lot of people will not see it that way.
"He got a red card after stopping a goal [scoring opportunity] and that was a professional foul and maybe even the scores wouldn’t have been one,” Nassam told facebook.com/accraheartsofoak.
“Definitely, any other person after the game would have been down and even if nobody tells him; he knows that he made a very big mistake.
“But the goalkeeping position is such that a mistake there is amplified more than any other position because if a striker misses a chance, apart from the gasps, the fans easily forget; but when a goalkeeper makes a mistake, it goes on and on because that’s where everybody wants to see the ball ending up. Soulama has been a victim of that but we only pray that such a thing shouldn’t happen again.
“It’s painful but just imagine what would have happened if we had hurriedly taken him off at half-time and the red card goes to the other goalkeeper? He might have also done the same thing Soulama did to bring the player down and it could have been a disaster.”
“The fans are already doing very well. I have heard a lot of them talk positively and in support of Soulama. A good number remember what he has done for the club in his short stay and so they do not castigate him but rather give him the maximum support. So, they should continue supporting him to help bring back his confidence.
“Our fans are our supporters; we are their players and technical team until we leave. But we have not left and we are still here so they have to give us their full support. We cannot say because of one mistake Soulama is no longer a Hearts goalkeeper; so the supporters should be patient, they should keep supporting him and give him the morale to continue to play for the club.”
Hearts will travel to Berekum to face Berekum Chelsea at the Golden City Park without the services of Soulama Abdoulaye, who has been suspended for the game, but Nassam insists his remaining goalkeepers can stand in Soulama’s stead.
“They can hold the fort until Soulama gets back because if you look at the way we train, they all train at the same level,” Nassam assured.
“Performance-wise our goalkeepers should be the same but Soulama is always there because of the experience he has over them. Apart from that, the work rate and everything of the other goalkeepers is perfect. All our remaining goalkeepers are good enough to be in post [in the absence of Soulama].”
Nassam concluded: “We have to pray that we get a good result there [at Chelsea] so that we will keep going up and up. We were beaten at home; we can also beat them at their home, why not? Until the game is over, we will not give up.”
