Oly target GHALCA Top Four

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA - Wonder club Accra Great Olympics is currently occupying a "difficult" seventh position on the 16-club Kinapharma Premier League, but head coach Emmanuel Kwesi Afranie, is confident the team will leapfrog, at least, three other clubs to book a place for this year's GHALCA Top four Tournament.

And to make this dream a reality, coach Afranie is hoping to win all three home matches including a 25th-week duel against leaders, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, plus at least, two of the club's four away games. The coach is also banging his hopes on two protests his side lodged against Goldfields for fielding Cameroonian import Valentine Attem and another against Brong Ahafo United who featured veteran Nana Frimpong even though the player collected three yellow cards in previous three matches.

Outside the boardroom, Olympics have intensified their training regimen with a one-and-a-half week conditioning and are to round it off with some "touches" to fine-tune the players ready for action. Management is also in talks with some crack Togolese and Beninois clubs for international friendlies, and are likely to end the programme with, at least, two local games including one against Soccer Millionaires of Asamankese before the league re-starts on Wednesday, October 29.

Coach Afranie, affectionately called Coach hene, said the friendlies would help him sharpen his arrowheads in order to improve on their goal scoring abilities.

Olympics played one of their beautiful games against Hearts of Oak but lost 1-2 to their city rivals after wasting some golden opportunities.

The Coach said even though he lost painfully to the Phobians, "I was happy that for once, my fans realised that Afranie was doing something good for the team".

He attributed the loss to ill luck, urging the fans to exercise patient and encourage the boys to perform better. Asked if he would be disappointed should he fail to qualify the team for the GHALCA Top Four, the coach said: "even if our dream does not materialise this year, Oly shall be one of the top teams come next year".

The Ghana League Clubs Association introduced the GHALCA Top Four two seasons ago for the country's top four teams at the end of each league season.