Hearts to pop champagne

In a sweet celebration of 90 years well lived, Champion Club Accra Hearts of Oak will rock the Accra Sports Stadium this Sunday with a rollicking blend of music, champagne and soccer.

What a way to celebrate an anniversary that also coincides with a five-year consecutive league championship, unprecedented in the history of Ghana football. To mark the joint events, what is meant to be a league match between Hearts and Dawu will also see on parade music sensation, Pozo Hayes, masters of ceremony, Shamo Quaye, Micky Osei Berko, Nana Obuobi, Michael Smith and Oesophagus.

While Hearts have already started celebrating, the fate of some clubs could be determined on Sunday. For such clubs as Kwaebibirem United, Adansiman, RTU, Maxbees and Ghapoha, their chances of surviving the relegation troubles is on knife edge.

Hence when these teams tackle their penultimate round games, they could be bidding an emotional farewell to the elite division. Ironically, the nation’s painful capital will be in a partying mood when Accra Hearts of Oak take on Dawu Youngsters, knowing very well that whatever happens after 90 minutes of action their name cannot be blotted form the record books.

Bottom club, Kwaebibirem will make a last ditch attempt for survival by blazing on all guns for the three points at stake at the expense of King Faisal. Failure to beat Faisal could effectively seal the Asuom lads doom and end their two-year love affair with premiership football. But Faisal are not safe either, and given their impressive run lately, a real battle is set for the Asec Park.

Adansiman’s return to top flight football after a long drought has been a really tortuous one this season. Unfortunately they have not been able to swim against the tide in spite of a late effort for survival. But on Sunday they trek to the Gyandu Park of all places in search of three vital points against Sekondi Hasaacas.

Not even the big guns feel comfortable travelling to the twin city and Adansiman find themselves trapped between the devil and deep blue sea. Away points have been a luxury commodity for Adansiman and until they manage to conjure some magic, they will be stripped bare by the home team who possess a dreaded attacking pair of Issah Mohammed and Frank Turkson, and have kept their foot on the accelerator.

Real Tamale United (RTU) appear fortunate to have home advantage in their next two games. At least they appear safe as they face clubs with poor away records. First at the altar will be Bofoakwa Tano whose impressive showing this season could be stained by failure to win away. This record is unlikely to be improved at Tamale where they face the wrath of Hamza Mohammed-led RTU who are unbeaten at home and also desperate for points for survival.

Ghapoha are just on the borderline between survival and relegation and will therefore will leave nothing to chance against visiting Arsenals at the Accra Sports Stadium tomorrow. The wonder club, Accra Great Olympics may be out of the clutches of relegation but the tight nature of the bottom rungs of the league table means that a draw to Okwawu United against whom they play at the Nkawkaw Park would be as valuable as the three points. Significantly, Okwawu are out of trouble but would not surrender the points to the visitors on a silver platter.

Liberty Professionals have managed to crawl out of trouble but at the Len Clay Stadium at Obuasi their chances of surviving against Goldfields looks very remote, given the soccer miners home prowess.

Kotoko have lost the tonic wrest power from Hearts but they have their pride at stake when they play Maxbees at the Kumasi Sports Stadium. But given the uncertainty surrounding the Porcupine Warriors anytime they defeat Hearts, they must be careful at home lest ‘bees’ from Suhum will sting them.