Hearts will sail through - coach

Ho (Volta Region) 20 March 2002 - Mr Hebert Addo, the newly signed Headcoach of Accra Hearts of Oak football club on Monday said he was still hopeful that the team would beat Stade Malien in their second leg African Clubs Championship slated for Mali next Sunday to remain in the reckoning of this year's championship.

"If Ghanaians have lost hope, we have not, at least not those of us here," he declared at Ho, where the team has pitched its camp. Mr Addo expressed the hope when he led a team of 32 players, technical men and executives of Chapter 41 supporters of the club to pay a courtesy call on Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister. The team arrived in Ho last week to prepare for the crucial second leg match on Sunday in far away Mali.

Hearts drew 1-1 with Stade Malien in the first leg match played at the Accra Sports Stadium on March 10, to deflate supporters’ confidence in the team's ability to win the return encounter. "It has happened before and with your cooperation and friendship we would bring back glory from Mali," Coach Addo stated. He said Hearts needed "peace of mind to train and prepare for the coming encounter" hence their presence in Ho.

Mr Owusu-Yeboa who said he had been a Hearts fan since he began to appreciate football said "I have absolutely no doubt on my mind that in spite of the outcome of the first leg encounter you are going to sail through." Mr Owusu-Yeboa said "there have been experiences when even within seconds of the last whistle things happened to clinch victory for Hearts." He called for support for the team saying, "when your heart is with a club, no matter what the fortunes of the club are, you still remain with the club."

The Regional Minister said the weather at Ho presently would condition the players properly to be comfortable with the weather in Mali. "Rain or shine, no matter the level of heat in Mali, you are going to win to make Hearts and Ghana proud," he stated. Mr Owusu-Yeboa advised the players who were in high spirits to train seriously for their matches since performance at the domestic level was a means to an end of football, which is now big business.

He supported Mr Dan Anane, Chapter 41 Vice-Chairman's view that Hearts adopted Ho as their training ground for subsequent matches. Among exhilarated fans who accompanied the team to meet the Minister was Mr Douglas Wagba, Volta Regional Director of Ghana Telecom. The presence of the team drew workers from their offices trying to spot their favourite players.