Osei, Polack face trick starts with Liberty, Kotoko
Newly engaged coach of Liberty Professionals, Michael Osei, faces a daunting task on Sunday as he embarks on his first assignment against Accra Hearts of Oak at the Carl Reindorf Park at Dansoman as the curtain draws on the first round of the Ghana Premier League.
Coach Osei severed ties with Asante Kotoko in January, this year after handling the club for a few weeks.
Until he was named last Tuesday as the new head coach of the Scientific Soccer lads, Osei had been linked with many clubs, but Dansoman provides some cold comfort as he works with his assistant, Ignatius Osei.
It’s a difficult maiden assignment to pull the brakes on a Hearts side who are in high spirits spirit after a string of good results, including last Monday’s 2-1 win over WAFA in Accra.
Coach Osei’s arrival at Liberty however, could also be a confidence booster for the eleventh positioned club to revive their competitiveness in the ongoing competition by halting Hearts of Oak’s recent winning streak.
Unlike Liberty who have had coach Ignatius Osei as their manager throughout the first round, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, who are eighth on the log after seven consecutive drawn games, sent them down from the third position, are hoping to see a turn around when they visit the Tema stadium with their new coach Steven Polack, against Tema Youth.
Already, coach Polack has admitted that there is no honeymoon for him, and that from the Board, Management, supporters and the playing body, all must contribute their bit to lift the club from its present eighth position.
The visit to Tema looks a bit difficult but with the new coach on board, expectations are that he would steer the Kotoko ship to a successful destination by beating the Tema boys at their backyard.
And while Liberty and Kotoko experiment with their new coaches against Hearts and Tema Youth at Dansoman and Tema Park respectively, current league leaders, WAFA, hope to put their defeat by Hearts behind them and add Inter Allies to their number of casualties who visited their den as they host Inter Allies at Sogakope.
Great Olympics will be away in Berekum against Chelsea in a very tight encounter but considering the improved display which gave the dade boys an edge over Kotoko last Saturday, Chelsea could be in for a match of their lives.
Elmina Sharks and Ebusua Dwarfs will also re-enact the then Division One titanic clashes at the Nduom Stadium this time in the GPL when the two sides lock horns in a clash of egos.
In the other fixtures, Bechem United will play Aduana Stars at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour park in Bechem, Wa All Stars will be at the Len Clay Stadium against relegation-bound Ashgold while Bolga All Stars also engage Medeama SC at their Tamale Utrecht Academy park.
