We are ready for May 9 match – Coach Odame

By: Jerome Otchere, Kumasi

Friday, May 07, 2010

Coach Clifford Odame has told Kotoko Express that he and his side feel proud having been given the chance to face Hearts of Oak in the first ever May 9 memorial match to be played at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium on Sunday.

The coach says although the announcement came unexpectedly, his team has always been ready for battle and that they would go into the game in high spirit to crash Hearts of Oak in Accra because his boys are battle ready for the challenge that awaits them in the national capital.

Kotoko initially announced that it would not honour the historic match citing various tangible reasons. However, after weeks of deliberations between the management of the club and that of Hearts as well as officials of the Youth and Sports Ministry, an amicable agreement was reached paving the way for the game this weekend.

The youth side of Kotoko would however face the Phobians who have not given any indication as to whether they would parade their senior team.

Coach Clifford Odame says the fact that they got wind of the match at a late hour would not pose any problem.

“We have been training on regular basis. We have also been playing some friendly matches. So we are ready for the match. We are confident that we will win”.

The ex-Kotoko and national team player disclosed that the youth team has a pool of talented and energetic players who can face any side on the local scene. He declined to mention names of some of the players who could be in action on Sunday afternoon insisting that the technical team was still preparing for the big match.

In fact at the time of the interview, two sides of the youth team were engaged in a trial match at the Ridge Park with two other sides waiting on the sidelines for their turn.

The coach appealed to Kotoko supporters to come to the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium to cheer the team to victory adding that they would prove their worth against the old time rivals.

He observed that any game involving Hearts and Kotoko has never been easy. He argued that Sunday’s memorial match would not be different and debunked remarks that because Kotoko would be parading its youth team and so the game would be without the usual tension and excitement that often characterises Hearts-Kotoko matches.

The last time the two sides clashed at the youth level was in December 2003 when Kotoko thrashed Hearts 4-1 at the quarter finals stage of the Mylik Classic tournament at the Baba Yara Stadium.