By: Bernard Nyankomago-Yeboah

Date: 08-07-11

Former Asante Kotoko right full back and skipper of the Black Meteors, Samuel Inkoom is positive his side would raise the stakes and beat their Nigerian counterparts convincingly on Sunday at the Baba Yara Stadium and earn a ticket for the incoming All African Games slated for Mozambique in September this year.

Though the Dnipro defender admitted in an exclusive chat with Kotoko Express on Wednesday that the task ahead is very daunting, he believes the national U-23 side has what it takes to overturn the 1-3 deficit suffered at Benin City a fortnight ago in their favour on Sunday.

“The job ahead is demanding but we would do everything possible as players and eliminate Nigeria whether it rains or shines” he assured.

There will be a huge task on the shoulders of Coach Kwasi Appiah and his boys when they clash with their Nigerian counterparts in the second leg of the 2011 All African Games qualifier on Sunday in Kumasi. Having lost the first match 1-3, the team needs to lift themselves above board and score at least two unanswered goals if they are to qualify for the prestigious competition.

For now it is not certain whether “Mayele” will get the service of all the foreign based players comprising Daniel Opare, David Opare, Daniel Addo, Jonathan Mensah, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Afriyie Acquah, Dominic Adiyiah, Rabiu Mohammed, Jordan Ayew and Mubarak Wakaso who featured in the first leg.  

But with or without the inclusion of these players, much is expected from Coach Kwasi Appiah to qualify Meteors for Maputo after the team failed to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics Games under the tutelage of Coach David Duncan not long ago.

Victory on Sunday will put the smiles back on the faces of Ghanaians who have sat on tenterhooks for some time now. It will also save the image of the local coaches in the country after the disappointment caused by Frimpong Manso, Herbert Addo, David Duncan and A.K Adusei in their handling of some of the national teams in recent times.

Commenting further on the game, Inkoom said he was taking much inspiration from the miraculous performance he and the entire Asante Kotoko team churned out against another Nigerian side, Dolphins FC at the same venue in the 2007/08 CAF Confederations and make another history for himself as skipper of Black Meteors this time round.

“I am not scared about our chances. I have done it before with Kotoko in the CAF Confederations Cup and I will do it again with Meteors on Sunday” he noted.

It may be recalled that Kotoko lost 0-2 to Dolphins FC in Calabar during the 2007/08 CAF Confederation Cup. The Nigerians came back to Oseikrom and drew first blood but Inkoom and his colleagues defied all odds to beat them 4-1 eventually and advanced to the group stage of the competition.

Inkoom continued that it would be wrong for anybody to lose hope probably because some of the foreign players who played in the first game might not be available this time round. He believes it is important for Ghanaians to have absolute confidence in whoever the coach will select on Sunday that they will do the work well as expected.

He said the team’s sterling performance against Deportivo in a trial match last Wednesday in Kumasi where Meteors won 4-0 is enough evidence that something good would come on Sunday.

Asked what motivated him to give $10,000 to the entire playing staff who played in the first leg notwithstanding their 1-3 defeat, Inkoom replied that “As a leader or captain of the side I had to do something to inspire the players and let them understand that the battle is not over yet. That was why I donated that amount to the team”.

He entreated Ghanaians to turn up to the stadium in their numbers and support the team for they will surely return home with victory.

On Asante Kotoko, Inkoom noted that he has been keenly following activities of the club since he left to pursue his football career in Europe. He commended the leaders and players of the club for their great work done so far and urged them to keep it up.