Premier League: Lawrence win day for Hearts

Results of the 20th-week Kinapharma Premier League Accra: Liberty 1-0 Mine Stars (played on saturday) Sunyani: Bofoakwa 1-0 Arsenals Accra: Hearts 1-0 Heart of Lions Sekondi: Hasaacas 1-1 Okwahu United Bolga RTU 0-0 Olympics Obuasi: Goldfields 2-0 Stay Cool NB: The league matches involving Kotoko and Power as well as that of King Faisal and B.A United have been postponed in view of the Kumasi Asante Kotoko and APR of Rwanda's first leg quarter finals encounter played at the Kumasi Sport Stadium. Lawrence win day for Hearts Lawrence Adjei's 85th minute decisive goal won the day for Accra Hearts of Oak in their 20th week crucial league tie against Kpondo Heart of Lions played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday. Adjei who until the goal was a passenger on the afternoon scored with a beautiful flip after a successful build up between him and substitute Emmanuel Donkor from the middle. It was a game the defending champions particularly fought for the winner as the Kpondo lads played impressively for a point after tasting their first defeat at home in the season at the hands of the Phobians who humiliated them 0-3 in the first round. From the blast of the whistle, the Phobians opened fire on their opponents with some good inter-positional play but the Bernard Don Bortey's lead attack remained jittery whenever they made any incursion. The visitors settled after the scare and carried the game to the homesters and when news flatted in the earlier minutes that Kumasi asante Kotoko had gone down by a goal to nil, the whole stadium went wild with jubilation. Hearts attackers continuously messed up upfront with Bortey's rising toe chip on the half mark missing target narrowly with former Dawu Youngsters goalkeeper, Sumaila Abdulia out of position. From recess, the Lions bench introduced fresh limbs into the game and the team's finest chance fell to Togolese international Amewou Komlan in the 52nd minutes but he miss-fired to the relief of the vociferous Hearts fans. Komlans was taken out for Billy Sulley while Joseph Onyinah Ababio replaced tired Atikpe Eric Ayaovi while Hearts Emmanuel Donkor and Kojo Peace replaced Nasiru Ghani and Adjah Tetteh respectively. The post denied the visitors the opener in the last twenty minutes when with keeper Sammy Adjei well beaten, substitute Ababio shot's from a free kick close to the Hearts vital area hit the post and rebound into play. Hearts took charge of the game from then on and fought for the goal that now pegs them with the same points with league leaders Kotoko but inferior in goal aggregate. Hasaacas Draw Sekondi Hasaacas and visiting Okwawu United drew 1-1 in their match at the Sekondi Gyandu Park. Centre forward Prince Opoku Agyemang of Okwawu United opened the scoring for the visitors in the 29th minute of the first half. The game kicked off at 3:05pm with both teams displaying their skills in football with Kumasi based FIFA referee Mike Amedior in charge. Both teams continued the game with the needed zeal but their efforts could not produce any more goals till the 44th minute when Francis Aduhene found the equalizer for the home team. Inspired by the equaliser, Hasaacas returned from the second half and increased the tempo of the game but Okwawu would not succumb. Sekondi Hasaacas centre forward Isaac Quainoo on several occasions messed up good scoring chances. Okwawu on the other hand, kept on pressing but their efforts could also not produce any further goals. George Tutu, Captain for the Okwawu side and central defender, halted most of the moves of the home team to score the winner. Bofoakwa Beat arsenal A 77th minute penalty goal scored by Emmanuel Nuhey of Bofoakwa Tano enabled his side to beat visiting Berekum Arsenals 1-0 in their match played at the Sunyani Coronation Park on Sunday. It was a hard win, which will sooth the sinews of the supporters Bofoakwa and offer them a temporary relief from the fear of getting the drop. The game was a keenly contested one right from the first whistle of referee E.Q.M. Osamquaye of Accra with Bofoakwa playing it hard and not giving the Arsenals boys any breathing space. The hard-tackling strategy adopted by Bofoakwa sent most of the Arsenal boys to the touchline with injuries to be attended to by the Red Cross men. Notwithstanding, the crude strategy by the Bofoakwa boys, captain Yaw Serbeh Soviet and his Arsenal colleagues remained undaunted and played well, coming close to scoring in the 12th minute. In the 17th minute Abeiku Aikins, captain of Bofoakwa was shown the yellow card for rough-play. Arsenals missed a second goal-scoring chance in the 19th minute when Salu Yakubu's shot missed narrowly. In the 22nd minute Stephen Ofei of Bofoakwa was also shown the yellow card for rough play. When the game was 20 minutes old, Abeiku sustained a serious injury and was rushed to the Sunyani Government Hospital. Thomas Duah replaced him and his inclusion nearly gave Bofoakwa a goal but the iron-clad defence of Arsenals, marshalled around Halifax Yaw Afranie, Salu Yakubu and goalkeeper Justice Quarcoo repulsed a beautiful combination between Matthew Akwasi and Emmanuel Nkrumah. Arsenals made their first substitution with Kwadwo Issah replacing Salu Yakubu. Close to the end of the first half, Charles Benson moved threateningly into the home team's "18", beating three defenders in a row but Bofoakwa's Stephen Offei who had a good afternoon dispossessed him of the ball before he could cause any havoc. In the second half, Kofi Sammy of Arsenals was shown the yellow card in the 57th minute for rough play. Arsenals replaced goalkeeper Quarcoo with Isaac Zogah in the 61st minute and play remained balanced until the 77th minute when Bofoakwa was awarded a penalty when one of their attackers was mowed down by an Arsenals defender. Liberty Pip Mine Stars Dansoman-based Liberty Professionals pip visiting Prestea Mine Stars 1-0 courtesy, a 13th-minute own goal by Skipper Kwame Antwi in their 20th-week tie at the nation's "Wembley", the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday. It was a game the Dansoman lads wasted lots of first half opportunities to humble their visitors as David Boateng and William Tiero messed up in front of goal. The "Miners" were impressive after the early scare with some good inter-positional play but Liberty looked business-like at the last quarter of the pitch, firing some desperate shots. Mine Stars arrowhead Abdul Samed had a great opportunity to put his side on level pegging on the 30th mark but Liberty's goalkeeper Kotie Blankson was alert to deny him the equalizer.
Liberty accelerated their move minutes before the break to take a comfortable lead but Boateng who just returned from an unsuccessful trail in Moldova showed signs of fatigue as he struggled to win the aerial tussles from his markers to score.
Disaster nearly struck Liberty on the stroke of the half time when goalkeeper Blankson clash with advancing Aman Markuiwood in the penalty area but he was treated within minutes before the whistle went for the end of the first half.
The Miners, the first club to beat Liberty in the first round, appeared more combative especially in midfield after the recess punching holes in the Liberty defense but they lacked imagination each time they came face-to-face with the goalie.
Former Dawu Youngsters player, Eric Mbroh and Biara George were the chief culprits as they were easily shoved off the ball before they cocked to shoot. Standings of the Kinapharma Premier League --- HOME AWAY --- P W L D F A ... P W L D F A GD..pts Kotoko 10 8 1 1 20 5 9 5 1 3 12 5 22 44 Hearts 10 6 0 4 17 5 10 6 0 4 12 3 21 44 Arsenals 10 8 1 1 14 3 10 3 6 1 8 11 8 35 King Faisal 9 5 2 2 15 7 10 4 3 3 12 7 13 32 Goldfields 10 8 1 1 19 4 10 1 2 7 9 11 10 32 Liberty 10 4 1 5 13 7 10 4 4 2 12 14 4 31 Olympics 10 5 2 3 13 8 10 1 4 5 7 11 1 26 Hasaacas 10 6 0 4 12 5 10 0 8 2 3 14 -4 24 Lions 10 6 1 3 16 9 10 1 9 0 5 20 -8 24 Mines Stars 10 7 1 2 10 2 10 0 9 1 1 18 -9 24 R T U 10 5 3 2 10 4 10 0 5 5 3 17 -8 22 Power 10 3 4 3 4 7 9 2 5 2 5 8 -6 20 Bofoakwa 10 5 3 2 10 7 10 0 8 2 3 13 -7 19 B. A United 10 5 2 3 8 7 9 1 8 0 6 17 -10 19 Okwawu 10 3 4 3 10 13 10 0 6 4 3 10 -10 16 Stay Cool 9 2 4 3 5 9 11 1 7 3 5 17 -16 15
(EDS: The Power-Kotoko match scheduled for the Koforidua Park as well as the involving King Faisal and B. A. United at the Kumasi Sports Stadium have been declared outstanding. It is because Kotoko played host to APR F/C of Rwanda in the first leg quarterfinals of the CAF Cup Winners Cup match at the Kumasi Sports Stadium).