Eric Tinkler: Asante Kotoko must make Baba Yara Stadium a 'fortress'

Asante Kotoko head coach Eric Tinkler wants the Baba Yara Stadium to become a fortress as the Porcupine Warriors target a strong campaign in the 2026/27 Ghana Premier League.

Kotoko secured their first win of the season by beating Heart of Lions, ending their winless run against their rivals and giving Tinkler his first three points of the campaign.

The South African says establishing a strong home record will be crucial to Kotoko's ambitions and has challenged his players and supporters to make the Kumasi venue an intimidating place for visiting teams.

"We need to make our stadium a fortress, and we need to make it very difficult for teams to come here, and the fans play a big part in that," Tinkler said after the victory.

The former Orlando Pirates coach believes the atmosphere created by Kotoko's passionate supporters can give the club a significant advantage.

"Teams should fear to come here because of the support base that we have and, with them, we can obviously change that history," he added.

Tinkler wants Kotoko to build an aura around the Baba Yara Stadium that makes opponents uncomfortable before they even step on to the pitch.

The coach says achieving that will require a collective effort from the squad and supporters as Kotoko seek to challenge for honours this season.

However, the Porcupine Warriors will have to wait before attempting to build their home fortress.

• What next?

Kotoko travel to the Nsenkyire Sports Arena on Sunday to face FC Samartex in their Matchday 3 fixture.