After his goal scoring cameo appearance againstEdubiase,Accraheartsofoak.com's Anwar Umar Larry talks to Samuel Yeboah on his impressive debut….
The board went up in the 57th minute on Sunday. Selasi Adjei, who had huffed and puffed, was being replaced by debutant Samuel Yeboah. Before the season started, a lot of fans were not too pleased when the former Heart of Lions striker pitched camp with the Phobians.
It's more of a divided opinion than opprobrium towards the incoming Samuel Yeboah. So to see his number go up on Sunday, many spectators had held their breaths; others waited for the opportunity to be proven wrong – or right. Hearts had probed and probed without reward against the stubborn Edubiase defense. Samuel was capturing all that was unfolding before his eyes as he sat on the bench. With the movement of the Edubiase back-four scrutinized and memorized in his head, he knew what he had to do when it was time for him to enter the fray.
'I was watching the game and I saw some of the things that I thought we should have done [upfront] which we were unable to do. I told myself if I get in, I will try and do it, and see if it's going to work. And I went in, and it worked,' Yeboah reveals. 11 minutes of regulation time was all that was left when Yeboah did the 'it worked'. It could have been his fifth touch of the ball since he joined the action, but it was his best yet so far in his nascent Hearts career. Robin Gnange had kept the pressure on in the Edubiase box; the ball had swung from one end to the other yet the visitors could not clear.
Coupled with a bit of fortune, the ball fell for no one else in the box than Samuel Yeboah. "Thank you very much" he seemed to say as he took a step away from his markers. Goalkeeper Benjamin Mensah had followed the direction of the ball and from far, appeared to have got everything under control. But before we could realize the ball was nestling in the back of the net. 1-0! Hearts had finally broken the resistance of Edubiase and it turned up to be the only goal of the game. 22 minute into his Hearts debut, Samuel had got off the mark and experienced at first-hand what it meant to be adored by Hearts fan.
'I am very, very, happy to bring a win to the team,' he says of his winning goal. 'I think it's good for every striker to score on their debut; when you score, it releases some pressure from you so I hope the goals will continue. 'Of course, this is Accra Hearts of Oak! It's a big team and when you try to make the people happy; I think everywhere you go, they will scream [your name]; everybody would want to talk to you. I think the fans appreciate what I did for them and it has made the feeling great. At my place, and wherever I go, people try to get closer to me.' The last Hearts striker to score on his league debut was Edwin Osei Pele, who scored 24 minutes into the game against King Faisal on the opening day of the 2010/11 season.
Landry Bosson scored on his debut home appearance in the league for Hearts in a 3-2 win over Aduana last season. But Samuel Yeboah became only the second player after Ishmael Addo to come off the bench to score on his league debut for Hearts in the past 17 years. No mean achievement for a player whose coming had drawn a schism in the fandom public sphere. Many a times, the Ghanaian football community has ridiculed experienced players, derided them for being too old and retired a lot more before they are past their best. Samuel is still 29.
He had started so early in his career that mere mention of his name suggests a player from the antediluvian age. He heard all the criticisms – about his age and about him being labeled past his best. So is the criticism fair?
Are you too old Samuel Yeboah? 'I think that's what we have been doing [complaining about the ages of experienced players] and I think it's not helping our game,' Yeboah laments. 'If you go to Europe, you will see some of the big guys [old players] are still playing and it makes the game look much more attractive because they bring their experience and thinking [to the game].
'Football is not just about running and just kicking the ball. It's about someone thinking and creating something [special]. If you allow the youngsters to play, they will play; but they will not bring out the beauty in the game. When you mix the game with experienced players, it's going to help our game. They will learn from us and I think they will carry it [throughout] in their careers.' The 2004 Ghana Premier League top-scorer is no stranger to Hearts. He led the Heart of Lions frontline to give Hearts a thrilling game in the 2004 Novelty league. Yeboah grabbed two goals for Lions but it was not enough as they conceded four goals to the Phobians.
His performance in that game and his 14 goals for Lions saw Hearts make advances for his signature. The then 17-year-old wonder-kid took a different route. Good offers from Europe meant Hearts had to wait a little more. Yeboah proved his performance in the Ghanaian League was no fluke when he won the top-scorer award in the Israeli league with 15 goals in 2008 during his stay with Hapoel Tel Aviv. Soon, Europe took note of the precocious star as he made a big money move to Belgium giants KRC Genk in 2009.
There were stints in Israel again, before he came home to start afresh where it all begun. Hearts still had to contend with the mercurial Yeboah when he returned, and he was part of the team that beat the Phobians 2-1 in Accra in the 2013/14 season. Unfortunately for Yeboah, his club – Heart of Lions – was relegated last season. He faced the Phobians for the final time, but it was not a game he would like to remember. Hearts had raced into a 4-goal first half lead, yet it did not stop the striker from tormenting our defense. Yeboah was unlucky to score as he crushed a good effort onto the crossbar in the second half when the two sides met in Cape Coast in 2015.
Now, he is a full Phobian. Asked why it took him so long to join the Hearts bandwagon, he says: 'I should have played for Accra Hearts of Oak a long time ago. The time [Cecil Jones] Attuquayefio was the head coach here, he tried to bring me in but I travelled to Europe. 'If I remember very well, [David] Duncan also talked to me last two seasons for me to come to Hearts of Oak. But it did not work out. I think this is the right time for me and I am very happy that I am here.' Samuel Yeboah is not the only person happy that he has joined the Phobians. A member of the Hearts back-four, who has played against Yeboah over the years, also feels the same.
Deputy captain Joseph Owusu Bempah was the first to applaud Yeboah's acquisition and contribution to the team last Sunday, stating: 'I am so happy for Samuel Yeboah. Quite recently, we had a small team discussion, and the conclusion within the group was that we needed a few experienced players to help our squad. 'Sammy is one of the most experienced players on the local terrain and his inclusion in our team has really helped us, both on and off the pitch.
He has contributed a lot in these few months and I think the fans have also seen his contribution today [after his match winning debut against Edubiase]. I am really happy for him [that he got the goal and gave us all the three points].' For Yeboah, acceptance means the pressure has only increased. He said there was only one way to gain the attention of Hearts of Oak back in the day – and that was to play your best against them.
He has done so all over the years, and now he wants to give of his best for the fans of the club. 'They should expect more goals from me,' Yeboah assures the fans. 'I am going to work hard and I am going to do my best; and with the help of my colleagues, because I cannot do it alone.
They should pray for me, support me, and I am going to make them very, very, happy.' The winning goal against Edubiase means the Hearts door has been finally and fully opened for Samuel Yeboah. It took a long time for his dream of playing for Hearts to come true, but his cameo performance on his debuts proves it was worth the wait. Source: Hearts of Oak .com