Defeat To All Stars Is Wake-up Call - Hearts Captain

Accra Hearts of Oak captain, Robin Gnange has said their defeat to Wa All Stars in Accra last Sunday, is a wake-up call for the club and that, they must respond immediately to put the fear factor back into teams.

The Phobians lost their unbeaten start to the season as they went down 1-3 to the league leaders who remain the only unbeaten side in the six games old Ghana Premier League (GPL) this season.

Robin said the defeat was painful to take, but, rallied his colleagues to look to bounce back as soon as possible to continue with their good start to the campaign.

The Phobians will next play Techiman City away on Sunday, and the Ivorian insists that should be a new starting point as they look to get back to winning ways.

“This defeat should be a wake-up call for us that there are no easy games in all competitions, and, teams will come at us looking to win just like what All Stars did,” he told the club’s official newspaper, the Hearts News.

“We need to respond as soon as possible, and, the Techiman game has come at the right time to do just that,” he said, adding that they will go for it like wounded lions.

He rallied his teammates to look positive in their mindset, and, believe that victory can be attained in the next game as Hearts visit the Brong Ahafo region for the first time this season.

Robin will hope to be in the squad for the trip as Hearts look to keep their unbeaten away run going against a Techiman City side that has won all their home games.

The game with Techiman City will be Hearts’ fourth away game of the season with the Phobians having beaten Medeama SC and Inter Allies and drawing with Ebusua Dwarfs in previous encounters.

Defeat To All Stars Is Wake-up Call - Hearts Captain

Uncapped Drinkwater gets Englang call

Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater has been named in the England squad for the Euro 2016 warm-up games against Germany and the Netherlands.

It is the 26-year-old’s first call-up to the senior national team.

Roy Hodgson’s team travel to Berlin to face world champions Germany on Saturday, 26 March, then host the Dutch at Wembley on Tuesday, 29 March.

Tottenham full-back Danny Rose and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge are also included in a 24-man squad.

But Wayne Rooney is left out as he recovers from a knee injury.

Drinkwater, a former Manchester United youth team player, has been an influential figure in the stunning rise of Leicester, who top the Premier League table with eight games to go.

“What he’s done has been evident to everybody,” said Hodgson. “He’s had a fantastic season, but even last year we were aware of him.”

Drinkwater’s Premier League stats:

1199 successful passes

80 tackles

46 interceptions

4 assists

1 goal

Hodgson added that the competition for a place in England’s midfield is “quite fierce” but said it was a good opportunity to see if Drinkwater “can reproduce the quality that he’s shown for Leicester”.

Hodgson says he “deliberately ignored” Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs and Everton full-back Leighton Baines in favour of Rose and Ryan Bertrand.

Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, 34, was overlooked in favour of Drinkwater but Hodgson said he could still make the squad for the finals in France.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Manchester City).

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).

Source: BBC

Uncapped Drinkwater gets Englang call