Hearts of Oak head coach Nebojsa Kapor says his side's mindset and belief were decisive in their late 1-0 victory over Vision FC as they turn their attention to Friday's meeting with Basake Holy Stars.
Speaking in his pre-match interview, Kapor praised his players' concentration and character at the death.
"Our mindset, our belief, good character during the game created the good situation for us in the last minute of the game and that brought us three points," he said.
The Serbian admitted Hearts were not perfect against a youthful, aggressive Vision FC defence, but said superior focus in the closing stages made the difference. The win—following a home victory over Port City FC—was their second in succession and lifts the Phobians to 14 points, level with Medeama SC and FC Samartex in the table.
Kapor also revealed his surprise at a late change to the fixture calendar, noting the squad had expected to play on Sunday before being informed on Monday that the game was brought forward to Friday. The shift leaves Hearts with just two full training sessions to finalize their tactical plans.
The Matchday 8 schedule released by the Ghana Football Association confirms the new date, with Hearts against Holy Stars serving as the Friday night opener. For the first time this season, the match will kick off at 5:00 PM rather than the traditional 3:00 PM start.
Despite back-to-back wins, Kapor warned against complacency against a Holy Stars side that has collected solid points early in the campaign. He noted that daily evaluation starts with himself and confirmed the technical team has drawn up targeted instructions to sharpen individual departments.
On injuries, Kapor said the overall squad picture is improving as players return to training, though he did not specify the exact nature of the knocks.
Dominic Nsobila has suffered a fresh setback and is a doubt for Friday, while John Antwi and Martin Karikari are progressing well, with Antwi back in full training on Tuesday.
Mohammed Hussein, who featured against Vision, is feeling much better and remains in contention if he trains well. Alex Banso has resumed his recovery programme in recent days, though Friday is expected to come too soon.
Kapor urged supporters to turn out in numbers as the club's "12th player" when Hearts host Basake Holy Stars at the University of Ghana Stadium on Friday at 5:00 PM, as the Phobians chase a third consecutive league win.
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