Champion club Accra Hearts of Oak rounded off their preparations for the second round of the premier league with a drawn game against Okwawu United at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday. The match ended a goal apiece.

The defending champions who are on top of the standings with 43 points and are billed to confront second placed Asante Kotoko in the first match of the second round on Sunday used 16 players in the match but had to play with 10 men for 60 minutes as central defender Agyemang Duah was red carded on the half hour mark for a vicious tackle on Paul Amponsah.

Tema based referee C.M. Atsatsa made it a straight red for Duah and coach Hebert Addo had to reshuffle his team, withdrawing skipper Joe Ansah from midfield to the right wingback position while shifting Dan Quaye to the centre of defence to ally with Kwabena Boafo.

Hearts dominated the first quarter but fluffed scoring opportunities as they wasted two corner kicks and Togolese import Farouk Coubadja failed to direct a pair of headers on target. Osumanu Amadu whose footwork seemed to have improved tremendously thundered a snap shot across goal without anybody there to make contact. Okwahu sneaked through the Hearts defence intermittently but their final ball remained poor, keeping goalkeeper Laud Quartey relaxed without much to do.

The Hearts fourth string goalie was however called to duty in the 40th minute when Ernest Boateng joggled the ball past a couple of Hearts defenders and set up Sumaila Idrissu with a back heel pass. Idrissu delivered a great shot from the top of the box and Quartey had to stretch fully to tip the ball to corner.

Soon after that Adja Tetteh shot Hearts into the lead when he ghosted through an offside booby trap to plant the ball into the net. The goal stunned the Mountaineers who suspected Adja was offside and they confronted the referee who stood his grounds and awarded the goal.

In the second half, the Hearts team appeared very well oiled as they shuffled swiftly and strung accurate passes around, drawing cheers from their fanatical supporters. New introductions, Samuel Monnie, Emmanuel Adjogu, Awuley Quaye Junior and good old Sannie Wahab struck a rhythm that confused the Okwawu lads for a brief spell.

But with their long possession and fine, fine football, they failed to increase the tally and paid dearly for it with two minutes remaining. A spectacular forward run by Okwawu's front men, who had appeared frozen in the match so far, punctured the Hearts defence and substitute Jeff Togba freed himself with the ball on the right flank.

Togba picked another substitute, Sheriff Dini who was arriving, in the air and Dini struck the ball with his head beyond Quartey and his defensive allies to even scores for Okwawu.