The coach of league leaders, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Abdul Razak, has condemned the scheduling of matches in the Kinapharma Premier League for the mid-week.

Coach Razak said in an interview with The Chronicle that, the mid-week matches are exerting undue pressure on the teams. He intimated that players are exposed to injuries, which affect the performance of their teams.

Razak attributed the recent slight decline in his side's output after the Kpando game to the excessive stress from playing twice in a week. Razak is not the only recent critic of the mid-week matches.

Coach E.K Afranie of Great Olympics also rued the injury situation of his team after a spell of unimpressive runs in the first round of competition and so has Hasaacas coach, David Duncan.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko finished the first round of the league with 36 points, still perched at the top of the 16-team log by just a point ahead of arch rivals Accra Hearts of Oak.

The Porcupine Warriors ran amok against Sekondi Hasaacas at the Kumasi Sports Stadium on Sunday to crown a gruelling first round campaign.

Despite scoring only once for his new team, new sensation Charles Taylor, seems to be the toast of fans of the Porcupine Warriors.

The predator has been instrumental in the couch of most of the goals scored by his teammates since joining the Kumasi-based team in the last three weeks and his teeming supporters are confident he will churn out some incredible displays when he finally settles into the Kotoko set-up.

Defending champions Hearts of Oak may not be leading the charts but they retain the most impressive record so far at the end of the first round of matches.

The Phobians remain unbeaten after fifteen games. Coach Herbert Addo in an interview with The Chronicle said, "We hope to improve on the records of last season by maintaining an unblemished record by the end of the league."

He was confident his side would unleash a lot of grit and pressure on Kotoko in the second round of the title chase. The second round of the Kinapharma premier league will commence this weekend.

In an unusual turn of events, the sixteen teams will have barely any respite after a hectic 15-match round as they resume action immediately.

The matches will be played in the reverse order; meaning the last round of fixtures for the first round becomes the first round of matches in this second round.