Hearts of Oak made it through to the Round of 16 of the NC Special Tier II Competition with a hard fought 4-2 win over lower division side Uncle T Stars at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Hearts Head Coach Kim Grant put out probably his strongest eleven, but they struggled to break down a very resilient Uncle T, and went behind a few minutes to the break, against the run of play.
Hearts however hit back almost immediately as Joseph Esso headed home through a precise cross from Christopher Bonney, to make the score level at halftime.
Hearts, after the restart, began to knock on the door in search of the lead, but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping let them down.
Bonney eventually gave Hearts the lead after 60 minutes, converting coolly from the spot, after a foul on Fatawu Mohammed in the box.
The lead didn’t last long though, as Uncle T found the equalizer, just two minutes later after a mistake from Hearts goalkeeper Richmond Ayi.
Hearts continued to search for the winner, and found the back of the net after 80 minutes, when Kojo Obeng Jnr headed home from Bonney corner.
Substitute Kofi Kordzi finally put the game beyond doubt with a well taken finish from close range to make the score 4-2 to the Phobians.
Hearts join rivals Kotoko and AshGold in the next round, with Karela and Aduana bowing out after respective first round defeats.
