Basake Holy Stars head coach Abdulai Gazale has insisted that his side still have significant room for improvement despite beginning their 2026/27 Ghana Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Swedru All Blacks.

The coconut grove-based outfit secured maximum points at the Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III Sports Arena on Sunday, with midfielder Francis Oteng producing a moment of individual brilliance to decide a closely contested encounter.

Oteng’s spectacular 80th-minute long-range effort proved the difference as Holy Stars survived a stubborn challenge from the visitors to launch their league campaign on a winning note.

However, Coach Gazale was measured in his assessment of the performance, acknowledging that while the result was encouraging, his charges are yet to fully assimilate the tactical principles he is seeking to establish.

“We still have a lot of work to do. We have new players and existing players, so we need time to blend them properly and make them understand exactly what we want to do,” Gazale said after the game.

The former Accra Hearts of Oak assistant coach revealed that his technical team had undertaken a comprehensive assessment of All Blacks before the encounter and prepared the players accordingly.

Gazale was particularly impressed with the players’ tactical discipline and their willingness to adhere to the instructions delivered during the build-up to the match.

“We assessed our opponents very well before the game and prepared the players for what we expected from them. The important thing is that the players followed the instructions and implemented what we had worked on during training.”

The coach explained that Holy Stars’ game plan centred on establishing control both in possession and during defensive transitions.

His charges were instructed to exercise patience in possession, circulate the ball intelligently and manipulate the opposition before exploiting spaces in the final third.

“We wanted to control the game with the ball and without the ball. When we had possession, the idea was to keep the ball, move it around patiently and wait for the right opportunity to score.”

That philosophy, however, was put to a stern examination in the opening half, with All Blacks maintaining a disciplined defensive structure that frustrated Holy Stars’ attempts to penetrate consistently.

Rather than abandoning their tactical blueprint, Gazale’s men remained patient and continued to probe for an opening.

Their perseverance was eventually rewarded in the 80th minute when Oteng unleashed a magnificent strike from distance, sending the home supporters into jubilation and settling the contest.

Despite claiming the coveted three points, Gazale conceded that his team’s performance did not yet meet the lofty standards he has set.

“I am happy with the three points, but I am not completely satisfied with the performance. The players are still adapting to the structure and style of play we are trying to introduce.”

The former Hearts of Oak assistant believes the timing of the victory is important, particularly as Holy Stars continue the process of building cohesion within a squad featuring a combination of established players and new additions.

According to Gazale, developing a collective understanding will require patience, consistency and relentless work on the training ground.

“We have new players and existing players, so it will take some time for them to blend and understand each other. We will take the campaign one match at a time and continue working hard in training.”

The victory nevertheless provides Holy Stars with an invaluable platform as they embark on what promises to be a demanding Premier League campaign.

With Gazale gradually imprinting his tactical identity on the team, the immediate objective will be to transform the resilience demonstrated against All Blacks into greater fluency, attacking incisiveness and consistency.

For now, the three points offer the perfect foundation, but Gazale knows that maintaining rhythm will require considerably more than merely grinding out results.

Holy Stars will therefore be expected to build on their winning start while progressively refining their tactical execution as the league gathers rhythm.