Hearts of Oak caretaker coach Yaw Preko admitted his side had to work their socks off to post a slim 1-0 win over Ebusua Dwarfs on Sunday.

Togo striker Foovi Aguidi came off the bench to score a spectacular free kick to claim the points for the Phobians.

The win helped Hearts to move to third place and now three points behind joint leaders Aduana Stars and Wa All Stars.

Preko, who was taking charge of his first match, was delighted with the difficult win at home.

“We are thankful to the Almighty. It wasn’t an easy fight. We started last week and we worked very hard and I’m happy it paid off today,” he said in a post-match interview.

Hearts of Oak's next match is against Medeama at the Accra Sports Stadium on Wednesday.