WHEN Hearts of Oak march confidently onto the lush turf of the Accra Stadium for their date with destiny, one man who will wish to end years of nightmare is Edward Agyemang-Duah.

Perhaps the most experienced among the Hearts players, the defender with a reputation of a hardman, has come close to winning the African Cup twice but on both occasions suffered heartaches.

In 1993, Agyemang-Duah failed to convert his kick during the post-match penalty shootout against Zamalek in Cairo. That miss cost Asante Kotoko their taste of a third continental success.

Four years later, the tough defender had yet another chance to make history with Goldfields in the inaugural CAF Champions League and also erase the bitter memories of Cairo, but surprisingly missed his kick which gave Moroccan side Raja Casablanca the African Cup.

This season, Agyeman-Duah swapped his yellow-and-black jersey for the rainbow colours of Hearts and by Providence he has yet another date with the African Cup final at the twilight of his career, and hopes to be third time lucky on December 17 in Accra.

Against Esperance in Tunis Agyemang-Duah played at full throttle and in the process attracted Mauritian referee Lim Kee Chong's yellow card for a hard tackle on an opponent in the 55th minute .

Many people erroneously thought the caution ruled the player out of the December 17 showdown, but Hearts officials have confirmed that he is eligible to feature in the game that should end his years of nightmare.