He said management’s failure to secure the release of his key players in the Black Stars B team contributed greatly to the 2-1 defeat to the visitors.

Nicholas Gyan and Joseph Esso scored for Dwarfs, while Mohammed Tawfiq got Tema Youth a consolation.

According to Coach Odoom, considering the strength of Dwarfs and the precarious position of his club on the league log, he threatened to resign if management failed to secure the services of his three players in the camp of the CHAN team.

"During the week, I warned management to get me all my players from the local Black Stars or I resign. They succeeded in getting me only one player out of the three players. This really affected us today," he lamented in a post-match interview.

Tema Youth had contributed striker Joseph Paintsil, Jacob Larweh (defender) and goalie Stephen Kwaku to the Stars team. However, two of them  - Stephen Kwaku and Joseph Paintsil - travelled with the home-based Stars team to Lome for an international friendly against the Hawks of Togo, leaving only Jacob Larweh who was released after some intense pressure.

Coach Odoom insisted that the absence of the two players, who were key in his game plan for last Saturday's league game, hugely affected his team’s performance.

"Dwarfs are a very good side and I needed all my boys to play in this particular game. Unfortunately, management failed to secure all my three players in the camp of the Black Stars B who were preparing for a CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso,” coach Odoom lamented.

Tema Youth now have 25 points and will face Medeama SC at Tarkwa today, but Coach Odoom is hopeful of an improved performance to save his side from sinking.