by Baboucarr Fallaboweh
Derbies have no form and the last meeting between the two arch rivals ended in a draw.
Ebrima Jatta led charges are flying high after winning five on the trot and thus occupies the summit of the Baluwo Division One league table with 15 points.
Alasana Yirajang who fired blank against Greater Tomorrow and Steve Biko scored a hat trick against Wallidan in the Banjul derby between Real de Banjul and Wallidan.
“The target was five goals in five games. I felt that the coach has so much believe in me. I put in the hard work, I barely rest.” He believes that he could repeat the goals he scored for Jam City for Real de Banjul also. ” Immediately the second goal went in, I ran to him to tell him mission accomplished. I am happy for the hat trick, it’s a motivation for me will push me harder.”
The lanky striker has now scored six goals in five matches. The first goal came from a corner and after Wallidan failed to clear it, Alasana nodded home in the 17th minute.
In the 19th minute, he drove from the wing, cut the defenders and dribbled passed the goalkeeper before tapping it home. The hat trick was completed in the 76th minute when he received a through pass from the midfield and ended up putting the ball in between the goalkeeper’s leg. Pedro Jatta scored for the visitor’s.
Marimoo moved to second place following their 2-1 win over BST Galaxy, both Modou Manneh and coach Momodou Jallow spoke to the TAT Sports desk following Saturday’s win.
“I am happy that I was away to play professional football, it gave me experience and I can help my team, Marimoo where everything started for me. I am praying to put the club in a respectable position before moving to my next chapter. ” He emphasized
Three of Marimoo’s players have already left for Europe and two were having trials with Cherno Samba. Modou Manneh who has four goals in five matches is expected to depart with two other players in January and head coach Mama told TAT this is a challenge.
“We want to maintain this brilliant start to at least rectify ourselves from last season. Looking at last season’s scenario is almost repeating itself, recruiting the players, having proper preseason at the end of the first round we lose three or four key players. This time we are getting it early, once we learn the fate of the players going for trails, I remove them and work with certain players who are currently playing.”
“It will be a very difficult task, but we will try to go ahead and maintain last year’s position. We are working with young players because the market needs young players. We have injected a lot of young players into the team.
Mama targets top three three-finish and he has four straight wins. Marimoo hadn’t lost an opener for five years before their 2-1 defeat against TMT FC.”
“Our style working there is nothing extraordinary, we are just working hard but we have our style of play which we believe in and it is working, its attacking football. We play to score because it’s the league, it’s still early, but all previous champions had solid first rounds and we are trying to maintain ourselves on that top. “
Falcons, and Fortune all registered wins on match day five while Team Rhino played a stalemate against Brikama Utd.
Ousainou Touray’s first goal of the season was enough to hand Waa Banjul their first three points following two draws and two defeats. Wallidan FC the Blue boys face an uphill challenge as they sit rock bottom of the table.
Kitabou Saho former Elite shotstopper who recorded 18 clean sheets last season pipped Lamin Saidy after going 360 minutes without conceding a goal in the first division.
“I am very focused on clean sheets because that’s my strength. If they talk about goalkeepers, they talk about clean sheets first. There is a way I train with my defenders to have a clean sheet. We keep a clean sheet if we can win, we go for it by scoring a goal. If we cannot win, we must maintain the clean sheet, that’s our priority and that’s our job.”
“That’s the mentality I have and that’s the mentality I came with from Elite United. I am happy with the clean sheets, taking into consideration that I kept four out of four. I follow all games and the league to keep tabs on my stats and how to adjust myself. It’s a league and we must compete. I do set up goals, in the first round, there are several clean sheets I lay for myself and at the end of the season there is several clean sheets targeted. That helps me to ease the work on me,” he added.
Week Five Results
Fortune 1 Samger 0
Mustapha Jallow
Marimoo 2 BST Galaxy 1
Modou Manneh, Dawda Darboe, Yusupha Kambi
Falcons 3 Greater Tommorow 0
Alieu Fatty, Isaac Ndaju, Ousman Ceesay
Team Rhino 0 Brikama Utd 0
GAF 0 Waa Banjul 1
Ousainou Touray
Real de Banjul 3 Wallidan 1
Alasana Yirajang *3 Pedro Jatta
