By Baboucarr Fallaboweh
Saikou Conteh’s seven goals in eight matches are the talk of the town.
The Gambian international is coming from a knee ligament injury and is hitting top form at the right time. Saikou was the only one to find the back of the net in El Qanah’s last three matches, scoring a brace against Asyut Petroleum and La Viena. He scored the lone goal against El Makasa.
Canal SC is sitting in fifth on the league table with 23 points, nine points adrift of the leaders in the Egyptian Second division.
This is the second time the former Steve Biko and Teungueth FC versatile wing player has scored seven goals in eight matches after achieving the same feat with Sekka El Hadid.
Saikou, who played on the wings, scored two from the spot while five came from outside the box. “Diplo”, as he is fondly called, said these seven goals are more special because he is coming from an injury. He described the moment as enjoyable, returning from injury, playing well, and scoring.
“When I was injured, I relaxed a lot and told myself that when I returned, I must give back to the team. The club did everything humanly possible for me while I was in the treatment room. I prepared myself, and I was doing personal training. I wasn’t rushed by the coach immediately, but I made my presence felt anytime I was brought in for the second half. The team started to struggle, and I was given a run of good times in the last three games, and I found the back of the net five times. The goals make you popular, but I am not stopping. I believe I can do more and am focusing on the future. I believe I can score more goals.” Saikou stressed
Saikou was the first Gambian to play in the Egyptian league and went on to make six appearances for El Mokawloon SC and Ismaily FC. He describes the Egyptian league as one of the best across Africa.
“At Ismaily, I signed a four-year contract and parted ways because I was not having playing time and the team was having financial struggles. I went on loan, but El Qanah ended up signing me permanently to a three-year contract.” He revealed
“I was the only Gambian playing here previously; I played in the First league and the Second division.”
“We are learning a lot because the league is tough; it’s the best league in Africa. Your football and learning process developed. It’s different from Gambia or another country. Experience is good. Gambian football is growing, and Gambians are well known; everything is getting easier for us.”
“It has opened a gateway, and we are expecting lots of Gambians to come. The Egyptian League is one of the best, and it has representation in the national team. Anyone playing in Egypt, be it in the First or Second division, has the experience to help his country.” Saikou added
Four offers have already arrived for the Gambian, two within Egypt and two from Saudi Arabia. But El Qanah is hoping to hold on to their jewel as they push for promotion.
It was only Ngine Faye Njie who became the first African-based player to play under Tom Saintfiet while he was playing for CasaSports. Alieu Jatta, Gibril Sillah, and Lamin Jarjou were all overlooked as Saikou sought to break the jinx with his latest with the national team dating back to 2015 under Bonus Johnson.
Félicitations à la Gambie, à notre emblématique défenseur central, Ngine Faye Njie. À tous nos anciens joueurs dont Assan Cessay, Alieu Jatta … #SmilingCoast #AllezCasa pic.twitter.com/VvsKCy7uSb
— Casa Sports (@CasaSportsSC) March 25, 2021
“I don’t talk much about the national team; there are lots of players out there who want to play for the national team. It’s been a while since we’ve played there, but anytime they call us, we are available to play for the Scorpions. It’s a dream for every player to be called up to the national team setup. If it doesn’t come, we will continue with our careers. We are cheering up the national team,” he concluded.
