Gambia First Division match day 21 encounters saw some nail-biting results for Champions Real de Banjul, BST Galaxy, and Falcons.
Real de Banjul were eager for a win after their 3-2 defeat against Brikama Utd. A Muhammed Susso hattrick and an Amadou Nyassi strike against TMT gave the champions a 4-0 thumping of TMT.
Super substitute Susso, who scored four goals coming from the bench, was handed his first start for the Whites. He returned the coach’s favor by scoring three times in the 35th, 74th, and 84th minutes to take his goal tally to seven. This is the second time a Real de Banjul player has scored a hat trick at Basori, following Alasana Yiranjang’s hattrick against Wallidan.
“I am happy to score my first hat-trick for Real de Banjul in front of the fans and my family. I want to score more goals to help the team’s current form so that we can win the league back-to-back.” Susso stated.
“I believe that I would score a hat trick on Friday. I told my brother about my instincts for a hat trick coming my way, and after the first goal and the second, I believed it more, and in the end, it happened. I made a promise to myself whenever I am named in the starting XI, I will score thrice. These goals give me a lot more confidence going forward.”
Coach Malang Yaffa’s charges secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Wallidan at the KG5 Stadium on Friday afternoon. Alieu Jammeh’s goal was enough for BST Galaxy to register their first win after going 11 matches without a win. Friday’s away trip was coach Malang’s fifth league match that the former Dibba Oil tactician has overseen (drawn 4–1).
Coach Yaffa spoke to the Alkamba Times after the final whistle at the KG5 mini stadium.
“The win is very important to me as a coach, and more so to the team. I have been waiting for it, I was so optimistic that victory would come. Looking at our training and the way we play, In the last four games, I can say we were just unlucky not to collect the three points. We will have more wins ahead, we have the team, all the players are committed, and we will continue working hard.”
“Its good to see our players leaving to another level, especially Lamin Sarr, who was our top goal scorer last season. If you look at the team, Lamin Sarr and Modou Keita were tied with 13 goals last season. Losing Lamin Sarr is a huge blow, but looking at BST, these kinds of transfers are the main objectives of the club. Alieu Jammeh will fill the void left; he is a deadly striker, very good playing on the wings, and he will definitely score the goals for us.”
✅ DONE TRANSFER ✅
BST Galaxy FC is pleased to announce that our talented striker Lamin Sarr has signed a three-year contract with Hungarian second-tier club Szeged-Csanád – GA.
The move is Lamin’s first step into European football. #BSTGalaxy#BSTGalaxyFC#HomeOfTalents pic.twitter.com/fIFlsO7PYF
— BST Galaxy Football Club (@bstgalaxyfc) April 25, 2024
‘Wallidan is struggling; we knew it wouldn’t be an easy going into the match; we were playing against one of the most successful and oldest clubs in the league. We must respect them, and we gave them the respect to easily get rid of them. The first half was a balanced, difficult game, but both teams played well. We had numerous chances; the last ten minutes were tense; we had pressure; we were winning; and they were attacking. The players were very disciplined when it came to defending; that’s what gave us the three points.”
GFF March/April Coach of the Month Ebrima Sarjo guided his side to a 3-1 win over the Gambia Armed Forces. The former BK West coach guided the Blue Armies to five games unbeaten, collecting three wins and drawing two. Ousman Ceesay put in a man-of-the-match performance, scoring a brace to take his tally to nine league goals.
Ebrima Sarjo highlighted that the win against Armed Forces is essential as they continue to progress.
“The victory against the Armed Forces is very important; we want to close the gap irrespective of the Real de Banjul results. We were a bit inconsistent in our results in the first round. We picked up our confidence in our 1-0 win against Wallidan.”
Concerning his man of the match award, Ebrima mentioned that it is for the whole team as they play as a unit.
“The award is good; it’s not only for me, but it’s also showcasing the work we are doing as a team. I am dedicating this award to the board, players, technical team, and fans.”
Coach Ebrima stressed that their target is to go one step further and win the title or maintain their second position.
‘We had experience with title showdowns in the league; we were leading and ended up in second place last season. It was a big experience to finish in that second position. This year, our target is to finish first or maintain the second position. It won’t be easy; we prefer more wins in the second round; six games have gone by; we won four and drew two; that’s the level that we want to maintain. It’s like every game you play is a final; we have Team Rhino and Fortune on our necks, and the marginal points are not that big.” He added
