Sang Mendy
Real de Banjul struck when it mattered most. The Banjul club regained top spot following a 2-1 win over Armed Forces who were top of the table prior to the defeat. The victory leaves the 2011-2012 title race wide open with the winner to be decided on the final day of the league season.
League leaders Armed Forces slipped and the city club, Real De Banjul capitalized in week twenty-one at the Banjul KG5 Mini Stadium Saturday. Real De Banjul signaled their greed for the title in the early minutes of the match and opened the score through striker Buba Jallow, alias Meles, in the 29th minute.
Substitute striker Buba Sama, alias Totti, leveled the score for the men in Khaki in the 68th minute of the game following a goalkeeper blunders.
Domingo Manneh grabbed the all-important winner for Real De Banjul in the 86th minute of the game from a brilliant strike to put Real De Banjul on a step closer to winning 2011-2012 season; something they have not done since 2007.
Armed Forces’ loss to Real De Banjul has really thrown the title race is wide open as Real De Banjul, Armed Forces and Gambia Ports Authority all stand a chance to be crown champions.
What Coach Sarr says
Speaking after his side win over the Khaki Boys, Alagie Sarr, Real De Banjul head coach said he is happy for the win because it has given them a chance of winning the title this season. The Real de Banjul gaffer stated that to beat Armed Forces one has to to work very hard because Armed Forces are a good side.
Sarr revealed that if they win the league, that will be a bonus because he has agreed with his employers to build a team within three years and the three years is not yet over. We are in the process of building a team that can compete for trophies in the next five years, "so winning the title this season will be a bonus," Sarr said.
What Coach El haji Sey says
For his part El haji Sey , head coach of Armed Forces, said the title race is not yet over. He added that his team will come all out looking for that vital win over Hawks even though they will respect them so much on the final day of matches.
“We respect Hawks FC because they are a big team but we will go all out for a victory,” he said.
How the table looks like
Meanwhile, while the top spot is hot, the struggle to avoid relegation intensifies as relegation threatened Serrekunda United beat Hawks on the same score-line at the Father Gough Sports Complex in Manjai Kunda. Despite winning Hawks, the early pace-setters Serekunda United remains on the relegation duck with just 20points.
One team that could not pick itself up is Wallidan. The Blue Boys lost one nil to Young Africans in Banjul thus confirming their relegation to the second tier of Gambian football.