Sports
Gunjur reserve the right to be called
the Kombo South giants, but they equally need 35 years to reclaim back that
reputation as they defeated Banyaka Village 3 - 1 in the finals of 2021 - 2022
Kombo South District Football Championship with a remarkable unbeaten
record. This milestone was achieved by a
young Gunjur squad with an average of 16, all of who were playing the District
Championship for the first time in history. Added to the title for Gunjur, were
the medals, 45, 000 dalasi winners prize money, the best goalkeepers
award won by Muhammed Touray and the top scorer's award for Sheriffo Bojang who
scored a remarkable 9 goals. Both players are from the G.I.P Academy U-17. For
Banyaka it was a consolation of medals and 35, 000 dalasi. Until this triumph, Gunjur's title
drought at the District level stretches back to 1987 when they last won the
title with a 2 - 1 win over Jambanjelly in the final at the Gunjur Primary
School ground. That follows a first, which they scooped against Tujereng in
1982 in which Gunjur's Kebba K. Barrow the current MP for Kombo South and the
Majority Leader at the Gambia's Legislative Chambers finished as the
competition top scorer. Since those glories, Gunjur has not
been frequently participating in the District Championship, but they have
equally not been winning it on the occasions they attempted in between. In what was not just a well
organised, but highly attended final full of ambience and excitement at the Sanyang
football field, Gunjur faced off against a highly experienced and physically
built Banyaka side who appeared out of ideas technically for the most part.
Gunjur dominated the proceedings in the first 45, but they couldn't find the
means to break down a resilient Banyaka defence, ironically it was Banyaka who
first broke the deadlock as captain Malick Bojang curled home a sublime
freekick at the stroke of halftime to send their supporters in raptures. From the intervals, Gunjur continue
to attack Banyaka at every presentable chance and Banyaka were not able to
resist the pressure as they had their lines breached when Gunjur's lethal
forward Sheriffo Bojang rebounded home from the six-yard box to make it 1 - 1
midway through the second half. That goal gave Gunjur the emphasis
that they could do further destruction, and soon after, their vocal supporters
exploded into another celebration, when teenage wing-wizard Ousman Janneh
skipped inside Banyaka defenders from the left, as if they were not there, before
having his shot palmed to the path of Sheriffo Bojang who nodded into the net
to put Gunjur on the ascendancy. With the precision, talent and energy
in the Gunjur squad, it looks like a lost battle at that moment for Banyaka who
appeared out of ideas, as to how to contain a dynamic Gunjur side, and Ousman
Janneh put the game beyond the struggling Banyaka with a cool close-range
finish following Banyaka's failure to clear their line. And the final whistle
which followed soon after was greeted with wild celebrations by jubilant Gunjur
supporters who has long been waiting for such a moment. Winning the title unbeaten was
remarkable, but achieving the feat with perhaps the youngest ever squad in the
history of the District Championship was even more remarkable. Gunjur
drew their players mainly from the U17s of G.I.P, Gunjur United and Kung Dembo
academies and they proved that age doesn't matter where one is technically and
tactically aware and capable. This was a proud moment for Gunjur,
but more so for some of their 1987 title-winning players, some of whom watched
their sons, nephews and grandsons replicate what they've done some 35 years
ago.
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