Derby Honours for Real, Others As Brikama Retain Top Spot

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Babucarr Camara

27 June 2011

There were no less than four derbies in the top flight of Gambian football as week 15 of the first division action wrapped up at the weekend. There were bragging rights for Real, Gamtel and Bakau United while Brikama United secured their first win of the second round to regain top spot on the table. Brikama went into the game against Samger trailing Real de Banjul on the table by two points, who temporarily dislodged Brikama at the summit of the 12-team standing, following a 1-0 Banjul win over Young Africans at the KG5 mini-stadium in Banjul on Friday.

The win also secured a fourth successive win for Alagie Sarr’s Real. Real got off to a terrible start in the campaign, and were rooted to the bottom of the table. However, they have since hit their stride to transform themselves from a relegation side to true title contenders. But the leaders responded to Real’s victory 24 hours later as Ensa Sambou’s West Coast Region outfit bounced back with their first win of the second round following a narrow 1-0 victory over the Cherno Samba football academy (Samger), at the Box Bar mini-stadium in Brikama on Saturday.

At the end of the round, Brikama remained top of the table with 30 points from 15 games but only a single point ahead of second placed Real de Banjul. The race for the championship is beginning to take shape now as it looks to be a two-horse race between Real and Brikama and the meeting between the two sides on Sunday, the 3rd of July in match day seventeen, at the Banjul mini-stadium could go a long way in deciding the destination of the title.

Foday Bah’s third placed Wallidan are five points behind their second placed neighbours following their 1-0 defeat by Gamtel in the third and final Banjul derby of the weekend also at the KG5 mini-stadium on Saturday. Wallidan were hoping to bounce back from last week’s 1-1 stalemate with Brikama to force their way back in the race, but their hopes of reclaiming the title they last won in 2008 now looks very slim. The second Banjul derby of the week came 24 hours earlier from the Serekunda East community playing grounds where 2009 champions Gambia Armed Forces were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation side Interior in what was also a security derby.

The biggest derby winners were Bakau United who put their recent slump in form behind them to record a comfortable 4-1 thumping of Africell football club in the Bakau derby at the Independence Stadium in Bakau on Friday. The result saw Africell replace Steve Biko at the base of the table following their Bakau neighbours’ 1-1 draw with defending champions Gambia Ports Authority.

Abdoulie Bojang’s Steve Biko remained the only winless team in the division after the completion of the fifteenth round of actions, securing a record 10 draws and five defeats to remain in the relegation zone.

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