The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Babucarr Camara
11 July 2011
Staffs of Appropriate Technology and Construction (ATC) based in Kiang Keneba village held Jali village to a 1-1 draw in a friendly game between the two sides played at the Jali playing grounds in Kiang West Lower River Region over the weekend.
ATC, voted as the construction company of the year in the recent Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) business award have as its players youths from the surrounding villages of Kiang West that they currently employ in a construction site at the ITC centre in Keneba. They were welcomed by their Jali host’s on Friday afternoon before the two sides took to the field in the evening to rob shoulders against each other.
Jali first took the lead through Kebba Drammeh better known among his companions as Kebba Dinding, but ATC fought back to drew level towards the end of the game with a delightful goal by Lamin Sanyang a native of Kiang Jifarong village. Jali dominated the early proceedings before they took a deserved lead and had several opportunities to bury the game but were very wasteful in front of goal on all occasions and were made to pay for their inefficiency in scoring as those misses came back to haunt them with barely five minutes on the clock remaining.
Lamin Sanyang left the spectators stunned and dumbfounded as he beat his way past several Jali defenders before smashing in a shot that crashed the bar but he was the quickest to react and tap home the rebound to ensure parity.
Speaking to Observer Sports shortly after the final whistle, the brain behind the organisation of the game, Yankuba Samateh a native of Jali village and also a supervisor of ATC at both the Keneba and Jali sites said the game was meant to foster the brotherly relationship between the youths of Kiang West in the district’s quest to vote massively for the Gambian leader, his Excellency Sheikh Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya AJJ Jammeh and the APRC in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. According to him, sports and football in particular is a great tool of bringing the youths together.
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