Gunjur End 35 Year Wait For Kombo South District Title

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.