A round-up of Gambians abroad

Here is Gambia Sports Online's report card for this week.

AUSTRIA

Pa Saikou Kujabi has seen all there is to see in football since his comeback from malaria in the past three weeks.

He won the penalty that launched Ried to a 3-0 whipping of Linz, scored the equalizer in Ried’s 2-2 draw with Red Bull Salzburg and then what in his latest game at the weekend? Pa Saikou got sent off! The Gambian left back was ejected in the 59th minute after picking up a second booking. Leading 1-0 at the time, Sturm Graz took advantage of their numerical superiority to score two more and win the game 3-0. Ried remain 6th in the standings despite the loss.

There was better news for Modou Jagne and Altach as they grabbed only their third win of the season. And it was an emphatic victory too, as they dispatched fellow strugglers Kapfenberg 3-0 in front of an Altach home crowd more accustomed this season to seeing their team being humbled. Jagne was a late substitute who came on in the 86th minute.

The win left Altach still needing 2 points to climb out of the relegation zone.In the Austrian second division or Erste Liga, Gambian vice skipper Matthew Mendy’s Vocklabruck earned an important point at St Polten with a come-from-behind 1-1 draw. Matt joined the action from the 64th minute.

The draw kept Vocklabruck 2 points off the danger zone. Matt’s compatriot, Pa Ousman Sonko, was also involved in a drawn game as his Red Bull amateurs threw away a 2-0 lead in the last 10 minutes of their game against visiting Wacker Tirol. Red Bull fans were disappointed with the 2-2 draw but their team still leads Matt Mendy’s Vocklabruck by two points.

BELGIUM

Momodou Ceesay didn’t feature in Westerlo’s 3-2 home defeat of Gent on Friday because of new health problems.

Ceesay is reported to be suffering from back pain. The victory lifted Westerlo to joint second with the champions Standard Liege. They both have 24 points from 12 games, just a point adrift of leaders Club Brugge.

Ebrima Sawaneh played 90 minutes in KV Kortrijk’s 1-0 away defeat to FC Dender. Kortrijk remain 13th on the 18-team league with 13 points, 2 ahead of Mustapha ‘Toubabo’ Jarju’s 14th placed Mons who held Mechelen 0-0 away on Saturday. Toubabo was rested in the 84th minute.

DENMARK

The top three teams won in Denmark at the weekend to leave things as they were after fourteen rounds of matches in the SAS League. Ousman Jallow’s Brondby laboured to a 2-1 home win over FC Nordsjælland on Saturday.

It boosted their points haul to 30. Ous Jallow went a second straight game without scoring after finding the net six times in five previous matches. Odense still lead followed by Copenhagen but Brondby are only 2 points off the pace.

ENGLAND

Edrissa Sonko was left on the bench as Tranmere Rovers were held 2-2 at home by Southend United on Saturday in England's League One (third division). And after 16 games, Rovers are 11th on the 24 team table with 24 points, 5 adrift of the playoff spots.

It was a similar story for Omar 'OJ' Koroma in the Championship (England's second division). He too saw no action as his Norwich City side were beaten 3-2 by Swansea City. Norwich are 19th in the standings.

HOLLAND

Still missing Scorpions skipper Ebou Sillah MVV Maastricht succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at SC Cambuur on Saturday. 

Ebou is still nursing an ankle injury that has kept him out of action for almost one month. The weekend setback, their second consecutive loss, has seen MVV drop in the standings to 8th.

ALGERIA

Young scorpions midfielder Abdourahman Dampha and MC Saida seem to have put their campaign back on track.

In their latest game they drew 0-0 away with mid-table USM Blida on Friday. Saida have now climbed further up the ranking, moving from the relegation zone to mid table within a space of two weeks.

SWITZERLAND

The chase for promotion by Pa Modou Jagne’s second division side suffered a blow on Sunday when FC Wil lost 2-1 to FC Yverdon in the Swiss Challenge League.

After winning a very important point away at the St. Gallen last week FC Wil were expected to win in front of their home supporters and close the gap to the top. But Yverdon took advantage of a weak performance by the hosts to consolidate third place.
FC Wil drop to 6th. 

CYPRUS

Former Scorpions skipper Jatto Ceesay and his first division side AEP Paphos are still without a win after nine rounds of matches in the Cypriot league.

In their latest match Paphos lost 2-1 ato 4th placed AEL Limassol. Paphos are now 11th on the 14 team league table with only 6 points and with no clear sign of Jatto playing any significant role in the team since his move from Holland earlier in the year.

ISRAEL

Defender Ken Malamin Jammeh and goalkeeper Robert Badgie both warmed the bench as they watched their Premier League side, Hakoach Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan, lose 1-0 at home to Hapoel Petah Tikva. Ramat Gan has struggled this season winning only once in the campaign and that was in their previous game.

Robert and Ken have so far not succeeded in establishing themselves in the team.

NORWAY

With the media in Europe increasingly speculating about the future of Njogu Demba recent events at his Norwegian club could see the Gambian international staying at Brann..

Reports from Norway suggest that the former Norwegian champions, who parted company with their coach after a trophy-less season, are set to name the Dane, Troels Bech, as his replacement. Bech and Njogu have worked together before at Danish club, Esbjerg, where he is still in charge.

Njogu has been linked with a possible return to Esbjerg after a modest first season at Brann following his move from Denmark in January. The rumours were touched off when the Gambian striker was spotted at an Esbjerg match while his own Norwegian club was playing a league match at home.

But all of that seems set to change with Brann confirming at the weekend that talks have taken place in Bergen between Troels Bech and Brann’s Sporting Director Roald Bruun-Hanssen. Club officials, though, refused to give any details of the meeting.