The second round fixtures of the 2009 Gambia Football Association First Division League season will commence today after a brief break.
Stumbling Hawks who managed only three wins in eleven first round fixtures will be hoping to put their season back on track when they meet seventh-place Brikama United in today’s only game at the Independence Stadium. On Saturday, Wallidan will take on Real de Banjul in their typical Banjul derby in Brikama, while fellow strugglers, Africell and Tallinding United, square off against each other at the Father Gough Sports Complex in Manjai.
League leaders Armed Forces, who recently returned from the 2009 West Africa Liaison Office (WALO) champions in Guinea where they finished fourth best, will open their second round campaign against Bakau United on Sunday in what will be the clash of the top.
Bakau United, who got off to a fiery start in the first round, presently sit at second position with 17 points, 6 points adrift of the Soldiers. However, with the departure of forward Pa Amadou Gai who recently sealed a permanent deal with the Canadian second tier club, Montreal Impact, the Bakau side will have a difficult task at hand to fill the void left by the star striker who scored nine of the team’s fifteen goals in the first round.
Elsewhere on Sunday, fourth-place Sea View will take on mid-table Samger who are yet to repeat their first season performance - having won only three matches in the eleven first round fixtures. On the same Sunday, Steve Biko, who are still mourning the death of their former striker Kawsu Jatta, will take on Gamtel in Brikama.