Falcons Football Club will for the first time in their history play second division football next season after the Abuko-based outfit secure promotion to the division in the national triangular on Sunday.
Falcons, champions of the Kanifing Municipality regional football league, defeated West Coast Region’s Tujereng 3-1 to secure the unprecedented feat. Falcons played the last three years in the KM third division and the owner of the Club, Colonel Musa Jammeh, is been commended for turning an under-performing Serrekunda East Nawettan side into national league campaigners within a short period.
In a three-team triangular consisting of champions of Kanifing, Banjul and West Coast, Falcons began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of NAWEC and Coach Lamin Sanneh’s side knew that even a draw would secure them qualification.
Falcons started the game well, mounting sustained pressure on Tujereng and they were rewarded with a penalty after just 10 minutes when Fakebba Jammeh’s goal-bound effort was adjudged to have hit the hands of an opposing player before the former scored from 12 yards.
Tujereng continued to be second best and needed some vital saves from their goalkeeper who denied Mutarr Ceesay and Alieu Fatty to momentarily keep the scores at 1-0. However, after the two important saves, the Tujereng net minder was helpless as he watched Yankuba Ceesay’s 30-yard free-kick sailed into the net to double Falcons’ lead.
Falcons continued their dominance after the break and substitute Alieu Jammeh assisted Mutarr Ceesay for his second of the match and the third goal for his side to all but secure promotion. However, Tujereng refused to go down without a fight and they pulled one back but even that wouldn’t put a scar on an otherwise dominant performance for Sanneh’s charges.
The second phase of the national triangular will feature champions of the four provincial regions from which one would join Falcons as the two promoted sides for the 2019/20 season. The idea behind splitting the qualifiers into two is to give the teams in the provincial regions to at least ensure one promotion spot each season in an attempt to bridge the existing between Greater Banjul and regional teams in our leagues.