Not only did they became the first ever team, outside of the Greater Banjul Area and West Coast Region, to secure a place in the national domestic league of The Gambia, Kiang West Football Club yesterday recorded another historic moment in front of an impressive crowd at Bakau’s Independence Stadium. This time, playing under the floodlights, and against all the odds, they secured a place in the quarterfinals of the Gambia’s most prestigious cup competition, The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) Federation Cup.
Now renamed B4U Kiang West Football Club, last year’s Lower River Regional football champions played against a team that currently lies fifth on the 14-team first division table, Bakau Katchikally (BK) Milan in the last 16 of the Cup and weren’t given any chance of a cup upset. But the second division campaigners produced a giant killing performance to force the match into the gruesome post-match penalty shootouts following a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation time. The Kiangkas team, mainly made up of players from the western side of Kiang, would eventually progressed 5-4 and would be in the hat when the draw is made for the next round with an eye on a place in the semifinals of the competition.
Elsewhere, in the FF Cup on Saturday, Hawks defeated Marimoo 4-3 on penalties to book a place in the last four. Hawks first took the lead when they turned defense into attack. Marimoo had crashed a ferocious shot that cannoned off Red’s post from where they launched a counter attack to break the deadlock. Morimoo equalised in the second half to ensure the game was decided from eleven yards.
The final batch of the last 16 matches will be played today when Wallidan takes on Tallinding United in the early kickoff at 9pm before Red Hawks entertain defending league champions Gamtel at 11pm. Both matches will be played at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.
