The battle lines have been drawn in the dash to reach the summit of the 2014 Super Nawettan podium. After two weeks of grueling encounters and a mixture of agonising nightmares and frenzied excitements, the stage is now set for the crunch deciders that invite no room for mistake- the quarter finals.
With the rush to complete the programme this weekend all quarter-final matches will take place at the same time at four venues around the Greater Banjul Area this evening. Brikama which has the luxury of playing three matches on their own grounds, the best pitch on the land- will move from their shells to travel to Serekunda East Park where they are up against defending champions West in a repeat of last year’s final when the later narrowly beat the Saatayba Boys to clinch the title. But according to Coach John Ndure of Brikama the likelihood of another defeat to West is next to zero. “For Brikama it east park is now or never,” he had famously dubbed his campaign from day one. Brikama indeed live that dream for much of the journey on home soil but two defeats on the road has lent credence to views that Brikama cannot do much away from home. Today’s clash at will either prove critics wrong or coach John Ndure may have to swallow his words.
In another quarterfinal, City Boys Banjul entertains Bakau in a revival of an age -old rivalry that pitted the cream of Bakau footballers against the then dominant Banjul in the past decades. The men of those days have long retired but the zeal to win is still burning on both sides whenever the two meet.
Lamin are up against the people of Nuimi in their entirety, in BEM. That match is at Brikama Box bar this evening and GPA better put on more ferries because the influx of fans from Barra is expected to be high. If BEM can pull a semifinal place by beating Lamin, Coach Borris and his team will have to charter a special cruise ship to ferry fans to the semis on Thursday.The proud boys of the tourney Manjai will meet veteran multiple champions Serekunda East at KG5 in the fourth quarter finals.
The victors march on to play the semis on Thursday.
Fixtures in summary
Lamin V BEM – Box bar
Banjul v Bakau. West Park
Brikama V Serekunda West – East Park
Manjai V Serekunda East. KG5-
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