Pa Furmus Correa By Pa Furmus Correa
A recently dipped in form Marimoo side will travel few kilometers from Manjai to the capital Banjul to take on champions and relegation battlers Hawks side in a battle of desperation to stay in the fight of top 4 and relegation in the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) first division league. The match to be played at the KG5 Park at 16:00 on Thursday will be the last fixture of match day 16 fixtures.
Hawks enjoyed a deserving 1st position finish last season and listed for another impressive season-long fight in the top 4 of the table, the champions started the new league season with a 2-0 defeat against Marimoo.
Marimoo who finished 8th last season have better themselves in the new season as they currently sit 5th on the table standing with 23 points and 10 points adrift leaders with a match less.
Drifting Hawks are watching down the drum of a fourth consecutive GFF first division league matches without a win for the first time since March 2023 and moving to the penultimate position in the league after Greater Tomorrow’s win. Hawks the January 11th guests’ dismal showing combined with their recent poor record against Marimoo suggests Alieu Jange’s men could have a long day on Thursday 20th April 2023.
Hawks have not only picked up one win in their last 5 matches against Marimoo; they suffered multi-goal margins five times during that five-game span while failing to score in two occasions. Another potential loss here without scoring would see Hawks set an unwanted piece of history having never failed to score in three successive meetings with Marimoo in their history.
Coming into this fixture, Hawks scored 6 goals, concede 9, failed to keep a clean sheet, failing to score on two occasion, and picked up only one win in last 5 matches while Marimoo scored 7 goals, concede 10, fail to keep a clean sheet, , failing to score once, and picked up only one win in last five matches.
Marimoo might have grown tired of finishing in the middle of table and decide to fight for the top 3 finish with their improved start to the season. The presences of Yankuba Jallow (Prince) with his 5 goals and competing for the golden boot have helped the Manjai based club send a warning to other GFF league prize contenders that they are still in the midst of the race.
The match on paper appears to be a goal scoring match with the fixture averaging a goal in every fixture. The last five matches of the fixture include: Marimoo 2-0 Hawks, Hawks 0-0 Marimoo, Hawks 1-0 Marimoo, Marimoo 2-0 Hawks, and Marimoo 1-1 Hawks.
Sporty Nation’s players to watch out for include Hawks’ new signing Ousainou Sanneh alias Mara and club’s 5 goal scorer Elba Mendy, Marimoo’s Yankuba Jallow and forward compatriot Ebrima Fofana. A draw is certainly among the prediction cards as both teams struggle to find their feet at the moment.
