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Soccer News of Sunday, 28 September 2008

Source: GNA

"Ghana must forget it" - Gambian Coach

Accra, Sept 28, GNA - Gambia's Under-20 team coach, Lamine Sarr has advised Ghana to forget her qualification to next year's African Youth Championship (AYC) billed for Rwanda even before they host the Satellites in a return qualifier in Banjul in a fortnight's time. The Young Scorpions relinquished an early lead to be beaten 1-2 in their match against the Satellites of Ghana yet coach Sarr insists his boys have the job well cut out for the game as the final results automatically qualifies one of the teams for the Championship.

Coach Sarr, without sounding complacent, said his charges would deliver at home to book qualification to the competition, which they exited as bronze medallist in Congo Brazzaville last year. "The team was without six of my key players and yet these boys proved beyond every reasonable doubt that they can deliver. "The story will have been different if those boys had made it but whether I maintain this team or not, Ghana will not be able to stand between us and qualification."

Gambia's captain, Pa Modou Jague was the only foreign player in the team that glittered and pushed Ghana's ambitions at the reverse gear for most part of the game.

Coach Sarr's desire is to improve upon the Team's performance at home in their quest to overturn the results that would complete their dream.

"We played total football and refused to defend like we were expected to do. Gambia will surely be in Rwanda and for that reason we will be better at home and complete our mission." A chunk of the Gambian team is from the squad that won bronze in the last event and exited at the quarterfinal stage at the World Championship. Ghana's Satellites has been absent in the last two editions.