by Samba Jawo
Technical and Distribution Department of NAWEC were Friday crowned champions of the annual inter-department football tournament organised by the Company.
The trophy, which is played for the third time in a row, is named after the Managing Director of NAWEC. The winners defeated the Administration Department 2-1 in a final played at the Serrekunda East Mini-Stadium.
As winners, they went home with a trophy and a cash prize of D20,000 while Admin pocketed home a consolation prize of D15,000. Certificates were also awarded to all participating departments and individuals.
In a dominant first half, the Technicians got off to the best possible start by opening the scoring after just 17 minutes through Jack Obega. Pa Jallow dispossessed the Admin midfielders and built a strong counterattack before unleashing a ferocious shot which saw Sainey Jarju inadvertently put the ball through his own net to give Technical a commanding lead in the 28th minute.
Admin came into the second half banging from all sides of the field and their industrious football paid off 10 minutes after the restart when Wuyeh Jabbi smashed a fierce free-kick into the net. Admin laid a late siege on the Technicians goalmouth but some resolute defending coupled with their profligacy in front of goal ensured the second half strike was a mere consolation.
Speaking in a post-match interview with Observer Sports, Malick Jagne the head coach of the winning side expressed delight in securing a second straight triumph in the competition against the same opposition. “I opened this year’s tournament with them and there as well I defeated them 4-1 so this win didn’t came a surprise to me,” he added.
For his part, Alieu Fofana the coach for Admin Department faulted his players for not doing justice to the hard work they put in their training sessions. “We failed because they [my players] were not listening to my instructions and as coach that is the only thing you can do; to give the instructions and if the players fail to go by your tactics you are automatically going to loss,” he added.