BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta

When club legend Bye Malleh Wadda returned to Real de Banjul to replace our former coach Ebou Jarra midway through the current season, hopes were sky high with positive expectations but the second tenure of Byes, as fondly called, with the City Boys did not begin with the desired fashion.

The team could only manage two points in three games, enduring a frustrating goalless draw in his first game against Banjul United and went on to draw 1-1 with Gamtel FC before losing 2-1 to Elite United, a start that raised eyebrows as people started to ask whether the appointment of the veteran gaffer was the right call in the right direction.

Malleh Wadda remained positive whilst working behind the scenes with his boys, with the first victory coming dramatically against BK Milan as young and in-form winger Ebrima Singhateh got sent off as early as the first half of the encounter before they returned from the break for Byes to mastermind his team’s 1-0 win over Milan through second-half substitute Ebrima Jatta.

Then came the blockbuster fixture against league leaders and undefeated Fortune FC, a game that may well be one of the Whites’ best performances of the season.

Byes’ side dominated the opening half against the league leaders and deservedly got the lead at the stroke of halftime through Cherno Jobe’s sensational goal from the corner.

The City Boys’ should have been 2-0 up just after the resumption of the second half if not for the dramatic officiating that denied them a clear goal for an offside. That would follow with a 1-0 victory over Waa Banjul to make it seven points out of nine.

For Bye Malleh, it has always been a process, saying: “I am encouraged with the sense that I am seeing some improvement both on and off the pitch. We are training hard and I have seen some things we have been training, in games. I think with an increase in fitness, we should be able to also hurt teams in the latter part of the games.”

“What I found out is that players are not fit enough to finish games but I see some improvement in their fitness and I think moving forward, we would be able to control games into the later part.”

The record twelve-time domestic leagues champions are 4th on the table and trailing behind to Fortune FC at the top by ten points, second-placed Brikama United with three and Elite United, who are 3^rd, with one point.

With the Gambia Football Federation scrapping the FF Cup this season, the club that finishes second will take part in Africa’s second-tier club competition, the CAF Confederation Cup.

Bye Malleh remains coy on his side’s chances saying: “I want to win every game that I am coach and we will try to win all our remaining games because I know that those above us, will drop some points.”

“So, our focus is now going game by game. At this stage, we are just focused on winning our games and not worry about where we are until the end because at the end of the season, we will see where we are placed.”

Bye Malleh will hope to make it two wins at a bounce when the City Boys take on Tallinding United on Saturday night, at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.