Champions Medina United have arrived in Bo-Town, Sierra Leone, venue for Saturday’s Caf champions league preliminary leg against Star FC.
The team’s determination to participate in the continental club championship qualifiers marks the Gambia’s return to Africa at club level after a long absence.
The first leg in Bo means a dream of a life time for the young players of the team who have surprised even themselves to conquer Gambian football and reach this far
On Saturday, they would step on the pitch to look for not just the three points to bring home ahead of the second leg, but also, to make history for themselves.
Medina will face a home side equally hungry to impress and a hugely football crazed regional capital known for its enthusiastic fans, but they will be expected to show resilience and exhibit the qualities that took them to the pinnacle of Gambian football.
Then whatever happens in Bo Saturday, Medina will fly straight back to prepare for the return leg on September 12.
That match would be played at the Independence Stadium, and with all its new glittering shape and colour, the venue itself will be enough of a spectacle for Gambian football fans waiting to see action back in the national arena.
Meanwhile, Medina has reportedly settled well in Bo, conducting training and familiarising themselves with the pitch and environment.
Team CEO Tijan Masanneh Ceesay said the team is upbeat and very positive about the match. “The boys are relaxed and calm,” he said from his hotel in Bo last night. The match on Saturday will kick off at 4 PM, and would live streamed on Medina United Academy’s Facebook Page.