By Fatou Sillah
Johnathan McKinstry, Head Coach of the Gambia Senior National Team, has announced a 24-man squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier matches against the Comoros and Tunisia.
The Scorpions will kick off their quest for a third consecutive AFCON appearance with a match against the Comoros on September 4, 2024, followed by a clash with North African giants, Tunisia, on September 8, 2024.
Known for his expertise in developing teams, players, and staff across Asia and Africa, the Northern Irish football coach has introduced fresh talent to the Scorpions for these qualifiers.
New additions to the squad include Real De Banjul Football Club’s goalkeeper, Lamin Saidy, and former striker, Abdoulie Ceesay, along with Swedish and Norwegian-born Gambians, Joseph Ceesay and Momodou Lion Njie.
Returning to the squad are Hamza Barry, Ibou Touray, Ebrima Darboe, and Ali Sowe, all of whom last played in the AFCON finals in Ivory Coast 2024.
“We are naming a 24-man list, which obviously on match day one will have to sit out, because it is 23 on match day, which is for balance and competitiveness. We are naming a 24-man list. The Goalkeepers are Ebrima Jarju, Sheikh Sibi and Lamin Saidy of Real De Banjul come to the squad this time. In defense, we got Ibou Touray, Sainey Sanyang, Joseph Ceesay Dadi Dodou Gaye, Momodou Lion Njie, Omar Colley, James Gomez, and Edrissa Ceesay. In midfield, we have Hamza Barry, Alasana Manneh, Ebou Adams, Ebrima Darboe, Musa Barrow, and Ablie Jallow.
“In forward we have Ebrima Colley, Alieu Fadera, Musa Juwara, Yankuba Minteh, Adama Sidibeh, Abdoulie Ceesay and Ali Sowe so that’s the 24-man list,” he said.
Coach McKinstry addressed the challenge of selecting a 24-man squad from over 100 players who are performing well for their respective clubs.
“Naming a national team squad is never easy because there are a lot of players for consideration. But one of the nice things for Gambian football at the moment is becoming progressively more difficult to name the squad because we got a lot of guys out there playing at a good level of the game, and they are getting regular minutes. I think you can look at our top 40 players, pretty much all of them are starting. We got players with clubs at top tier football, and then we have got about 100 or so players who are breaking through, and progressing their development. That is really positive for Gambian football,” he said.