By Fatou Sillah
Jonathan McKinstry, Head Coach of the Gambia Senior National Team, has revealed a 23-man squad for the crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier matches against Madagascar, scheduled for October 11 and 16, 2024.
The Scorpions are eyeing their third consecutive AFCON appearance, and this pivotal double-header presents a prime opportunity to secure their place in the tournament. Known for his success in developing teams and players across Asia and Africa, McKinstry has called up fresh talent for the qualifiers. Among the new faces are Saidou Khan and Suleiman Camara, both eager to make their debut for the Gambia.
Jacob Mendy returns to the squad after recovering from a six-month injury, while Muhammed Badamosi and former U-20 midfield sensation Mahmudu Bajo also make their comebacks, having missed the previous fixtures against Comoros and Tunisia.
The Scorpions are still seeking their first win in the 2024 Total Energies AFCON qualifiers and are hopeful that the upcoming games against Madagascar will bring the much-needed victory.
Announcing the squad, Coach McKinstry said:
“We are naming a 23-man squad for this International window. The goalkeepers are Ebrima Jarju, Lamin Saidy, Shiekh Sibi. In defense, we have Ibou Touray, and we welcome back Jacob Mendy, Joseph Ceesay, Dadi Doudou Gaye, Momodou Lion Njie, Omar Colley and James Gomez. In the midfield, Alasana Manneh, Mahmadu Bajo, Saidou Khan, Ebou Adams, and Ebrima Darboe. In the forward position, Musa Barrow, Ablie Jallow, Alieu Fadera, Yankuba Minteh, and coming for the first time Sulei Camara. And in the Striking Positions Abdoulie Ceesay, Ali Sowe, and we welcome back Muhammed Badamossi,” He Said.
McKinstry also explained the absence of Young Boys’ star Ebrima Colley:
“Ebrima Requested to not be considered for this camp because he has some personal issues that he really needs to address, and even speaking with his club’s young boys, they are all aware of that. I’m not going into deeper context on that because personal things are personal things, but we have had this conversation, and he is fully committed to us in the long term, but he really needs a little bit of time to sort some things out. In any other situation he would have been on the squad, but he made a personal request not to be considered for this camp and is looking forward to hopefully returning in November,” He Said.
On the team’s readiness, McKinstry expressed confidence:
“I got a feeling that the game coming up; we are really potentially going to blow our opponent out of the water because we are doing a lot of right things; we just need to add that final little bit of cleaner football in the final 20 minutes of it, and we are going to start seeing big results.
“The fact that we changed the playing system, the fact that we brought in a number of new and younger players, and the fact that we have actually improved in general on the results compared to the previous 12 months. We are taking positive steps, but that is not enough; we needed to be more, but our performance is getting close to where we need it to be, and over the long term, if your performance is where you need it to be, results follow,” he said.
The Gambia currently sits with one point in Group A of the AFCON qualifiers, following a 1-1 draw against Comoros and a 2-1 loss to Tunisia.
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