By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
After weeks of training and camping in Makeni at the Sahara Hotel, Star Sports Academy engaged Makeni All-Stars in a test match to complete their preparations before leaving for Senegal to engage in a friendly encounter with FC Moriba.
Alie Adjust Kamara, after driving in from the left wing and punching the ball into the net with an assist from Abdul Aziz Tholley, scored the opening goal after 20 mins. Fourteen minutes later, Umaru Bangura scored a solo goal after stealing the ball in the Makeni All-Stars half, dribbling it from the middle, and netting it with force.
Makeni All-Stars replied with a late goal in the first half, cutting the deficit to one. On resumption of play, Makeni All-Stars got the equalizer in the 75th min but their joy was short-lived as Star Sports Academy was awarded a penalty in the 85th min which was scored by Mohamed Kabia to make it 3-2.
The team departed for Senegal yesterday with 25 players and Officials including the Football Coordinator at the Sierra Leone Football Association the Friendly will also serve as scouting for some of the players as the Club want to showcase their players on the International Stage.
The delegation comprising twenty-one players and fifteen officials of the Star Sports Academy earlier departed Sierra Leone to participate in this year’s Detection Tournament that will be hosted in Senegal and organised by EF 11 Sports Management based in Spain.
Before leaving for the Detection Tournament, Star Sports Academy camped in Makeni for a week, engaging in three friendly matches and winning all.
At a press conference held at the SLAJ Office yesterday in Makeni, Coach Tamba Ngongou inform the pressmen that he put together a total of twenty-one players which he described as formidable and very optimistic about them delivering the anticipated results even though the tournament is organised to scout promising players.
Alvin Solomon Thomas the Star Sports Consultant disclosed that the Detection Tournament is among the three international competitions that they will be in the remaining months of 2023.
Below is the list of players who made the Senegal trip:
Goalkeepers; Abubakar A. Kamara, and Tamba Bundor.
Defenders; Amara Provis, Ibrahim Bah, Osman Conteh, Osman Sesay, Abdulai Koroma, Daniel Koroma, and Henry Koroma.
Midfielders; Mohamed Lamin Sumah, Umaru Bangura, Sensie Janneh, Mohamed Kamara, and Ibrahim Bai Kamara.
Forwards; Abdul R. Kabia, Osman Mansaray, Abdul Aziz Tholley, Alieu A. Kamara, Mohamed Alie Kanu, and Abdul A. Sankoh.
