Striker John Gomez scored a hat-trick as Sea View trounced struggling Tallinding United  3-1 in Brikama yesterday to close their premier league first round campaign on an impressive note.

Gomez opened the scoring in the 40th minutes, but Tallinding United replied in the 45th minute. Gomez again stepped up to extend his side's tally just a minute after before making it a perfect hat-trick in the 80th minute.

Reacting to the empathic victory that propelled Sea View to joint third position in the ranking, coach Alagie Sarr said it was a very important win for his side that were stumbling in the recent weeks. "Before the game, I told my boys that we need the maximum points in order to climb up in the ranking and I am delighted that they did just that," he said. "Come the second round, we will redouble our efforts in order to cap a good finish," he concluded.

In the day's other match at the Father Gough Sports Complex in Manjai, Steve Biko drew goalless with Super Cup champions Samger. The stalemate result means the Bakau side have finished the first round in the mid-table with 15 points, 8 points adrift of leaders, Armed Forces, whose 1-0 win over Real de Banjul over the weekend means they will enter the second round on the back of a six-point lead at the summit.

Bakau United, who earned the biggest win of the season with a 5-0 thumbing of Africell Sait Matty on Saturday, lie second while Wallidan puzzled their critics with a third-spot first round finish after enduring a deteriorating start to the season.

GFA First division league ranking

RNK        Team               P    W    D    L    GF    GA    GD    Pts

1    Armed Forces           11    7    2    2    12     5     7       23
2    Bakau United            11    4    5    2    15     7     8       17
3    Wallidan                   11    4    4    3    11     8     3       16
4    Sea View                 11    4    4    3    10     8     2       16
5    Steve Biko               11    4    3    4    8       8     0       15
6    GAMTEL                  11    3    6    2    6       6     0       15
7    Brikama Utd             11    4    3    4    11     13    -2      15
8    Samger                   11    3    5    3     8       8      0      14
9    Real de Banjul          11    4    2    5     7       9     -2      14
10  Hawks                    11    3    3    5     6       7     -1      12
11  Tallinding Utd          11    2    4    5    12     17    -5       10
12  Africell                    11    2    3    6    7      17    -10      9