The Armed Forces FC have put a 2008 GFA League season behind them by winning the just concluded 2009 championship.

After six years of waiting in the dark, the Soldier Boys finally came out to the sunlight by dethroning 2008 winners, Wallidan, to put the icing on one of their most successful league cakes. If football pundits gave them little chance of winning the league, especially after the team's disappointing showing at the 7th  African Military Football Cup (CAMFOOT) held in  Kampala, Uganda in December last year, the Soldiers have certainly proved them wrong. And with determination, euphoria and vigor, Armed Forces intriguingly defied the seemingly insurmountable hurdles to lift the GFA championship in grand style.

How it all started
The long fascinating walk to victory for the Armed Forces began way back in February when the GFA championship began. When the league fired up, the Soldier's never seemed to be the side to beat. Although they are one of the giant teams in the league, and you only write-them-off at your peril, they hid in their shells and only became pronounced after their first three games. Interestingly, it was not all rosy in the beginning. Moments of trials and tribulations engulfed the team at the start of the championship as one of their first matches pitched them in at the deep end against arch-rivals and last season's runners-up, Samger.

The match, which was played in a highly charged encounter, ended on the wrong foot for the Soldiers as the Academy Boys bounced back from their opening 0-0 draw with Bakau United to beat a ten-man Armed Forces side in an enthralling clash-of-the-giants' match played at the Serrekunda East Min-stadium.

Having tasted the bitter-pills-of-defeat in their first two games, the Soldiers' took a turn for the better in their next match, when a 23rd minute strike from Buba Sama was enough to earn the Soldier Boys their first three points in the league. The victory, coming on the back of second runners-up last season, Hawks, brought an end to the team's gloomy and doom start to the championship.

The victory turned around the tables and became the ultimate tonic the team needed to bolster its fight for the GFA league crown. Thereafter, it was no turning back for Armed Forces even when the darkest of clouds seemed to have stormed away their title aspirations.

One such instance was when they were pitted in a no love lust battle against defending champions, Wallidan in the first meeting of the two teams in the season. Wallidan won both the GFA first division championship and the Gamtel sponsored FA Cup last season, after a three-year lackluster performance in the GFA top flight and were subsequently, tipped by many bookmakers to win this year's championship.

Subsequently, Armed Forces, inspired by their inner fortitude, which under grid their 1-0 victory against Hawks, took on the Blue Boys in a match they dominated and dictated in every sense, showing in the process their serious title aspirations. But despite playing with a revitalizing fighting spirit, they could not win the match as it ended 0-0.

However, this resilience against a team, which was tipped by many pundits to retain the championship at the start of the season, spelt in clear terms that the reckoning was sooner or later going to sway in Armed Forces side. Consequently, the gallant Soldiers carried this impressive performance in their next game when they played against then surprise league leaders, Bakau United, at the end of week six of the championship. And again, the gallant Soldiers off-set the form books by pulling off a sensational 2-1 victory against the Bakau outfits. The victory streamed the Scorpion Soldiers to second on the league standings.

Talismanic forward Daddy Gai scored his 4th goal of the season in the 16th minute of the match to give Bakau United the lead, but the Soldiers fought back to snatch two late first half goals from Captain Lamin Colley and Buba Sama. Colley's equalizer coming in the 36th minute of the game injected a new lease of life in the Soldiers, before Sama scored his second goal in three matches to put the Soldiers in front in the 42nd minute.

His goal proved to be the last strike that broke Bakau United's victory aspirations in the game. So by the time the first round of the league ended on 18th April, Armed Forces had already dared the odds and were in pole position to win the league, after opening a six point lead at the summit of the championship. The team's summer trading before the league started visibly paid-off as new signings such as Alagie Jobe proved to be worthy deals. Jobe at one point in the season kept five successive clean sheets.

Second round performance
Armed Forces started the second round of the 1st Division Championship on a flying note by again beating Bakau United 2-0 at the Father Gough Sports Complex, Manjai Kunda on 19 April 2009, to open up an eight point lead at the top of the table after champions, Wallidan, could only earn a 1-1 draw against Real de Banjul 24 hours earlier.

Bakau without talismanic forward Pa Amadou Gai alias Daddy Gai who finally signed a professional contract with Canadian (United Soccer League) club Montreal Impact struggled for most part of the game, showing that the team really missed his weight. The Soldiers commenced the day six points clear of Bakau United, and were well aware that a victory against the Bakau outfits will put them on course to win their first league title in six years, and without wavering, they graciously achieved it. The defeat saw Bakau United slipped to third after Gamtel beat Steve Biko 1-0 in the same week.

On April 27 2009, the soldiers extended their lead at the peak of the GFA League to seven points. The gallant Soldiers were held to a 1-1 draw at the Brikama Box Bar Mini-Stadium the same day even though Landing Darboe was denied a goal when his shot was ruled out for offside. Throughout the championship, Toldo, Armed Forces goal keeper had proved his worth by maintaining successive clean sheets. Hs impressive performance helped Armed Forces to build on their mid-week 3-0 thrashing of 2007 champions, Real de Banjul, to win Sea View 2-0 at the Independence Stadium in Bakau thanks to Buba Sama's brace. The 2-0 triumph also meant that Toldo had played five successive games without being defeated.

The Kaki Boys' 2-0 victory against View coupled with Samger's 1-0 surprised defeat to Bakau United allowed them to open a ten point lead at the top of the league table with five more games before the end of the season. Having commenced the league slowly with two defeats in their opening three games, the Soldiers gradually picked up their momentum as the league progressed, and their victory against Sea View put them just one win away from lifting their second trophy in the history of the team, as well as their first GFA title since 2003.

Interestingly, despite the team's brilliant performance in the second round, it would not be until 22 May 2009, that Armed Forces would finally win their much-awaited second league title. A first half strike by Modou Gaye against relegation-bound Tallinding United handed Gambia Armed Forces Football Club their first league championship in six years after closest rivals Samger lost 2-0 to Brikama United.

Armed Forces suffered their second defeat to Samger in the second round, but assembled all the canons in their arsenal to fire from all directions, thus ensuring that victory came their way. Samger brought live back into the title race after they completed a double over the Soldiers a week earlier, but could only manage a point against the 2007 champions that effectively ended their pursuit on their first Gambian honour.

Victory against Tallinding United gave the Khaki men an unassailable 9 points lead over Samger with just two games to go. Gambiasportsonline says Tallinding United played one of their best games all season, but the resolved Soldiers pulled together their guns once again to defend their victory fort.
Modou Gaye capitalized on a Tallinding defensive howler to tap in the only goal of the game in the 24th minute, but was stretched off almost immediately due to injury.

This victory for the Soldiers was for a long time in the making, and when it arrived, it was unstoppable. Not even a determined Tallinding United could stop the Scorpion Soldiers from winning their second title in six years after going 18 matches without succumbing to defeat.  

The future for Armed Forces
Armed Forces have inspired many soccer pundits with their lifting of this season's GFA championship, and if their recent impressive streak in the GFA league is anything to go by, then indications are that they are even set to do better when they represent the country at continental level in next year's CAF champions league.

No Gambian club team has ever been know to play in the group phase of the CAF champions league, but the determination and refreshing football that the side displayed in this years league title contention has raised hopes that a Gambian football club is now set to off set the form books by making its presence felt at this level of continental football.

The team has already registered a remarkable showing at sub-regional level when they came out 4th in this year's West African Liaison Officers Championship held in Conakry, Guinea Conakry, consequently, qualifying for the continental tournament to be played in Algeria in two-years time.  "We set ourselves a target of 52 points and we want to achieve this target. Our worst result in our remaining matches will be a draw so our opponents must forget about the title," Armed Forces assistant coach, Adama Jatta, once told sports newsmen during the heat of the championship, underlining the self-belief and confidence the Soldiers had in winning the league since the start of the championship.

However, more than anything, Armed Forces have had a visionary and inspiring leader who has been at the centre of the team's development since they won the championship in 2003. He has seen the team through its hay-days as a baby, and has nursed it to maturity. During a recent interview with journalist from the Point Newspaper, Major-General Lang Tombong Tamba revealed that the only secret behind Armed Forces success is early preparation and motivation. Major General Tamba further revealed that Armed Forces went into this season with the main objective of clinching their second GFA league title, which has been successfully achieved by the team. Armed Forces FC has indeed come off age.

NB: The writer is a leading Gambian journalist and a social and current affairs commentator