After over four decades of existence, the country’s most successful and decorated football club, Banjul Wallidan FC will for the first time paly their trade in the second tier of Gambian football next season after they were beaten 1-0 by Young Africans on Sunday.

In the penultimate week of action in the 12-team first division, Foday Bah’s charges lost to their Banjul neighbours at the KG5 Mini-Stadium to join Serekunda United in the second tier with one game remaining. Since inception in 1969 by the current president of The Gambia Football Association Normalisation Committee, Alhaji Ousman Basi Conateh, Wallidan have won 15 first division championships and 16 domestic cup titles with their last league success coming in 2008, a year in they also won a double.

From that season on, the Banjul based club who have also participated six times in the African champions league, three at the African Cup of Champions Clubs, once at the 2004 CAF Confederation’s Cup and eight further appearances at the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup started to struggle and in each of the last three seasons struggled to remain in the top flight.

Among the players who passed through the Blues are Biri-Biri, Jatto Ceesay, Captain Baboucarr Laos Sowe and several other prominent players who went on to do great things for the country at the international level. The current Scorpions setup also have many players that came through Wallidan -like Ousman Jallow, Mustapha Toubabo Jarju, Momodou Ceesay, Ebrima Sohna, and Yankuba Mal Ceesay amongst others.