By Sulayman Bah
Scorpions captain Abdou Jammeh this week hit the biggest feat of his
career qualifying Finnish club RoPS to the Europa League qualifiers
this campaign.
The 29-year-old centre-back has never featured in a major European
Club competition in almost eleven years of over-seas football.Shuttling mostly between lowly ranked sides and in Kuwait, one would
be forgiven to think Jammeh, could in a space of twelve months, play
in Europe’s second most prestigious compeition. But offered a platform in Finland
after a successful audition, RoPS made the Gambian dare think so.
The club flung the door open trialing numerous club-searching players
in preseason including Jammeh with an ambition of a decent table
finish.
But four months on into the new league, the club standing prompted
change in priorities with gaffer Rajamaki viewing winning the trophy
an achievable burden. And off Abdou and team-mates went for the kill
but got more than they bargained for –securing a spot in the European
Cup again.
In the process of this feat’s making, the club missed out on the
domestic title to SJK who leapfrogged Ousman Jallow and Demba Savage’s
HJK to the prized asset. Despite this blip, dubbed T. Boy, Abdou,
still has genuine reason to beam as he looks to make his first
appearance in the Europa League qualifiers when the new term kicks
off.
RoPS bagged a breathtaking fifty-six points losing the league gong by
only a single point and on goal difference. They tower over dislodged
champions HJK by one margin in a season the Gambia captain raked up
twenty-nine matches missing only four.
