Bonu who was speaking to reporters at a press conference on Saturday following the Scorpions 2-0 win over the Taifa Stars of Tanzania at the Independence Stadium in the final game of the Group C 2014 World Cup qualifiers added that, the objective cannot be achieve by only taking part in the qualifiers but by also organizing test games for the team to also improve our FIFA ranking and also boost the confidence and moral of our players and to also give them the experience.
He stated that the aim of every coach or player is to win when you step in the field of play, noting that losing the previous games was a motivation for them because they have learn from it.
He remarked that football sometimes goes with luck, while praying for that luck to also be on their side.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step”, he went on, adding, “we converted two goals today and hope to continue from there”.
It was a hard task but we were able to make it through hard work and determination”, added Bonu, who went on to say that they came to the game with the objective of giving a respectable performance to defend the flag of the nation.
“The boys fought very hard and gave all they had”, said the former Gambia U-20 coach who added that wining depends on your reaction on the field of play but was quick to add that the reason for the team not winning previously was not because they were not reacting positively on the pitch.
He said the game was not easy but they stick to their game plan which paid dividend, adding that his philosophy is always to select players who are doing well both locally and internationally. “We always look at what is best for the country”.
“We respect the Tanzanian team”, he said while describing them as a good team, saying: “they have stretched us to all levels”.
When the importance of having a permanent Assistant Coach attach to him was put to him, he said, during the previous two games there was a transition at the GFA but that now but the new GFF he hope to have a permanent committed Assistant Coach attach to him soon.
In conclusion he thanked the President of the Republic of The Gambia and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for having trust in him to appoint him head coach of the senior national team. He also thanked their (coaches, technical staff and players) wives and everyone that has support them in one way or the other.
Kim Poulsen, head coach of the Taifa Stars of Tanzania began by congratulating the Gambian team, adding that, the Scorpions were the best team of the day and deserve to win.
He stated that The Gambia have a strong team but added that, his side gave away soft goals.
“We made mistakes and were punished”, he said while blaming the defeat on inexperience.
“We did not create any chances today”, he said, adding that the strikers who have been scoring goals for them during their previous game were absent.
“We used the qualifiers to build a strong team”, he noted, adding that, they hope their young players will gain experience from the games they have played and will use it in the future.
He stated further that, they were without the services of any their foreign players, saying: the game would have been different if they had them.
“We suffered because of inexperience”, he also said, adding that, they knew the game was going to be difficult.
Mustapha Jarju, Gambia’s captain and double goal scorer on the day, said they played as a team and also created a couple of chances during the encounter.
“We knew if we win we will not qualify (for the Brazil 2014 World Cup) but we wanted to win to avoid going through the preliminaries”, he stated.
He said in The Gambia he is always use as a midfielder while in his club he plays behind the strikers, saying: playing in midfield is difficult for him but added that, he has spoken to the coach about it.
“I spoke to the coach to play me behind the strikers, he did, and it worked”, said the double goal scorer for the Scorpions against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania.
“The local players did what the coach told them to do”, he went on, adding that, they (foreign base players) told the young player about the importance of the game.
“Saloum Faal is a good player and has shown that he can do what other can do”, he said of the Casa Sport player, adding: “Hamza Barry has also shown that he is playing professional football now”. Toubabo also praised Sulayman Marreh.
