By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
When East End Lions drew 0-0 with Freetown City FC (FCFC) in March, there was outrage. The Lions fans threw sachet of water on the players and coaches. Around the same time, FC Kallon were leading the table by two points.
Finally, just over a week ago, Lions were confirmed champions with two games to spare. The irony here is that they won against the same FCFC team 4-0 to finally win the title.
What a turnaround! This is a story of sheer hard work and dedication. But pay keen attention to how far they have come since then.
Despite the rage from the club’s executive regarding the behavior of the fans back then, they heard the message of the fans loud and clear. Lions reshuffled the technical team and gave the coach John Kiester some new faces to work with.
From the onset, this is a club that knows what it wants; that is winning. This is the mentality of East End Lions. And this mentality is what has won them the 2018/19 Sierra Leone Premier League title.
How did they get here?
Lions did not get here by mistake. They have been plotting this from the very start. Just before the start of the league, the club announced a Le600 million sponsorship package. That announcement was preceded by the recruitment of one the best coaches in the country, John Keister. Then they went a step further to assemble one of the most star-studded sides this country has ever seen. The names include Leone Stars internationals, Yemi Dunia and Gibrilla Woobay; the Koroma brothers, Alhassan and Alusine.
For anyone who was paying attention, this was a statement of intent. President of the club, Anthony Navo Jnr. said: “We are going to win the 2018/19 Premier League trophy.” He said so six months ago.
And boy! They have won it in some style. This is a team that is known for its rigidity. In fact their coach, Kiester, is a defensive genius. Throughout the campaign, they conceded just 10 goals. The team went five or six games into the season before conceding their first goal.
How do you play 24 games and concede just 10 goals? On average this is almost one goal every 216 minutes. That’s defensive solidarity for you. If Kiester resumes his post as the Leones Stars’ coach, fans will feel safe that the back line is safe with his system. Much of the job will have to be done upfront; that is goal scoring.
For Lions, defensive solidarity doesn’t mean less attacking football. They haven’t been stingy with goal scoring. They have scored 32 goals; no team has scored more goals than them this season.
As if this isn’t enough, they have won the title unbeaten. Yes! 24 games, 10 draws 13 wins, 0 loss. Six months of toil in torrid conditions, bad pitches and clustered fixtures. And they didn’t crack once. Remarkable!
The personal success story for Lions players has been amazing. Alhassan and Alusine Koroma have lit up the league with their blistering pace and trickery. It will be a surprise to see anyone of them plays this league next season. The Koroma brothers have attracted suitors from abroad. Alhassan have earned a deal with Spanish second tier side, Balompedica. Hard work pays.
Lions striker, Musa Noah Kamara (Musa Tombo) rose from misfiring in the first leg to firing 15 goals to win the golden boot. This was a player who was struggling for his best form for up to 10 games into the new season. Tombo finally rose up to the stage against FC Kallon in the first leg. That night he was the menace FC Kallon had to contend with.
Goalkeeper, Mohamed Nabieu Kamara (Fabianski) has kept 15 clean sheets so far. That is 75% of the total games Lions played this season. This is remarkable, considering he has been in goal for every single game this season.
It will be hard to see another goalkeeper between the sticks for Leone Stars, if it’s not Fabianski.
Meet Kiester, the conductor
East End Lions doesn’t play the smooth calculative football that FC Kallon attempts to play. Lions are a symphony of their own with Kiester being the conductor. This is a symphony that doesn’t have sopranos; instead they improvise with something entirely different.
That improvisation is what turned out to be tenacity and ruthlessness. These are the features that separated Lions over every other team in this league.
On their road to the trophy, Keister has been modest in managing expectations. Even when there is fanfare, he has shown respect by being cautiously optimistic.
Even when there were deliberate attempts to get him to give soundbites on upcoming clashes, he didn’t engage. Before the game against FC Kallon during the first leg, he was asked about what his preparation for the clash was.
He said: “It’s just another game.”
That was a powerful soundbite, but he wouldn’t give more.
He has never been caught up in the pump and hype that Lions have generated for big clashes. Those hypes came with expectations and massive pressure on the players and the coach. But in the face of it all, Keister avoided the spotlight, remained calm, and did his job just right.
But don’t take his modesty for granted, because Kiester has been furiously protective of his players. The night they drew 0-0 with FCFC, he was furious with fans for how they treated his players. During that challenge he had invectives and water sachets thrown at him.
That’s a manager that stands up for his players.
He will surely go down as one of the best coaches this country has ever seen.
The defining moments
This season has not been easy. Title contenders, FC Kallon pushed them to the edge. But it was not FC Kallon that tested the title credentials of this Lions team. The challenge came from teams like RSLAF, Ports Authority, East End Tigers and Central Parade.
No Lions fan will forget how they struggled to beat RSLAF in the first and second legs. It was a close shave in both matches.
Ports Authority also came very close to ending Lions’ unbeaten run. Until that 85th minute equalizer, Lions were almost condemned to defeat.
The only two teams to score two goals against East End Lions are Kamboi Eagles and Central Parade. In fact, Parade scored three out of the ten goals Lions conceded this season.
Lions and the future
Lions lifted the trophy on Sunday for the 12th time in their history. They should enjoy this moment. They have earned it. But when the euphoria settles, they should all pull up their socks and get ready for more work next season.
Because whiles they have ridden over everyone else to win the title this season, they should be prepared for what is coming next. Teams around them will be better prepared than they were this season. Players will be bought, coaches will be recruited, systems will be built. Winning the league will just get tougher.
As the quote goes in the British series, Game of Thrones: “Winter is Coming.”
East End Lions must be ready.
© 2019 Politico Online
