The Gambian Albert
African Football Club
Football - The Global Language
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The Gambian AlbertAfrican Football ClubFootball - The Global Language |
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The Lochgelly Albert Football Team are helping a young football team in The Gambia with a little help from Jim Hamilton Perhaps the following article form the Sunday Post might shed a little light on the matter. |
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Fife Hammy and, inset, Gambian Hammy |
The Sunday Post 19th May 2002 At least wolves don't eat horses in Lochgelly JIM HAMILTON was a sail maker from Lochgelly, Fife. In November he and his wife Mary celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and were given a surprise present of two tickets for a week in Gambia, West Africa. On the first day of their holiday the couple were sunning themselves on the beach when a friendly young man sat down beside him. Nickname He introduced himself as Hammett Manneh but told Jim to call him by his nickname Hammy. Jim laughed with surprise - he was also known as Hammy back home. The two quickly hit it off. When Fife Hammy mentioned he was grateful for his break as he'd had a tough year as a result of a bad business deal, Gambian Hammy said his year had been pretty hard, too. When he went to plant his rice crops two of his oxen died and then his horse had been eaten by a wolf! That's not something Jim has worry about much back in Lochgelly. They struck up such a firm friendship they kept in touch by letter when Jim returned home. Recently he got a pleasant surprise when Hammy wrote to say he was setting up a football team in the town of Banjul in Jim's honour, and could he come up with a name for it. Jim racked his brains to come up with one that would reflect the special connection between him and Gambian Hammy. As there's a big market in Banjul called the Albert market, and Jim's local junior football team is Lochgelly Albert, he knew this was the perfect name. Delight He sent back word and approached the junior side to see if they would be willing to donate strips to the newly formed Gambian Lochgelly Albert. Much to his delight the team agreed. The yellow and black strips have been sent out to The Gambia and Jim would love to go and see Hammy and his Lochgelly Albert in action one day. Jim reckons sometimes life, as well as football, is a funny old game. |
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Last Edited: 27/06/2005 |
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