YOSA renews hope of Elite One survival

Yong Sport Academy (YOSA) of Bamenda has rekindled hopes of surviving in the National Elite One championship this football season after it recorded a 1-0 victory over Union Movement Sportif of Loum in a match day 24 action at the Bamenda Municipal Stadium on Sunday.

The lone goal of the encounter was scored by Konyuy Jude at the 53rd minute through a header from a resulting corner kick. Despite all efforts by the visitors, Yosa was able to cling to the result and recorded only their second victory at home since the start of the campaign.

The match was also the first for new coach Justin Kamgue, who like in his second stint in Bamenda with PWD, in 2003 started with a win and subsequently lined six victories in a roll and saved the team from being relegated and in the course earning them a place in the 2004 African CAF Confederations Cup.

“This was a very important match for us. With this victory, it is going to serve as a morale bolster to the team and the population, to the management and every other person. If we had any blockages because we were not winning, we have won today, let us clear out this blockage and go on winning” a jubilant Northwest FECAFOOT SG, kaba Christopher told Bamenda Online after the match.

Many fans of Yosa who still remember the exploits of coach Justin Kamgue with PWD Bamenda in the early 2000s think that his coming will help Yong Sports Academy to beat relegation.

Yosa's record this year has been the poorest since the team ascended into Cameroon’s top tier league in 2009. Yosa has won only two of their 12 home games since February. The team’s performance up to now reads 22 games played, four wins, 12 draws and 6 defeats, with 13 goals scored and 17 conceded and presently logged at the 12th position in the 19 teams table.

Yong Sport Academy seems to be fishing in trouble waters since the passing away of its founding president Bobe Yong Francis in December 2013. Despite yesterday’s win, the team is still uncomfortably too close to the drop zone, with only nine points separating them from the last team on the table, the Douala Athletic Football club and three points above the first team in relegation.

For other results of the day, Union beat Bamboutous of Mbouda by 2-1 in Mbouda, while the matches between Cosmos of Bafia and Sable of Batie, New Stars of Douala and Panthere of Nde and Astres against Apejes in Douala all ended in a stalemate without a single goal scored. Canon meanwhile imposed a 1-0 victory over Unisport in Bafang. The rest of the matches will come up later.