April 8 2016, 11.50 AM IST || Pocket News Alert
DSK Shivajians Football Club set out with an aim to gain points as they take on champions Mohun Bagan in a crucial Hero I-League 2015-16 at the Barasat Stadium, Kolkata, on Saturday.
Following an upbeat performance against Bengaluru FC at home, DSK Shivajians will be high on morale as they look towards as many positives they have worked themselves into since they began their campaign in the League.
To begin with DSK Shivajians will hope to extend their six match unbeaten form which they have worked hard to set. A favorable result on the night tomorrow can catapult DSK Shivajians into a possible 4th spot in the I-League table. The Pune-based club currently sits in 6th position having gathered 14 points from 13 matches.
Their opponents on the other hand lead the league table with 26 points from 14 matches and are expected to be no easy customers. However, the home side’s inability to gather more than a single point in the last three matches is something DSK Shivajians will hope to exploit.
DSK Shivajians Coach Derrick Pereira said: “Our preparation has been good. The players are in good shape and everyone is available for the match tomorrow. We will approach the match in the same positive way like we did in the last few matches and hope to get a good result.”
Among the keys to DSK Shivajians’ success on the morrow will be captain Perrick Dipanda’s scoring exploits, which so far has fetched him six goals in his maiden stint in India. Likewise, custodian Subrata Paul’s consistent performance under the bar will be another area that provides the team confidence upfront and above all fluidity to function in attack.
Outlining the importance of the experience that Subrata Paul, Baljit Sahni, Sandesh Jhingan, and others bring to the side, the Coach added: “It takes time to build a team. We got to know in November that we will play in the I-League, following which we looked for the players and then we started building the team. Subrata Paul came in, so did Sandesh, Baljit, and other experienced players to help the younger lot that we have. That experience is one of the main reasons for the turn-around in fortunes.”
The reverse fixture earlier in the season, which incidentally was DSK Shivajians’ first-ever home match in the I-League, ended 0-2 in favour of Mohun Bagan. While DSK Shivajians will also hope to set their record at the Barasat Stadium straight, suffered an unlucky 0-1 reverse to East Bengal, the rush to gain as many places in the League table is something DSK Shivajians will want to stamp their mark on.
The match will kick-off at 7:05pm and will be telecasted live on Ten Sports 2.