FC Kochin maintains unbeaten record

By Our Special Correspondent

KOCHI, MARCH 9. A goal by an overlapping Dinesh Nair, during stoppage time, provided the lucky turn for FC Kochin in keeping its unbeaten record intact in the V National football league at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Friday. Otherwise, Tollygunge Agragami, Kolkata, would have had little difficulty in achieving its objective in avenging its defeat against the Kochi outfit, in the first phase, after it had shot ahead through Abdul Sereiki midway through the final session.

The match, played in the background of a protest registered by the Kolkata side against the mercurial I.M. Vijayan over the latter's alleged failure to submit papers regarding his release from Mukti Jodha - the Bangladesh club for which he had turned out for five matches early this season - had a rather poor start with both teams slow off their blocks. But then, things turned alive as time wore on and the home side seemed to have got its act together, forcing its rival to backpedal repeatedly.

Tollygunge made no pretensions to counter-attack, staying with its game-plan that revolved around posting a sound defence and thus attempting to keep the rival forwards at bay. The Kolkata side, accordingly, had as many as ten players manning its defence for most of the time and the lone occasion that it sought to test Sunday Seah under the home team bar was in the first-half when Satish Kumar Bharti fired in a firm right-footer off a free-kick taken by Felix Aboyami after he himself had strayed into the FC Kochin half and brought down by Rashidi Williams. Seah coolly collected the powerful shot, but should have been totally frustrated, during the remaining time, watching his colleagues upfront lose their way time and again after having done the hard work to get into the rival penalty box.

Indeed, it was a pity that the home team forwards could not control their shots, often being in an hurry to provide the finishing touches themselves rather than trying to attack the rival goal in a planned manner. That apart, the home side was also let down by the failure of its striker Aaron Cole in timing his entry into the rival box and being a victim of the off-side trap employed so brilliantly by the Tollygunge defence on at least half a dozen occasions.

Then again, Hemanathan also proved to be a weak link whenever he was put through with possession, which only left Eugene Grey to ensure that his side kept the pace of its attack intact. Grey did measure up but his cross that provided a fine opening for Hemanathan was wasted after the Liberian himself had lost a gilt- edged opportunity off a Anoj cross from the left. The Kochin side was also to suffer two yellow cards which were drawn against it during the first-half, but more than the one which Dinesh Nair drew what proved costlier was the penalty drawn by Vijayan for a silly foul on Sasthi Duley. Having been penalised once earlier in this NFL, it was the second yellow for Vijayan which also means that FC Kochin will be without his services for its next match against Air India in Mumbai on March 13.

Seah was brought in as a forward after the barren first session, but he could not turn out to be his side's saviour this time around. True he did lift the FC Kochin attack considerably and opened up the rival defence on at least three occasions before Tollygunge eventually resorted to attack for the first time. Its objective of a surprise win almost seemed to materialise when the gangling Sereki came up with a spanking header off a Duley pass from the left, to beat substitute custodian, Shibu Shanmugham, soon after the first hour had passed.

The Kolkata side, predictably went into the defensive once again as the stunned home team went in search of the equaliser, which proved elusive until a panicked Abayomi went in to clear a Dinesh Nair cross from the right, ahead of Vijayan and Seah, and failed to check the ball from entering his own net. FC Kochin now has 26 points after 12 matches and remains in the second spot behind East Bengal while Tollygunge has 10 from as many matches.

FC Kochin's Jo Paul Anchery heads the ball away from the onrushing Tollygunge Agragami forwards in the NFL league in Kochi on Friday.

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