After having failed to make the quarter-finals of the Santosh Trophy for three consecutive years,Delhi is now hoping the class of I-League players in their ranks will be good enough for a turnaround in fortunes. Delhi last featured in the quarter-finals in 2006. Once again a large chunk of the responsibility will fall on mid-fielder Praveen Rawat. While only one of the goalkeepers from among Shantanu Jain,Pranoy Roy and Rampal Prasad will be in the starting line-up,the value of their combined experience cannot be undermined. Rawat has represented the state five times. He has played for Mohan Bagan,Churchill Brothers,Pune FC and Mumbai FC in the I-League. We have a good bunch of players. Those who are in the camp have played in the senior division league. I am confident we will perform better this time, Rawat said on the sidelines of the camp being held at the Ambedkar Stadium. The Santosh Trophy begins on July 15 and the camp started on June 13. Rawat believes that time at the camp will ensure that the players are at their best. Earlier because of the hectic schedule we didnt get enough time to prepare. This time we have got over a month to prepare for the Santosh Trophy. It will help the players attain peak form as well as allow the coaches to pick the best players for the tournament, Rawat added. Delhi will miss the services of Sunil Chettri,who is attending the national camp for the Asian Games. Yes,we will miss Chettri but football is a team game so we all have to be at our best. If we play to our potential we can win the tournament, Rawat said. Fitness keyCoach Ranjeet Thapa believes the key to success lies in team bonding. Also the coach is laying emphasis on improving fitness and skill. I dont try to over-complicate things. I train the players very hard. At the same time they must remain positive, Thapa said. Two Delhi boys for u-19 campNew Delhi: Two Delhi boys were among 73 probables selected by All India Football Federation for a camp from July 12 in Goa to pick the India under-19 squad for future tournaments. Defender Nitesh Chikara and midfielder Abhisek Rawat will train under coach Colin Toal at the AIFF Training Centre in Goa. The 73 players were selected on the basis of their performance in the just-concluded National Junior Football Championships for the BC Roy Trophy. The number of players will be reduced to 30-odd later and they would be kept for training for future international tournaments.
