Air-India, older and wiser

Air-India, debilitated by injury and suspension, limped their way to retaining the Mumbai Super Division title and the Durand Cup semifinals.The squad eagerly awaits the return of first-choice goalkeeper Yusuf Ansari who is suspended until February 1998 after incidents in the last League.

But as the side builds confidence, goalkeeping appears to be the lone anxiety.

Second-choice Partha Das is recovering from a knee injury and will miss a match or two. Shyam Sawant, who shaped poorly in the Rovers Cup, will continue tending goal until then.

Ghosh, however, will miss sturdy defender Radhakrisha Dube, ruled out of the NFL with an operated knee.

Air-India play Mohun Bagan in their opener on Saturday and Salgaocar next Monday, both at the Cooperage.

But injury worries still linger. Captain and versatile mid-fielder Taposh Ghosh, with a strained groin, is a doubtful starter for Saturday’s match. Another mid-fielder Khambition Singh will lead the side in his absence.

Training at their own ground at Kalina, coach-manager Bimal Ghosh is still upbeat.“We have no super stars but we compensate for it with speed, stamina, discipline and hard work,” Ghosh said. An essentially attacking side, Air-India comprises versatile players, many of them starting careers as strikers. The Mumbai outfit are the only indigenous side in the NLF. With little chance of recruiting foreign players — owing to the public sector undertaking’s restriction on foreign recruitment — Ghosh has had to mould resources at hand.

While distant sixth last season rankles, it could well have been a satisfactory performance under the circumstances.

Ghosh reflects on what went wrong last season: “I think we were over-confident when it came to our home matches. The result — we lost vital matches to Salgaocar, Dempo and JCT.”

Air-India were also debilitated by happenings in two matches. Incidents that led to an abandoned match against Salgaocar resulted in the suspension of first-choice goalkeeper Yusuf Ansari and star striker PJ Jose along with Salgaocar’s Uday Konar.

“But the team seemed to lose its way after a traumatic loss to East Bengal in Calcutta in front of unsympathetic spectators,” Ghosh said.

“But my boys are richer by far from the experience and I dare say we are better equipped to handle such stress this time round.”

Godfrey gets into gear

Godfrey Pereira is looking for a return to form that made him Player of the Tournament at the inaugural Philips National Football League (NFL) last season.

The virtuoso mid-fielder by his own admission has had an indifferent season after his exploits in the inaugural NFL. Much of it has to do with a groin injury sustained during the Nehru Cup early this year and the endowed attacking mid-fielder has often played at half-pace in the airmen’s campaigns this season.

But Pereira would give fans hope with his optimism as he trained with the squad in Mumbai for Air-India’s NFL opener against Mohun Bagan on Saturday. Pereira said: “I’m playing better now than in the past several months although I haven’t shaken off the injury.”

Pereira scored six goals in the NFL where Air-India finished sixth but will count heavily on support from striker Anthony Fernandes. Fernandes, noted for his opportunism, underwent knee surgery recently and Pereira hopes to see the striker’s sharpness in front of goal once again.

“We need Anthony’s golden last touch along with his dash in the box that made for many of our successes,” the 27-year-old international said.