JCT prepare to strike back after disastrous NFL

NEW DELHI, May 1: After the typical riches to rags story, the first National Football League champions, Jagajit Cotton Textile Mills Phagwa...

NEW DELHI, May 1: After the typical riches to rags story, the first National Football League champions, Jagajit Cotton Textile Mills Phagwara, have wiped their slate clean. For them, it is time for fresh calculations, strategies and try and avoid the mistakes which plagued them throughout the last League.

From being defending champions, the second edition of the National League turned out to be a veritable nightmare for the Punjab side. They were nowhere near the leaders, as it were, and most of the time they were struggling to stay afloat than making any serious bid for the title. In the end, they just about managed to finish seventh of the total eight which kept their places in the League.

Apart from in the Rovers Cup, the side has had no outstanding performances last season. They played the maximum number of draws and despite a 36-member team, they struggled to field 11 fully fit players.

With the beginning of the National League, JCT went for stars instead of nursing home grown talent in thePunjab. If the induction of superstars like Bhaichung Bhutia, I M Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri and Cartlon Chapman gave the side an impregnable look, their departure after just one season brought them back to earth. Despite a talented bunch, JCT banked heavily on the Nigerian imports this time which, in the final analysis, did not bring the expected dividends. There was a huge gap between Nigerians and the rest of the team even as they struggled to form into a cohesive unit.

The side also lacked the home advantage as they always 8220;played at home away from home Delhi,8221; says coach Sukhwinder Singh. 8220;We played a lot of away matches initially which was a disadvantage and the losses or draws outside put us under more pressure,8221; he clarifies.

Sukhwinder, however, feels the team put up a better show as they were capable of playing out draws against many teams.

Now, there is a sea change as far as the team is concerned. Totally star-shorn with a number of top players joining the newly-found Bengal MumbaiFootball Club BMFC, JCT have decided to go back to the local talent. On top of it, they did not even consider signing up any big names since they were already sold or they just could not fit into their budget.But they have roped in Saravanan from East Bengal, Deepak and Deepankar Roy from the Tata Football Academy TFA, Virender Singh, Churchill Brothers goalkeeper, who will replace Arvind Kumar who has joined BMFC. Others in the new-look JCT include Sanjay Majhi Mohammedan Sporting and Hardip Singh PSEB. Luckily, their star striker Nigerian Stephan Abarowei will be there to guide the side once again as his contract with the club runs till December.

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Meanwhile, JCT has offered a job or contract option to its most promising player of the year Hardip Singh. The sardar, who was in JCT last season on trial basis, is yet to take a decision. He is keeping his options open for other lucrative offers.

Sukhwinder says there will be few more new faces in the side this year once the team regroups thismonth-end. The coach was also impressed by a couple of youngsters during the Santosh Trophy tournament which concluded in Guwahati last week. Punjab lost 1-2 to winners Bengal in the semi-finals.

Sukhwinder hopes to put together a second string and even have a junior team which can be groomed to take over from the present lot. Either way, it a tough climb uphill for the former champions.

BALANCE SHEET

LOSSES

Harsharanjit Singh, Manjinder Singh, Mohammad Nazir, Arvind Kumar, Moosa Aliu, Emeka Achilefu, Abdullatif Seriki all BMFC

GAINS

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Virender Singh GK from Churchill Brothers, Deepak TFA, Deepankar Roy TFA, Sanjay Majhi Mohammedan Sporting, Saravanan East Bengal, Hardip Singh PSEB