Mahindras make winning start

MUMBAI, JUNE 7: The resurgent Mahindra and Mahindra football team is again on a roll. The team have started this season in the same fashi...

MUMBAI, JUNE 7: The resurgent Mahindra and Mahindra football team is again on a roll. The team have started this season in the same fashion they started last year. They won the Mammen Mappillai Football Trophy at Kottayam on May 13 defeating State Bank of Travancore SBT 2-1 in the front of the latter8217;s homecrowd.

Last season, the National Football League team started the season with a win in Dhanbad Tournament in Bihar and then went on to win two more tournaments 8212; the Chief Minster8217;s Cup and Durand Cup both at New Delhi.

Runner-up to Bengal Mumbai football Club BMFC in the local Western India Football Association Super Division, Mahindras managed to improve their performance but failed to make it to the Super Six at Calcutta.

Reacting on Mahindras recent win, coach Syed Shahid Hakim said, 8220;The team is shaping up well and I am convinced we will put up a good show in the Super Division.8221;

It seems Olympian Hakim has injected new life into the squad since he took over last year.

Initially,Mahindras were interested in roping in the top guns, but, settled with some easy birds. Critics in the city felt that Mahindras should have recruited better players. Trying to convince the sceptics that his selection is correct, he went to Kottayam to play a tournament without much practice and preparation.

Hakim, however, is not basking in the glory of his team8217;s recent victory. 8220;We wanted to assess the new players and just wanted to have an idea how they combine. Some thought, we might not perform well, but I decided to play and it paid us at last.8221;

Story continues below this ad

8220;Sport followers have a very short memory. They will not remember what we did last year in Durand and Rovers,8221; added the soft-spoken Hakim.

Is fitness a problem for the Mahindras team.

8220;Fitness will not be a problem as my players are taking care. I hope they don8217;t get serious injuries,8221; concluded Hakim.

Hakim will be relived as he will have some options in the front after Abbas Ali Rizvi Air-India, Mohammed Najeeb and Nitin Pradhan both FCKochin decided to wear Mahindras colours. They will support striker Manjit Singh who has developed into a new terror for the defenders. The critics in the city will be soon silenced since strikers are coming up in abundance for Mahindras.

8220;Since Aqueel Ansari from Churchill Brothers have joined us, I have a player who can hold the ball along with Shamshi Raza,8221; he added.

Story continues below this ad

Hakim will have a strong mid-fielder comprising Raza, Satish Minz, Andrew Loius, Sanjay Rawal and seasoned Santosh Kashyap.

With Christopher Dempo and Surmani Singh Dempo joined Bernard Operanzie, Naushad Moosa, Sushanta Mazumdar, Ramesh Razak, Lakshman Bisht in deep defence, there will be less load on the mid-field.

And above all, they have the national goalkeeper Virender Singh, who donned national colours for the SAFF touney which India won in Goa.