SBT seek another Cooperage blessing

MUMBAI, Nov 17: Rain threatened on the eve of the 98th Bristol Rovers Cup football tournament but it's hardly likely to dampen State Bank of...

MUMBAI, Nov 17: Rain threatened on the eve of the 98th Bristol Rovers Cup football tournament but it8217;s hardly likely to dampen State Bank of Travancore8217;s SBT enthusiasm of doing one better than at last year8217;s edition and making the quarter-final stage.

And not just because the Kerala-based side is used to 10 months of rain back home. The southern side that takes on Mumbai-based counterparts, Bank of India BoI tomorrow at the Cooperage, have fond memories of the venue stemming from a shock 1-0 win over Salgaocar Goa in the Federation Cup pre-quarterfinals last season.

The Kerala bank side are thinking of the next crop of players, according to coach, former international NM Najeeb. The current squad averages just 20 years of age with only old hands Sivakumar and CV Sonny boosting the squad8217;s experience in the absence of Juju Jacob defender and Feroz Sharif goalkeeper who are at the India camp for the Asian Games.

For all their buoyancy, SBT must be wary of Bank of India, who won the All-IndiaInter-Bank tournament at Thiruvananthaparum recently. Besides, the Mumbai bankmen are playing at home and enjoyed a fairly good Super Division league where they finished fourth.

The other match on the opening day of the two-tier tournament pits Punjab State Electricity Board PSEB against Mini Rovers qualifiers Chennai Customs.

PSEB, riding on a high after finishing champions of the Punjab league, must find their opener easy picking. The Chennai side finished runners-up to Mumbai8217;s Central Railway in the Mini Rovers and are likely to struggle finding their feet in the company of the Punjab outfit, SBT and BoI as they vie for a spot in the quarter-final league stage.

The teams appeared pleased with the playing surface, usually the target of critisism for outstation teams. Apprehensions, however, linger on the floodlighting which has always been far from adequate at the Cooperage.

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The quarter-final league stage gets under way on November 25. The quality of competition hinges on the availability of topstars, busy at the moment at the selection camp for the Asian Games.

The tournament has already been hit with crowd-pullers Mohan Bagan Calcutta, the reigning National League champions, declining invitation to participate but the entry of a foreign side 8212; Iranian Club of Dubai 8212; augurs well for spectator interest.

Eighteen teams 8212; 10 seeded straight into the quarter-finals 8212; will vie for honours and a top prize of Rs 3 lakh. Local fans will root for Air-India, resurgent Mahindras and Bank of India. With a sizeable Goan following in the megapolis, Churchill Brothers, Dempo Sports Club and 1996 champions Salgaocar are not going to be far from home.