Gritty LoneStar Kashmir FC thwart spirited Kenkre FC

by Kaushal Shukla November 16, 2015

Kenkre FC held LoneStar Kashmir FC to a 0-0 draw in the Western Conference game of 2nd Division League at Cooperage on Monday evening. The game was always on the knife edge, but neither team could produce that spark which was needed to take home the three points.

The home side Kenkre FC started with with new signing Loukik Jadhav in midfield alongside Samuel Bradley, while Ivorian striker Yao Kouassi Bernard started upfront flanked by Taha Kachwala and Deepak Prakash. Skipper Nitesh Aswani started at the heart of the Kenkre FC defence.

All three of the LoneStar Kashmir’s Maharashtrian contingent, Farukh Choudhary, Altamash Syed and Asheer Akhtar started the game for the visitors alongwith skipper Kamaljeet Kumar.

The hosts started the game better of the two sides as Ivorian striker Yao Bernard raced clear on the left flank, but failed to apply the finishing touches as he got into the box in the 2nd minute of the game. Kenkre FC were enjoying good spell of possession and were controlling the proceedings in the first half an hour.

There was little threat from the visitors, while Kenkre FC came close to taking the lead in the 15th minute when Samuel Bradley’s long range  effort just sailed wide of the goal.

Kashmir FC however came closest to opening the scoring in the 30th minute when Kenkre FC goalkeeper Siyas P’s punched corner fell to Gagandeep Singh inside the box. The Kashmir No. 5 struck a sweet volley which was kep out at full stretch by Siyas in the Kenkre FC goal.

The visitors were once again denied by Siyas’s heroics as the goalkeeper tipped a vicious drive from Altamesh Syed on the to the crossbar, two minutes later. The game opened up after a tight opening thirty minutes of play and Kenkre FC too came close to taking the lead in the 36th minute, when confusion in the Kashmir FC defence gifted the ball to Yao Bernard in goal, but the tall Kenkre FC forward could only lob the effort over the bar.

In the first minute of first half stoppage time, a well worked move from LoneStar Kashmir FC  saw Ifaam Tariq get into achres of space inside the Kenkre FC box, but the strikers finish was disappointing as he blasted his effort over the target.

The game remained goalless at half time and it was the visitors who enjoyed the best of the chances, despite the home side keeping the greater amount of possession.

The game remained on a knife edge in the second half and Kenkre FC’s Yao Bernard’s shot came agonisingly close to firing Kenkre FC into the lead when his clever turn left the Kashmir FC defence reeling.

Both teams made changes as Arun Naigal came on for Ifaam Tariq for the visitors before Prathamesh Rokade replaced Yash Mhatre just after the hour mark. But the substitutions failed to make the desired impact as the game lacked innovation in the final third from both sides.

Taha Kachwala had an inspired evening on the left flank and looked Kenkre FC’s bright spot during the game. He won a free kick in a promising position for Kenkre FC in the 80th minute, but the eventual free kick was too heavy and evaded majority of the targets in the box.

Both teams didn’t show a lot of adventure in the dying minutes of the game as they had to settle for a share of spoils as referee William Koshy signalled the end of the game.

Despite lacking the goals, the game wasn’t short of intensity and was there to be won, but neither team did enough in the end to grab the three points.