Last week, the Yellow Submarine finally ended their 10 games winless run after a 2-1 win over relegation battling side Shillong Lajong. The win has also moved Mumbai F.C two place up to 7th in the I-league standings. Though Mumbai F.C need only a point in their last match, Khalid Jamil’s side will be surely looking to end their season on a high note with a win, and as it is a derby Mumbai F.C will hope to take a sweet revenge on their bitter rivals.

History 

The club was founded in 1987 and got promoted to the Pune Super Division, the top football league in the Pune district of Maharashtra, in 1989.

Then in early 2013 the club announced their intent to make it at the national level of Indian football by asking for direct entry into the I-League, from the All India Football Federation, along with Dodsal. However in January 2013 it was announced that instead of direct entry, DSK would have to participate and finish in a top two spot in the 2013 I-League 2nd Division if they want to win promotion to the I-League.

DSK did participated but couldn’t managed to qualify from their group. Though in November 2015, DSK’s permission of a direct entry was approved by the AIFF, making them the second club to represent Maharashtra in this season’s I-league.

Head Coach

Derrick Pereira has been DSK’s head coach who was appointed at the start of the I-league 2015/16 season. Pereira’s coaching career began when he began coaching Salgaocar U-19. That was a job which he held for two seasons. Next came coaching the first team at Vasco SC which he did for five seasons till 2005. Another prominent assignment was coaching Mahindra United from 2005 to 2009. Then in June 2009 Pereira signed on with Pune FC, where he has now managed for two seasons, leading them to top-five finishes in each season.

 At the start of 2013-14 I-League campaign Salgaocar replaced David Booth with Derrick Pereira. Salgaocar started the 2013-14 I-League brightly and at one time led the table for 6 gameweeks, but a rough patch of 8 games, which included 4 straight losses, derailed their campaign and saw them lose the title to Bengaluru FC. Salgaocar finished their campaign at 3rd place, which was a marked improvement over their past two campaign finishes.

Back in 1980’s, Derrick played for Salgaocar before moving to Tata Football Academy for one year. In 1986, Derrick once again joined Salgaocar and stayed there till the end of his career in 1999.

Key Players

Cameroonian Asier Pierrick Dipanda Dicka has been DSK’s best player so far, with the front man scoring seven goals of DSK’s sixteen goals this season. It will be quite fascinating to see how the Cameroonian adapts at Cooperage’s turf which is quite difficult to play on. DSK also has one of India’s best defender Sandesh Jhingan who has been impressive for both, the National team and his club. The gritty defender could be the difference when Mumbai meets DSK on Sunday evening. The clash on Sunday will also welcome back Sampath Kuttymani who had played for Mumbai F.C in the last couple of seasons, he too has been impressive for Derrick Pereira’s side. Not to forget, DSK is led by none other than the ‘Spiderman’ Subrata Pal.

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More than a month back on 18th March, an injury time goal in the title decider match by Mumbai F.C’s Rohit Mirza spoiled Air India’s party as O.N.G.C were declared as the new holders of MDFA Elite Division title.

Air India just needed a draw from this game to prevent O.N.G.C from leapfrogging them but luck wasn’t on their side at Cooperage that night. With this loss Air India slipped to 3rd with Mumbai F.C moving one place up to 2nd.

There were upsets pulled off, records broken, and even standouts performance throughout the season but only eleven players has made it in the team of the season, and deservedly so.

Goalkeeper

Sheldon Raghawan (Union Bank of India) – UBI had the 5th best defense of the league, it wouldn’t be fair if Sheldon didn’t get the credits he deserved. His reflexes, saves, distribution was second to none. Even though UBI leaked goals at the back, if not for Sheldon they would have conceded a lot of goals and could have finish their season a lot lower in the final standings.

Defenders

Ashish Pawaskar (Union Bank of India) – Another UBI player in the list and the final one too. Ashish’s game reading was top notch throughout the season, along with his game sense Ashish’s hard tackles will be surely remember by his opponent players. The no. 21 was the link between UBI’s defense and midfield. Apart from playing at the back, he also played as a defensive midfielder when needed.

Santosh Koli (Air India) – Like any other season, Air India had the best defense of the season. Conceding only 9 times in all, the mighty Air India proved how much essential an experience defender in a side is. Santosh Koli is one of the most experienced player in the whole league. Defending has been an art for Koli who has not only set an example but also proved how defending can win you matches. His agility, positioning, aggressiveness has earned him a place in the team of the season.

Wayne Vaz (Air India) – Santosh Koli’s partner in crime, Wayne Vaz. The duo has set the bar very high for anyone to overtake. Along with Koli, Wayne too had a tremendous season overall. Top notch man-marking, game sense, tackles and becoming a threat on set pieces, these are the qualities Wayne inhered.

Joshua Vessoakar (Mumbai Customs) – Undoubtedly Mumbai Customs best defender of this season. Getting past him was not as easy as it seemed to be. His defending abilities helped Mumbai Customs to concede only 12 goals in total, same as Mumbai F.C and O.N.G.C.

Midfielders/Attacking Midfielders

Raynier Fernandes (Air India) – The attacking midfielder is the reason behind Air India’s destructive attacking display. Raynier scored five goals this season and also provided couple of goals, his link-up play with his teammates has been top notch. Raynier’s quick feet, dribbling skills has already proved that he is very skillful. His performance this season also earned him a spot in Maharashtra’s team who reached Santosh Trophy final where they eventually lost to Services.

Taisuke Matsugae (Mumbai F.C) – The Captain of Mumbai F.C has also made his name in the team of the season after a splendid performance in Elite Division. Despite playing less number of matches, the Japanese midfielder scored six times and assisted thrice for the Yellow Submarine. His presence on the field has helped Mumbai F.C in both domestic and as well as I-league games.

Aaron D’Costa (Air India) – Just like his teammate Raynier, even Aaron has proved to be one of Air India’s best player this season. Aaron orchestrates Air India’s midfield along with Raynier to find spaces behind their opponent’s defense with their sharp vision. Aaron has the pace, skills and game sense which has made him a good prospect. The attacking midfielder also represented Maharashtra in Santosh Trophy.

Deepak Irmali (Mumbai Customs) – Easily Mumbai Customs best player this season, Deepak Irmali has proved his team and management that he can step up on big stage too. Playing on the flanks for Mumbai Customs, Deepak helped his side finish in top 5 this season where he found the back of the net six times, more than any Mumbai Customs player. His crossing and vision is has been a key element for both, him and his club.

Forwards/Strikers

Parminder Singh (O.N.G.C) – The joint top scorer of this season’s Elite Division has proved to be a potent threat for his opponent for throughout the season. The lanky striker has netted eight times this season where four of them were scored against G.M Sports in a single match. Parminder is a complete fox in the box player as he is very lethal when inside the box.

Ennock Annan (O.N.G.C) – Parminder’s partner in crime, Ennock also made his presence felt on the field for O.N.G.C after scoring seven goals in this season of Elite Division. His sudden burst of acceleration has left many defenders behind this season. Apart from his pace, Ennock’s finishing has been fantastic for the whole season. If not for him and Parminder, O.N.G.C wouldn’t have clinched the title, that’s for sure.

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Khalid Jamil’s side who is at the bottom of the league needs to win this tie anyhow to stand a chance of surviving this season.

The Gaffer himself accepted its a must win match for The Yellow Submarines.

“Everytime we have face Lajong it hasn’t been a easy match. If you take them leniently they will punish you.”

“Tomorrow is our last chance, its a do or die situation. It will be very difficult to beat them considering their better record against us.” Head Coach Khalid added.

When asked about what changes does Mumbai F.C need, Khalid said: “Our home performance has been good but we have been quite bad in away games.”

“We have played defensive football in most of our games, given our situation we need to play attacking football now.” Khalid said ahead of their game against Shillong Lajong.

“Other than Pratik, who is suspended for tomorrow’s game, rest everyone is fit and available.” Khalid said when asked about the availability of players.

Khalid seemed quite impressed with  Lajong’s Forward Penn Orgi who is having a great season so far.

“Penn has been good this season, he scored two great goals in their last match. Along with Penn even Lajong’s junior players has been impressive.”

Like Khalid, Lajong’s gaffer Thangboi Singto also spoke about the importance of tomorrow’s match.

“A good result is a must for us and as well as for Mumbai FC. It is going to be a tough game as the last game against Goa we didn’t perform as we expected to. We are professionals so we’re ready to take all the challenges tomorrow.”

“Mumbai FC has one of the best individuals, foreigners and as well as Indians. They have good players in each of the positions.” Thangboi added.

Thangboi also announced that Defender Aiborlang Khongjee will miss the match following an injury.

“Aiborlang Khongjee has not travelled with the squad as he is injured. Along with him, our Brazilian Striker Uilliams is suspended and will miss the match.”

On the competitiveness of I-league, Thangboi said: “This is a competitive league, you have to fight for every position, right from the top to bottom.”

“This is the ground where we had our best result in the history of Lajong. So playing on artificial turf won’t bother us.” Lajong’s Head Coach Thangboi added.

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Over the years Mumbai F.C has played Shillong Lajong 14 times. The latter has an upper hand with seven wins whereas Mumbai F.C has four wins to their name. It will be quite interesting to see which outfit will come out on top when they lock horns on Sunday.

Let’s have a look at the last five league games played between the two sides:

Mumbai F.C 2-3 Shillong Lajong – 23^rd October, 2013

Cornell Glenn’s heroic was enough to give Shillong Lajong all three points against a mighty Mumbai F.C side when the Trinidad & Tobago Striker scored two past Kunal Sawant in a 3-2 victory.

Current Mumbai F.C’s Captain Taisuke Matsugae scored the opening goal on the 6^th minute, not for The Yellow Submarines though. Before joining Mumbai F.C in 2014, Taisuke played for Shillong Lajong alongside Minchol Son who will ironically represent Mumbai F.C when they meet on Sunday.

Taisuke’s opener was levelled by Sandjar Ahmadi just ten minutes later with a swift strike past Shillong’s custodian Vinay Singh. In the second-half, Cornell Glenn scored, not once but twice within twenty minutes to give Shillong a splendid 3-1 lead.

Mumbai F.C’s defender Ritesh Perambra did pulled one back in the injury time but it was too late too little as Shillong Lajong ran out as winners.

Shillong Lajong 1-2 Mumbai F.C – 30^th March, 2014

In the corresponding fixture at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Khalid Jamil’s men came from 1-0 down to win the match 2-1, thanks to Alfred Jaryan and Defender Ashutosh Mehta’s goal which completed a sensational comeback.

Cornell Glenn had opened the scoring on the 19^th minute whose powerful strike left Mumbai F.C’s Goalkeeper Nidhinlal absolutely no chance to keep it out. However, Mumbai F.C resorted parity in the first minute of first half stoppage time with a goal from Alfred Jaryan.

The Yellow Submarines took off from where they had left in the first half and seized the control of the game right from the outset in the second period. Mumbai F.C were rewarded in the 50^th minute when Ashutosh Mehta scored to complete the comeback and put Mumbai F.C in the lead on enemy territory.

Shillong Lajong 1-0 Mumbai F.C – 25^th January, 2015

Mumbai F.C travelled to Meghalaya Capital in the newly season of HERO I-league 2015-16 in order to emulate the same result they inflicted on Shillong a year back.

But it proved out to be fatal for The Yellow Submarines as Boithang Haokip’s strike on the 58^th minute turned out to be decisive. Khalid Jamil’s side couldn’t break Shillong’s backline who stood like a wall in front of Mumbai FC.

This was also the first time Taisuke Matsugae faced his former club in I-league.

Mumbai F.C 0-6 Shillong Lajong – 3^rd April, 2015

This was undoubtedly one of the most one sided match between both the clubs. Shillong Lajong travelled to the commercial capital in hope to do a double against The Yellow Submarines and they did succeed, by registering a mammoth 6-0 victory.

Cornell Glenn and Penn Orgi scored two quick goals in the first half to put Shillong in front and continued their dominance by scoring four more goals in the second half.

It took Zodingliana Ralte and Cornell Glenn just six minutes in the second half to put the tie to bed after yet another quick-fire goals. Uilliams Bomfim and Milan Singh scored the 5^th and 6^th goal in the injury time to complete a 6-0 rout.

Shillong Lajong 0-0 Mumbai F.C – 10^th January, 2016

Mumbai F.C put up a decent display but had to settle for a 0-0 draw in their opening match of HERO I-league 2016 season. With some new faces in the side, a draw at Lajong was nothing but a good result for both the clubs.

Both sides had their share of chances, more so in the first half, but failed to capitalize on them. Despite having to share the points, The Yellow Submarines gulped the fact that it’s much publicized new core brigade delivered at the highest level when it mattered the most.

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Since defeating Bengaluru F.C 2-0 at Cooperage Stadium in January, Khalid Jamil’s men has gone without registering a win in their last 10 I-league matches. Mumbai F.C’s home record has stayed intact though where The Yellow Submarines are yet to lose a game at their fortress.

Ironically, the last team to get the better of Khalid Jamil’s men at Cooperage Stadium was none other than Shillong Lajong itself when they defeated The Yellow Submarines 6-0 last season.

History

Formulated by Shri Kitdor Syiem and P.D. Sawyan, two football fanatics from the city of Shillong in 1982, the aim was always to put Shillong on the map of Indian Football. Together with a group of friends and supporters, they commissioned a semi-professional club aptly called Lajong Football Club literally translating into “Our own” or “of the people”.

However, their dream took its own time to realize and twenty seven years later, Shillong Lajong gained promotion to the I-League. Since then the Shillong outfit have been a main stay in the I-League and has further realized the dreams of their two founders.

Shillong Lajong gained promotion to the I-league for the 2009-10 season but unfortunately finished at the bottom of the table and got relegated in the 2^nd Division of I-league. It took Shillong only one season to get back into the top tier of Indian football when they defeated Mohammedan S.C 1-0 in the 2^nd Division Final round.

Head Coach

Thangboi Singto has been Shillong Lajong’s First Team Head Coach since 2014, when he took over as interim manager of the club, who were at that time fighting for their lives in the I-League with just 15 points from 17 games. Singto quite tactfully steered them to safety and since then has been at the helm of the Shillong based club.

Singto has instilled a great attacking style of play at Shillong, which our fans very well know from their great win over Mumbai FC last season. Shillong Lajong are expected to be out with the same approach this time out as Thangboi Singto believes they are stronger than last time out.

Key Players
Cornell Glenn departure to Mohun Bagan saw Shillong Lajong replacing him with Brazilian center forward Fabio Henrique, who has been terrific this season along with Uilliams as the duo has scored 7 goals combined so far. Midfielder Penn Orji has also proved to be the catalyst for Lajong with 2 goals to his name. In the defense, Aiborlang Khongjee and Zodingiana Ralte who was not only impressive in the Indian Super League but has also continued their fine form in I-league.

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Mumbai F.C. started to pressurize I.C. United from an attacking front; creating a handful of early half-chances to hold I.C. United on the back-foot, as the latter fancied hitting – a high-positioned three-man back-line – on the counterattack.

I.C. United constantly appeared to have found gaps in the Mumbai F.C. back-three, but failed to exploit them from open play, largely because the player in support found himself stationed in an offside position or a player in possession of the ball failed to win a one versus one situation.

While Mumbai F.C. dumped unsuccessful long-balls into their two front-men after quickly circulating the ball in the midfield area, I.C. United received a number of free-kicks in and around the final-third area due to the inability of the M.F.C. back-three, who failed to effectively defend in a three against two defensive situation, largely due to the fact that they had negligible amount of defensive support from their wing-backs.

For a large proportion of the first-half, I.C. United’s back-line struggled to cope with the quick attacking pair of Mumbai F.C. strikers, but they stood compact and resolute whilst M.F.C.’s long-ball approach.

Around the 28th minute, Mumbai F.C. created a good opportunity from down the right-side, but Kishan Dubey could only see his shot through straight into the goalkeeper’s gloves. Both sides were lacking creativity in the attacking area of the pitch as they man-marked each other in midfield; while creating opportunities down the flanks and through dead-ball situations.

As the half came to a closure, both sides were locked at 0-0 with neither side able to take full advantage of the number of opportunities, which fell at their disposal.

The second-half started-off in similar fashion as like the first-35 minutes of the game. And with the 2nd-half through its 1st quarter, Mumbai F.C., who saw more of the ball as the half progressed – continued to disappoint with their long-ball approach, which lost its effectiveness as the game progressed.

The game reached its boiling-point, when both sides came agonizingly close to scoring the opening goal, first, when I.C. United missed-out on an one-on-one chance and, later, when Mumbai F.C.’s fluffed a potential header opportunity.

With both sides still at 0-0 by the end of normal-time, the match headed into a penalty shootout, which I.C. United comfortably won 3-1. Rakesh Karmaran failed to convert from the spot, which gave I.C. United an edge in the shootout, initially. With both sides converting their second penalty, neither team converted their 3rd and decisive penalty. Abhishek Patil missed the 4th penalty for M.F.C. while I.C. United converted theirs, leaving M.F.C. out of the second division winner’s spot chase as I.C. United somehow carved their way into the finals of this year’s tournament.

Note: Mumbai F.C. has been promoted to the 1st Division of Mumbai District Football Association, but have lost-out on a chance to promote into division 1 as winners.

The post I.C. United march into the final of Division II after a 3-1 win on penalties over Mumbai F.C. U-17 appeared first on Football Counter.

Mode of Competition
The teams in the group will play Preliminary League on a single leg basis. The three teams standing 1st, 2nd and 3rd after completion of the Preliminary League from each group will be qualify for Super Six. later another Preliminary league on a single leg basis between six teams. First two will be the Winner and runners up for the season 2013-2014. There will be no relegation hence below 14 teams will be there for the next season 2014-2015 with other 2 qualified teams from the super division. 

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