I-League Division Two 2011/12 : Final Round Preview

Seven teams, Aizawl FC, Vasco SC, Mohammedan Sporting, Kalighat Milan Sangha, United Sikkim FC, Royal Wahingdoh and ONGC FC will be taking part in the final round of I-League 2011/12 Division Two, which starts from 5th of March and ends on 17th April. The clubs will be playing each other twice on home and away basis. First leg fixtures will be held in Siliguri while second leg will be held in Gangtok.

Aizawl FC carries the wonderful tagline of “The People’s Club”. The club from Mizoram was founded in 1984 but was later disbanded, only to be revived last year. Their start in division two preliminary round was shaky, as they slumped to a loss against Ar-Hima. Aizawl didn’t lose a single match afterwards winning five out of six remaining games. They qualified to the main round after a 3-0 win over United Sikkim. The most curious feature about Aizawl FC is the absence of foreigners in their squad.

Their team is comprised fully with local Mizo lads, which makes their performance in first round all the more laudable.  David Lalrinmuana, club captain and ace striker was in good form in first round and scored a crucial match winner against Southern Samity. Other than the 3-0 win over United Sikkim, Aizawl FC’s 4-0 thrashing of Eagles FC also deserves special mention. Their defence, led by Abraham Lalrinngheta was especially impressive in the first round and kept four consecutive clean sheets in last four matches.

Mohammedan Sporting, one of the oldest and best supported clubs in Indian football has undergone a revival of sorts this season. Under the able tutelage of ex-India left-back Aloke Mukherjee, Mohammedan won the Kalinga Cup and have gone unbeaten for 24 matches since then. The Black & Whites are in the hunt for the KFL title as well after a thrilling victory 4-3 win over Prayag United in last match.

Mohammedan collected 19 points out of possible 21 in first round, the best record in this year’s division two, and will be one of the big favourites for promotion. Strikers Alfred and Stanley are both in excellent form and combined to score eight out of fifteen goals Sporting scored in first round. There was some recent controversy regarding defender Hassan but Aloke Mukherjee will be looking to steer his team clear off any unneeded problems.

In last season’s Division Two, Royal Wahingdoh swept all in front of them and won every match in first round. Sadly, injuries to key personnel had a negative impact in the final round as they missed out on promotion. After an encouraging performance in Federation Cup, Royal has once again shone in first round and topped their group without losing a single match.

Carlton Chapman has managed to retain a number of players from last season. Royal scored an impressive 18 goals in first round including a 6-2 mauling of Quartz FC. Jackychand Singh, Chencho, Seityasen Singh and Perry Kollie showcased some wonderful interplay in first round. Chapman will certainly be looking to avoid a repeat of last year’s performance in final round.

After remaining on fringes of Kolkata football for many years, Kalighat Milan Sangha has made an encouraging debut in I-League Division Two this season. They were the last team to qualify to final round after a 4-2 defeat of Samaleshwari FC. Kalighat MS were one of the most prolific sides in first round and notched up 21 goals, the most in div-2 this year.

Their five victories included an astonishing 9-0 win over Quartz FC with Adenkule and P Biswas scoring hattricks. Kalighat are also making a conscious effort to professionalize themselves. A few days back their club was converted to a “company” to meet AFC criteria and recently they launched club mascot and club merchandise. Kalighat MS are not one of the biggest names in the final round but they look all set the make life difficult for others.

A number of coaches in this year’s Division Two have identified Baichung Bhutia’s United Sikkim FC as one of the favourites for promotion. USFC finished second in their group behind Aizawl FC but two of their games were marred by controversy. A number of players including Baichung were suspended for alleged assault during their match against Green Valley FC while Ar-Hima coach accused USFC of match-fixing, prompting the club to threaten legal action against him.

For United Sikkim, Baba Thunde, Thoi Singh, Quinton Jacob and Daniel performed well in first round. United’s 7-2 win over Quartz FC was possibly their best performance this season. Baichung also found the back of the net twice. Having experienced players like Baichung, Baba Thunde (top scorer in div-2 in 2009/10), Govin Singh and Daniel Bidemi and ex-East Bengal coach Philipe De Ridder certainly gives the Snow Lions a big edge in the final round.

One of the oldest clubs in Goan football, Vasco SC is the only club from Goa left in the competition. Last season Vasco came tantalizingly close to promotion but missed out by a whisker. A bitter legal battle ensued between Vasco and AIFF, Lajong FC regarding Lajong’s use of Tuboi as the Goans made a last-ditch attempt of promotion, to no avail. Vasco has not managed to replicate the form of last season as they narrowly edged out Langsing FC in the last match of Delhi round to qualify to final round.

Their performance in Goa Super League has also been ordinary, finishing bottom after collecting just 12 points in 13 matches. For Vasco, Agnelo Colaco was especially impressive in first round as he scored a number of goals, including a brace in the final match. Vasco will need to improve their performance from first round if they are to get promoted this season.

After JCT’s disbandment last season, ONGC FC remains the only relegated team from 2010/11 season to participate in this year’s Division-2. ONGC, winners of I-League Division-2 in 2009/10 season began last year’s I-League with a lot of fanfare but ultimately failed to live up to the hype. They finished rock bottom at the end of season winning just 5 out of 26 matches. After relegation it seemed as if ONGC were going the JCT way as all footballers were released. However, ONGC decided not to disband the club and thus they are back in division-2 this year again.

The team has not played a lot of competitive football in recent times, as they didn’t participate in first round. They compensated the lack of Div-2 football by participating and winning the All India Public Sectors Football Tournament and All India Gold Cup, Jaipur in the past months. ONGC defeated Airport Authorities of India 2-1 in the final of the first tournament and followed it up with a 3-2 win over AG Kerala in final of the Gold Cup. Like all public sector teams in India, ONGC’s football future also looks uncertain at this point of time as they are yet to comply with AFC criteria. It is unlikely that ONGC is going to repeat their performance from two seasons back when they captured the Div-2 title.

Click here to see complete list of I-League Division Two fixtures.

Source: .thehardtackle