Kolkata: 2012 was the last time an I-League match was played in Kerala that ended with the dissolving of Chirag United. Five years later top-division football returns to ‘God’s own country’ when debutants Gokulam FC take on Chennai City in their first home match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kozhikode on Monday.
It will also be for the first time in decades, that two teams from South India are plying their trade in the I-League and ironically, both remain winless after the first round matches. While Gokulam suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat against Shillong Lajong away from home, Chennai were humiliated 0-3 by a string of U-17 boys that played in the AIFF developmental team, Indian Arrows.
Coach Bino George of Gokulam, making his home debut is however confident of his team’s chances. “This is our first home match. It is always great to play here. I was along with the Viva Kerala team, the previous I- League club from Kerala, and a return to the venue is an unforgettable experience,” said George ahead of the match against Chennai.
Despite fielding a young and an entirely new team Gokulam however put up a decent performance in their debut I-League match and George hopes that the home atmosphere works in their favour.
“We had a hostile weather but the boys did well. We could have won the match had we not lost several of our chances. I have worked on more on this problem and I hope the match would become a treat for the spectators,” said the former Mohammedan SC player.
The newbies will however miss Nigerian defender Chigozie who has been ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury in the previous encounter.
“We need to be more compact in defence and midfield. The unavailability of Chigozie is a loss but not a major concern as we have players to replace him,” added George.
Chennai City on the other hand will hope to regroup before the match and get back to winning ways after a shambolic defeat against the Arrows.
“No excuses we were outplayed in the first match but we are capable of playing much better than we did against Arrows. Gokulam is a pretty strong side and at home, they will have the backing of the big crowd. But we are quite confident of our abilities. We will be playing attacking soccer and will be aiming for a win,” said head coach Soundararajan.
The away side however unlike most other sides lacks experience of top flight football and Soundarajan although admitting the lack of proper exposure wants his players to give their best shot.
“Only three players have played top-tier football in the team. It will be a hard match but we will try our best to not lose the match and save at least a point from the away game,” he added.