Vasco: On a roll after snapping Minerva Punjab’s unbeaten run of five games, high-flying Churchill Brothers will look to carry the momentum forward when they take on the defending champions Aizawl FC at the Tilak Maidan ground here on Tuesday.
With five wins in the last six, the Red Machines are currently seventh on 13 points from 11 games and just a win away from displacing Aizawl — who are a notch above on sixth with 16 points from the same no of matches.
“The win against Minerva have put the boys in right frame of mind after we lost against Neroca,” said coach Alfred Fernandes.
“From here on, we are looking to win all our remaining matches which will not only get us out of the relegation zone but also help us finish at a decent position,” he added.
The addition of new foreign imports has changed the dynamics of the team that failed to win a single game in 2017. They lost all the five games they played, but at the turn of 2018 have drawn against East Bengal, beaten Minerva Punjab and won four of the six games they played. With their only defeat coming against Neroca.
“It is my belief that if we had this whole set of foreigners from the beginning, we could have been in the top two and even heading the league table with some distance,” Fernandes quipped.
Aizawl on the other have slumped to sixth after beginning their campaign with a draw against East Bengal and a 1-0 won over Churchill Brothers. They come into the match on the back a loss and two consecutive draws but coach Paul Menezes assured that his side will be aiming for all three points.
But Churchill Brothers are not the same team they were when both the sides last faced in December and Menezes will well be aware of that as he will be of Aizawl’s goal scoring woes.
“You cannot compare this Churchill Brothers to the one that played in Aizawl with us. They have improved a lot.. It will be a very tough game. We are ready to play against them but we know it will be difficult. They are a very competitive team and they are improving. It is not the same Churchill Brothers,” said the Portugese.