Railmen look to ground Pilots

KOZHIKODE: It was supposed to be a Mumbai derby played out on a grand stage. When the seedings were done, the groups were split, the semifinal line-up was made, the expectation of the organisers, fans and the media at large was that Air India would line up against their rivals Mumbai FC in the final of the fourth EK Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup, which will be played on Wednesday at the Corporation stadium.
But a little-known team from Kolkata crashed the proposed Mumbai party. BN Railway, under the guidance of an astute coach in TB Roy Chowdhury, came from behind to stun the I-League side Mumbai FC and enter the final. And in the final, Chowdhury is sure that Air India, who thumped Southern Samity 5-1 in the other semifinal, will find the going tough.
"I can tell you now that the final is not going to end in 90 minutes, it will go into extra-time! We will fight tooth and nail in the decider and will neutralise the strong Air India attack," warned Chowdhury, after a practice session on the eve of the clash.
The coach is quite clear what needs to be done to achieve his goal. "The dangerman in the Air India side is Japanese midfielder Takayuki Omi. If we can keep a leash on him, then Air India will struggle to create chances," he said.
And when chances do come their way, he is sure his boys will be up to the task. "Even while we were trailing Mumbai FC 2-1 at halftime, I told my boys that this is a game of 90 minutes. Chances will come. If we can keep our positioning and focus for the full 90 minutes, we are capable of beating any side," he added, reflecting the mood of a side that has been on a high ever since finishing runners-up in the All India Railways football tournament earlier this month.
Air India have had some impressive results, with Dempo and Salgaocar counting amongst their scalps in the I-League this season. But of late, their form has dipped and coach Santosh Kashyap is hopeful that this tournament could change his side's fortunes around.
"We have been playing according to our expectations and style so far but we cannot rest on past glory. The final is a one-off match and the 3-1 win we had against BN Railway in the group stage counts for nothing. We expect a tough fight but with all players fit and available, we will come out all guns blazing," said Kashyap.
Captain Ezeh Henry has showed an eye for goal throughout the tournament and set-piece specialist Royston D'Souza is another to watch out for. Goalkeeper Pawan Kumar is another class act and his performance will also be vital.