Team Herald
VASCO: MARGAO: Newly appointed Churchill Brothers Football Club head coach Dereck Pereira lived up to his word that his new strategy would re-energise the team as the players raised their game by several notches and translated their superiority scoring three clear goals against DSK Shivajians of Pune in a well-contested Hero I-League national football match at Tilak Stadium, Vasco.
There was total transformation in Churchill Brothers showing. There was better order and greater stability, specially between the half line and the attacking formation. Certainly, individual play was curbed with the result there was very good team work, good coordination with everyone contributing their mite. They were well prepared for the task, although the defence appeared somewhat shaky at times.
That Churchill Bros fully merited the victory which was even rightly echoed by Shivajians coach David Rogers at the post-match conference. “All credit to Churchill Brothers. They deserved to win. They created chances and emerged at the top. No excuses for our defeat even though we were close to scoring as 17-year old substitute Pranjal Bhumu’s shot rocked the crosspiece on its way out before Man-of-the-Match Anthony Wolfe drew first blood minutes later in the 18th minute of the second half. Churchill Bros celebrated the escape and four minutes later they consolidated the lead through Kromah. These two chances virtually sealed our fate. Our performance in the second half is just not acceptable. I have no complaints whatsoever,” remarked the foreign coach in the candid interview.
Certainly, Dereck did his homework well and as promised, he brought in few changes with Naveen Kumar taking charge of the goal and striker Chesterpoul being shifted to the right wing upfront. Like a maestro, Dereck managed to create a near-perfect symphony which was acknowledged by one and all with captain Wolfe, Kromah, Brandon, Bektor excelling in their respective roles. That’s where experience and exposure count and this is exactly what Dereck proved, with the coach being able to get positive responses from the players who were definetly well motivated by the newcomer. He kept up to his word indeed.
The victory gave Churchill Brothers a new lease of life. “It’s a good lifeline and that’s the beauty of the national football league. I repeat what I said yesterday – any team can beat any side at any time, and that’s what happened today. I am not complaining that I could not field five senior players of mine solely due to injuries.
“It was a big blow to play without the core of my team and so I injected young blood and they did admirably. But in the end, credit should go where it belongs to, and the hero is Dereck, who is responsible for the overall transformation of Churchill Brothers game,” sounded David.
“We must improve still more. Our defence needs to show more solidity behind and their understanding with the half-line needs to be raised. Overall, the organisation was good with all three goals, and especially the third one, bearing the stamp of class. There was marked improvement in the team’s performance today.
“While the exchanges in the first half were almost even with Churchill Bros having a slight edge, the second half was dominated by us with calculated moves in which Wolfe and Krohma gave a harrowing time to the Shivajians defence. And, goalkeeper Naveen gave plenty of confidence to the defenders. He performed to the best of his ability.
“All in all, this was a good preparation for our next tough match against Mohun Bagan on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. We have five more days to plan our next strategy,” summed up Dereck, who insisted that it was a team effort and that it is God who had answered his prayers. “All praise to God,” repeated Dereck.
Finally, the atmosphere in the Churchill Brothers camp got a big boost with scenes of jubilation among the players, officials and fans of Churchill Brothers including CEO Valanka, who had a congratulatory chat. That also reignited the hope that with great leadership, one can hope for good results which will showcase Goan football. So, all eyes now will be on Saturday’s encounter where one will look for Churchill Brothers doing an encore against Mohun Bagan.
