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RoundGlass Punjab FC scored a late equalizer to secure a 2-2 draw against Churchill Brothers SC in their first game since the I-League restart. The Warriors next face new boys Kenkre FC on Tuesday.
At the pre-match press conference, assistant coach Floyd Pinto was asked by Sportskeeda if he felt the fighting spirit shown by the team in the last game had set them up well for the upcoming matches. To this, the 35-year-old said:
"Yeah, that's a given. It's something that we've instilled in the squad, not just for the game, but in every training session. So it's mandatory for every player to make sure that they're giving the 100% on the week.
"We had basically two long breaks, one before the league was rescheduled, and one after the league was rescheduled," he added. "So for players to be in that frame of mind, mentally and physically, and yet to put in that performance is a good sign."
Pinto further added the players need to be at their very best right from the get-go due to the short duration of the league.
"The league is not long, but it's very short and intense," he said. "We cannot afford to waste any time where we are not in the right frame of mind. So that's a big positive for us from that performance. There are a lot of technicalities that we can look at to improve in the game, but the basis will be for these boys to give the 100% put in another fighting performance, with better quality on and off the ball."
It's still early days in the league, but the Punjab side are third in the league standings with four points from two matches.
"It's good to have a club from Mumbai in the I-League" - RoundGlass Punjab FC assistant coach Floyd Pinto on Kenkre FC
Meanwhile, RoundGlass Punjab FC's next opponent, Kenkre FC, came away with a fighting 1-1 draw against heavyweights Real Kashmir in their first game of the season. Kenkre are the first club to represent Mumbai in the I-League since the now-defunct Mumbai FC.
Punjab's assistant coach, Floyd Pinto, who hails from Mumbai himself, lauded their next opponent for the platform they've provided to the city's locals.
"Being a local lad from Mumbai, it's good to have a club from the city in the I-League," he said. "It's a platform for a lot of local boys to express themselves and to showcase their talent, which we haven't had for a long time now.
"It's a club that I know very well, it's a club where I started my career as a coach," he added. "It's a club that has a good set of values, a good set of people working behind the scenes. You can see that in the game against Reak Kashmir. So it's going to be a tough game."
Punjab FC midfielder Kean Lewis was also present at the press conference. The 29-year-old is also from Mumbai and echoed the assistant coach's thoughts on Kenkre FC.
"It's good to have the local boys getting an opportunity to play," he said. "They don't have to go outside the state hunting for teams. It's a really good platform for the boys from Mumbai."
