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The coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club, Sanjoy Sen, desperately wants to exorcise the ghosts of last season by sealing the issue in the penultimate match itself when they meet local Kolkata rivals Bhowanipore Club in a final round tie of the 2nd Division I-League at the Bangalore Football Stadium later today.Mohammedan Sporting, then coached by Aloke Mukherjee, could not get the better of United Sikkim FC last year in a game where the former needed to win, while a draw was enough for the latter to qualify for the I-League. The match ended 1-1 and USFC got promoted.This time round, Mohammedan Sporting Club – 17 points from 8 matches – need just one point from any of their last two engagements to qualify for the I-League 2013/14 season. But Coach Sanjoy Sen is wary of the heartbreaking encore.
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“Last year, we all know what happened. Mohammedan Sporting failed to beat United Sikkim right at the end. The match ended 1-1 and United Sikkim qualified as they needed a point. So in football nothing can be guaranteed. We don’t want to leave anything till the end. The lesson is learnt,” Sen said.
Sen added that their opponent in Bhowanipore Club are a more balanced outfit and have the experienced Brazilian duo of Jose Ramires Barreto and Hudson Lima Silva to boost their arsenal.
“They are a more balanced side than us. Their midfield is very good. They will also go for the kill for obvious reasons. It will be a good contest. The likes of Barreto and Lima add to the threat. Everyone knows what they are capable of.”
“But man marking is not my style. I prefer zonal marking. So there is no special plan as such to stop the duo. But of course we will pay them due respect and track their moves,” Sen continued.
Bhowanipore Club have dropped into third place with 13 points from 8 matches behind Shillong side Rangdajied United FC, who have 16 points from 9 matches.
Two of these three clubs will be gaining promotion to the I-league with Langsning FC, Mumbai Tigers FC and Southern Samity out of the promotion race.
