MARGAO
A confident Goa take on Assam in the opening match of the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2023-24, at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, Yubia, Arunchal Pradesh on March 21.
Head coach Charles Dias is clearly excited about the possibility of going one step further of securing the semi-final spot as they had to contend.
Goa have been clubbed in Group A along with hosts Arunchal Pradesh, Meghalya, Assam, Services and Kerala.
With a finely-tuned team comprising a decent mix of dashing youngsters and battle-hardened seniors at his disposal, the Sesa Football Academy coach Dias was raring to make an early impact in the tournament.
Team Manager Sanjiv Nagvekar expressed his confidence in his team, ahead of the upcoming Group A clash against Arunchal Pradesh.
“We are very excited to start. We have a lot of youngsters and experienced players as well. We are training well and we will forward to a strong start, in a competition that will be difficult for everyone,” said Nagvekar.
“I’m happy with what the team’s performances at the start of this season. In the last two editions of the Championship we could not reached the semi-finals, and everyone is dreaming of reaching the final. We are now playing away and this is good for us,” he added.
As for the game, the Manager said: “As I mentioned earlier, we are in a good period, but the National championship is completely different and we will face Arunchal Pradesh which is also a different team from last season. They have a good coach and a lot of good local lads but we are ready to compete.”
Nagvekar added: “I feel very good. I’m a positive guy and we have many players who are talented but it doesn’t mean anything. I know everyone is excited but we have to be calm, and go game by game, step by step.”
“All the players are ready, and is in good condition,” he said when asked about fitness of the players
"We must be careful. Everybody is ready to perform but it’s good for the competition and the fans. “We cannot rest too much between games, it’s tough but fair for all teams. We must focus and avoid mistakes.” he further added.
“Our group is not easy, but Goa is fully prepared and we hope to qualify as the group toppers. We’ll take every match separately, as they come,”Nagvekar concluded.
SANTOSH TROPHY SQUAD
Vellington Fernandes, Jobern Cardozo, Necio Fernandes, Joel Colaco, Deeshank Kunkalikar, Leewan Castanha, Lloyd Cardozo, Vinay Vijay Harji, Clencio Pinto, Shridharnath Gawas, Umang Gaikwad, Daniel Gomes, Laximanrao Rane, Delton Colaco, Mohammed Faheez, Mohammed Ali, Joshua D'silva, Joseph Clemente, Dattaraj Gaonkar, Sanij Bugde, Antonio Dylan Da Silva and Ozen Vivian Silva
Sanjiv Nagvenkar (Manager) Charles Dias ( Head Coach) Severino Fernandes (Assistant Coach) Dr Aaron Rodrigues (Physiotherapist)
