MARGAO
After registering their first point of the season in the I-League in their last match, Churchill Brothers Sports Club return to action in an away match against debutants Gokulam Kerala FC on Monday with new confidence.
The 1-1 draw against Kolkata giants East Bengal helped the Red Machines to get on board after a disastrous run of five losses and the result should provide the perfect tonic ahead of their clash at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode in Kerala.
Churchill Brothers showed great improvement in the match against East Bengal. They are turning into a more enterprising side and not much over-dependent on any player. The midfield though needs to be tight and errors be kept to a minimum if they are to avoid panicking under pressure. With the 4-4-2 formation that coach Alfred Fernandes adopted in their last match working well, in all probability the system will be continued.
"Whatever has happened in the past can be changed, that should be our motivation. But even bigger motivation will be to get all three points. I'm looking forward to one good performance from my players," Fernandes said ahead of the match.
Churchill Brothers will look to Ivory Coast striker Koffi Mechac to inspire them. The striker made his debut against East Bengal and scored the equaliser in the last match. Hussein Eldor (Lebanon), Cisse Gwada (Gambia) and Bektur (Kyrgyzstan) are expected to play Churchill's next home match on January 19 after the second transfer window opens on January 15. It is how well Churchill Brothers hold fort in the midfield and their sharpness in the attack that will decide the outcome against the hosts. There will be definitely be no easy pickings as the Gokulam are determined to make most of their home advantage. Gokulam Kerala FC have 4 points from 8 matches while Churchill Brothers are languishing at the bottom with 1 point from 6 matches.
Minerva win
SHILLONG: William Opoku Asiedu produced the solitary goal to guide Minerva Punjab FC to a 1-0 win over hosts Shillong Lajong FC in an intense Hero I-League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.
In a fast-paced game, William scored the only goal of the match in the 58th minute to continue Minerva Punjab FC's fairytale run in the ongoing league. Both teams started off on an offensive note right from the start of the game with Minerva Punjab taking a more aggressive approach. Lajong however, were holding their own against their opponents.
