By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Two of the State’s well known football teams Royal Wahingdoh FC and Langsning SC would lock horns in what would be a historic encounter in the final of the 60th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Bordoloi Trophy to be played at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Friday. It is the first time that two clubs from Shillong would compete for the coveted title.
Wahingdoh are high on confidence after their performances against Langsning in recent times but coach Carlton Chapman has cautioned his team against complacency.
“The boys are high in spirits and we are confident of a win. But we cannot afford to take Langsning lightly. Any team can prove dangerous in the final of a tournament, so we have to be on our toes,” Chapman said while talking to The Shillong Times.
Wahingdoh had defeated Langsning 2-1 in the semifinal of the Shillong Premier League on Monday.
While Wahingdoh would field a full strength squad in Friday’s final, Langsning are plagued by several injuries to key players. Star defender Samuel Arhu, who suffered an injury in Wednesday’s semifinal, is doubtful for Friday’s encounter.
Another worrying factor for Langsning is the inconsistency on part of its players of late which resulted in goals at crucial stages of the match for their opponents. Langsning’s 0-1 loss to Ar-Hima in the Shillong Premier League semifinal on Wednesday can be cited as an example.
When contacted, Langsning coach L Darlong said that the team’s performance has to shoot up before they fancy any chance of claiming glory in the historic Bordoloi Trophy final.
“I am not satisfied with the present performance of the team especially in the semifinal against Green Valley on Wednesday.
“The players took the match lightly,” he said.
“We would have won by a huge margin if our boys had played to their potential,” Darlong added.
Darlong said “Wahingdoh would be a tough nut to crack and we have to pull our socks to beat them in the final.”
Talking about injury to key players Darlong said a final call on whether to play defender Samuel Arhu would be taken in the morning.