SHILLONG: Buoyed by their comeback against Dempo in the last match, Rangdajied United FC are a more confident lot going into the fourth round encounter against Churchill Brothers and the JN Stadium, Polo, on Thursday at 3:30pm.
I-League debutants Rangdajied were under tremendous pressure after two consecutive defeats in the tournament but Santosh Kashyap’s boys rallied from a 0-2 deficit to salvage a draw that gave them the first point of the League.
“The boys are more confident now…the fear of I-League has almost subsided. The comeback against Dempo has given us a boost,” coach Kashyap said during a press conference here on Wednesday.
Kashyap, however, is wary of defending champions Churchill.
“Churchill are a great side and it will not be an easy match,” Kashyap said.
While their foreign players are unlikely to take the field for RUFC on Thursday, captain Eugeneson Lyngdoh is fit for the game.
Lyngdoh said the team are looking for their first victory of the tournament.
Both Rangdajied and Churchill are yet to register a win in the I-League so far and the statistics make the match critical for the Goan side.
“We should have won (a match) by now,” Churchill Brothers media manager Watson Fernandes said, adding that the team will go all out for a victory.
Fernandes said his side are also wary of the vocal home crowd, who add to the pressure for visiting teams and the club may miss the services of striker Henry Antchouet.
