I-League 2nd Div final round begins today
SHILLONG: Royal Wahingdoh FC have made such an impact in the first phase of the I-League Second Division that they have been tagged as the “goliath of goals”, according to the official I-League website.
The Shillong club will open the first round of the final phase of Second Division with a match against former top tier side United Sikkim in Silchar on Sunday.
In the other match of the day, Kalighat Milan Sangha will play Bhawanipore FC.
The other team in the final group is Hindustan FC.
“In a year that has seen a lot of glory from North East football, we will do our utmost best and more to gain qualification. We hope that our supporters especially from the North East will turn out in large numbers to support us in this quest,” an unnamed official of the club was quoted as saying on the website.
In the first round, Wahingdoh topped Group A will 11 points and 19 goals from five outings.
Their Liberian striker Bekay Bawar is the top scorer with five goals, followed by Jackichand Singh and Atsushi Yonezawa, who have four each.
The club has registered 29 players for the final phase, including four foreigners – Bawar, Yonezawa (from Japan), Babatunde Badmus and Loveday Okechukwu (both Nigerians).
The squad left for Silchar on March 18, giving them a few days to acclimatise to the local conditions.
The final phase of the Second Division will take place over two rounds, the first in Silchar, with the follow-up in Aizawl.
RWFC and Kalighat qualified from Group A, while Hindustan topped Group B, followed by Bhawanipore.
United Sikkim received direct entry into the final round based on their recent history of being in the top tier.
“[The group stage in] Dhanbad (in Jharkhand) was a good test as it contained tough teams and matches in a short span of time. The focus is to make a strong impression in the final round of the Second Division, as none of the teams will be taken lightly,” the club official was quoted as saying.
“Eight matches in three weeks will be a tough schedule, and each match will be like a final. But the team has the right balance of experience and youth to get the result. We have to be at our best to get the better out of them.”
Despite Wahingdoh being a well established team, they have never managed to qualify for the I-League proper and have seen rival clubs like Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC eclipse them.
The Royals, and their passionate fans, will hope that 2014 turns out to be their year.