Myngken Christian HSS takes on T.G English School, Manipur
Shillong, Sep 10 : The final of the 63rd Subroto Cup Junior Boys International Football Tournament will see an all North East Clash on Wednesday as Myngken Christian Higher Secondary School, Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya will take on T.G English School, Bishnupur, Manipur at the Ambedkar Stadium.
The match will kick-off at 3:30 PM with Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman, Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society, as the Chief Guest, and renowned Indian athlete and 2023 Asian Games silver medallist Harmilan Bains as the Guest of Honour.
T.G English School will look to be only the second school from Manipur to win the title in Subroto Cup after Ibemcha HSS won back to back to titles way back in 1979 and 1980. The school from Bishnupur has already bettered their performance from the 2023 edition where they were knocked out in the semi-finals by the eventual champions Govt. Model SSS.They began their 2024 campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Indore Public School, Madhya Pradesh, 7-0 in the first group match following up with another strong performance, overcoming Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya, Bhaktapur, Nepal, with a 4-0 victory. In their last group match, a 1-1 draw against Chowbaga High School, West Bengal, saw them advance to the quarterfinals on the strength of a superior goal difference. In the quarterfinals, they edged out Amenity Public School, Uttarakhand, 1-0, thanks to Mianithoba’s crucial strike. Their semi-final clash saw a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Sri Lanka Schools Football Association, securing their place in the final.
H. Imo Singh, Coach, T.G English School said, “We are fully prepared, both mentally and physically, and confident about tomorrow’s final. Our goal is to bring the trophy home to Manipur. We respect Meghalaya as a strong team and will not underestimate them. Having participated in the Subroto Cup four times, I can say it’s always been a great experience.”
Myngken Christian HSS, Meghalaya will be playing their second Subroto Cup final, their previous one was 13 years back in 2011 when they lost to NCC West Bengal and Sikkim Battalion 2-1. They have been rampant throughout the tournament and will look to be the fifth team from the football crazy state of Meghalaya to lift the Junior Boys trophy after St. Anthony’s HSS, Shillong in 1978, Government Boys HS, Shillong in 1999, Om Roy Memorial School, Shillong in 2013 and the latest being Hopewell Elias HSS, Shillong in 2013.
They had an explosive start to their campaign, thrashing St. Francis Xavier High School, D&D & DNH, 23-0 and continued their strong run by defeating defending champions Govt. Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 37-B, Chandigarh, 1-0, with Banganson scoring the match-winner . The front three of Meghalaya, Banganson, Alicestar and Mebanlamiynit have been in terrific goal scoring form throughout the tournament scoring 28 goals between them, Banganson has scored ten goals including two hat-tricks in the quarterfinal and semi-final clashes while the other two have scored nine each.
“It will be a tough game against a strong Manipur team, but we are well-prepared for the challenge. We’ve defeated some good teams, including last year’s champions Chandigarh, and our boys have worked hard to reach this stage. We are determined to give our best and make it a memorable final. Overall the Subroto Cup has been an incredible experience for us, and the organisation has been outstanding. We’re excited for tomorrow’s match and will do everything we can to be the champions.” Kitborlang Kharlukhi, Head coach of Myngken Christian Higher Secondary School, shared his excitement ahead of the final.
The final promises to be an exciting affair and there are many names that will be heard again in the years to come and their journey, like many others before them, are likely to begin at the hallowed turf of Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium.