By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay
I-League Media Team
NEW DELHI: Pune FC, unarguably the first club to underline the necessity of growing a well-structured football academy, is the most successful Indian club while it comes to age-group football. They were crowned champions in consecutive two seasons (2011-12 and 2012-13) and finished runners up behind AIFF Elite Academy last season. The youngsters from Piramal group owned club will travel to Mumbai to face PIFA Sports Club at All Saints School ground, Bhiwandi in their opening fixture on 18th October, 2015. Incidentally, this encounter is slated to be the inaugural match of U-18 I-League this season.
The Red Lizards are not going to throw the towel before the whistle and are determined to clinch the silverware this season. Coach Naushad Moosa can’t forego the wounds from last season and the boys are truly determined to turn the table now, “We put up a great performance last season but just fell short of being the champions. We have learnt from that experience. The team is in good shape and we hope to give an even better performance this year.”
The team has lots of new recruitments as the earlier batch of the academy graduated. Kerala-born Md. Ashique Kuruniyan, who was with the India Under-19s, will be the vital cog in Pune FC’s campaign. Coach follows an interesting theory of rolling captains to infuse responsibility and leadership within the players so that they could become strong enough to lead a team in the crisis.
Dimple Bhagat, who has already donned the national jersey, will lead the defence line. Gaurav Bora, Rajat Kumar, Tarif Akhand, Gursimrat Singh and Amos Lalnienga would provide him assistance in the backline.
Pune FC are coming in the battlefield with lots of confidence, thanks to their dazzling performance in the recent tourneys. Apart from playing a couple of tournaments in Pune, they have finished as Runners up in Evolve Cup which included U18 I-League teams. Pune FC were in the semis in Ashok Vanjari Memorial Cup where all local Super Division teams competed. Of late Administrator’s Challenge Cup was triumphed by Pune FC U17s and a few players from the squad will be infused in the U18 team as well.
Coach Naushad Moosa is utterly focussed to win U-18 I-League and he has every right cause to expect that, “We have been working since August towards this competition. Having played a few tournaments, we know our strength and weaknesses and have focussed our attention on those in the past few weeks. The boys are excited and motivated ahead of their first game.”
