AIFF Media Team

MUMBAI: Mumbai Kenkre FC’s season of despair is coming to an end. They have already been relegated and the last two matches, to be played at home, can only give Akhil Kothari’s men something to cheer about if they win.

Their opponents on Monday in the Hero I-League 2022-23, here at Cooperage Stadium, will be Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU). The team from Imphal cannot finish higher than third in the Hero I-League even if they win their last two ties and everything else falls into place. However, finishing as high as possible would give them a better place in the Super Cup qualifiers.

Both coaches are aware of the little rewards to be had in Monday’s game. In the pre-match press conference, Kothari said, “Our aim is to keep making progress even in tomorrow’s match.” He naturally added, “We’re only focusing on executing our own plans, not thinking about TRAU.”

Leimapokpam Nandakumar Singh, the experienced TRAU coach, complimented Kenkre. “I think they are a good side but unfortunately they’ve not been able to do well this season. I think they started playing better in the second half of the season and were unlucky not to get more points. Hope they are competitive tomorrow and we can see a good match.”

However, he sounded confident about grabbing full points. Singh revealed his No. 1 goalkeeper has still not recovered from injury but otherwise everyone in the squad is fit.

The match will be telecast live on Eurosport, DD Sports and Discovery Plus OTT platform from 7 pm.