I-League Pre-Match Report : Salgaocar FC vs Shillong Lajong FC

Shillong 2nd March 2015

Salgaocar Football Club will play host to Shillong Lajong FC in an I-League encounter at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Tuesday at 4:30pm.

Thangboi Singto’s side are coming into this fixture after a 3-4 defeat to Mohun Bagan in what was a tight contest at the JN Stadium, Shillong last Friday evening.

Cornell Glen and Uilliams Souza Silva provided the goals with the former scoring a brace for the Reds. However, it was a very unlucky day for the Lajong Back Four, as they conceded two early goals in the match and the defensive lapses allowed Sanjoy Sen’s side to score two more goals in the second half, and took back home all the three crucial points.

The team will look to have a better game plan for tomorrow’s match and start to pick up points as they have managed to earn only 6 points so far from 7 matches played this season. Lajong recently played in Goa against Dempo Sports Club last month where they beat the Goan side by Two goals.

In a pre-match press conference held in Goa, Coach Thangboi Singto said that the entire squad are at his disposal and is looking forward to an intriguing contest against the Greens.

“Salgaocar are a good side and have one of the most experienced coaches in the country”, he remarked.

“This has been a very competitive league and there is not much of a difference in terms of points. A couple of wins can see a team quickly climb the ladder”, he added. He however did express satisfaction over his foreigners Cornell (Glen) and Ulliams (Souza) finding the back of the net in recent outings.

Meanwhile, Salgaocar FC faced two consecutive defeats both games being away from home. They lost to Khalid Jamil’s side 0-3 and were defeated by newbies Bharat FC in Pune with the latter winning 2-0 at home on 22nd February. After gaining fitness and nursing a very critical injury, Daryl Duffy who was the top scorer last season, will most probably be included in the starting line up in the tie against Lajong. The Greens from Goa will clearly make use of his services to the fullest as they desperately need to score goals which they failed in their previous two matches.

Derrick Pereira’s side have obtained 8 points from 7 matches played in the League so far and playing on home soil will assuredly be an added advantage. Last season, Salgaocar won 2-0 against Lajong in Goa and lost 1-2 in their away match in Shillong.

“We will look to overcome the disappointment of the last 2 outings and go out looking for all 3 points tomorrow. Unfortunately, injuries to key players since the start of the I-League have had an impact on our performance. The 2-week break post the game tomorrow has come at the right time for us”, concluded the Salgaocar gaffer.

Beyond doubt, both teams will give their all in tomorrow’s tie at the Fatorda Stadium. As for the Reds from the North East, it is highly important to amass a win in order to better their standings in the League as a win will take them to 7th place with 9 points.