FC Mangalore secured provisional pole position in the ongoing U-14 Karnataka Youth Premier League being conducted in Bangalore across various venues. The team has now played three matches – against Rebels FC, Stadium FC and Football Academy of Bangalore – winning all of them by handsome margins.
This is the first exposure tournament for these FC Mangalore players and despite all of the weekend travel and overnight stays, the lads have shown enormous grit and determination throughout the process and have created a great sense of camaraderie among the group.
The come-from-behind victory against defending champions Stadium FC was truly special as the lads dug deep to turn around the game in the second half.
FC Mangalore’s Media team sat down with Head Coach Sanju Gopalan post a training session in Deralakatte to share his views on the season so far.
“It has been a wonderful journey so far in this competition and the lads have really stepped up to the challenge. The quality of football on show is of a very high standard but we have shown that we are ready to compete with the best in the region. I am really proud of the effort and dedication of the group. Having said that, there is a long way to go and much more to achieve until the season is over”, he said.
“It has been a wonderful journey so far in this competition and the lads have really stepped up to the challenge. I am proud of the effort and dedication of this group”
– Sanju Gopalan, Head Coach FC Mangalore u-14s
Meanwhile Assistant Coach Mohammed Hasil V reflected on just how challenging this competition has been for the lads considering the current state of football in the region.
“Most of these boys haven’t played any competitive football in the past two years on account of Covid-19 and in general, the local football scene offers barely 4-5 matches in an entire season. This competition has been revolutionary for the children as they are getting some much needed exposure which will go a long way towards their overall development and raise the standard of the game in the entire state of Karnataka”
Technical Director Biby Thomas, currently in Bangalore with the Karnataka State team has been closely following the team and guiding the coaches and players along with way
“Firstly, credit goes to the KSFA for providing this wonderful platform for developing football in the state. Competitions like these will go a long way towards football development. Secondly, I truly appreciate the work of the coaches to put this all together in a short period of time. They have been tested to their very limits and they have delivered when it mattered most. Lastly, to our players, who are our main priority at all times – win or lose, it is the overall holistic development that we constantly seek at this level.” he concluded.
