On the final day of the I-League, Gokulam Kerala held Kolkata outfit Mohun Bagan to a draw in a 1-1 result which saw Asier Dipanda and Henry Kisekka score a goal each.
Speaking of the crucial match at Calicut, head coach Bino George stated that both teams had equal opportunities to get on the scoresheet. Also, the gaffer had words of praise for the tournament. ‘’The heat was a big factor for both teams. We were playing against a big club like Mohun Bagan who had a chance to win the title. Both teams got chances to score. I-League's ending was more beautiful than that of Indian Super League. It was colourful,’’ he commented.
The coach has his plans set for the future as he looks forward to involving more local lads. ‘’My vision is to bring more Malayali players into the team. If we can make an Arjun (Jayaraj), (Mohammad) Rashid and Salman (K), why not more?’’ he discussed. ‘’We have plans to go to Dubai for an exposure trip. Academy selection is scheduled for the end of the month. It is a good step up for Gokulam,’’ said Bino while revealing the club’s vision.
‘’When Kerala Police played, 10 Kerala players played for the national team. We need to bring that (national team representation) back,’’ added George whose team will compete in the qualifiers of Super Cup, owing to their seventh-place finish.
Ugandan striker Henry Kisekka’s presence in the Malabarian side has been pivotal and the coach wants to retain the star player. ‘’Henry Kisekka is receiving big offers from big clubs. We are trying our best to make him stay. There's also a player from Macedonia who has joined us for the Super Cup,’’ claimed the Gokulam gaffer.
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan head coach Sankarlal Chakraborty looked proud of his ‘brave’ boys but believed they should have found the net in the second half. ‘’The players showed excellent courage but we needed to score in the second half. As a coach, the players met the expectation. But for a team like Mohun Bagan, the situation is hard,’’ he expressed.
The Mariners ended their 2017-18 campaign on the third spot with 31 points but Sankarlal wasn’t disappointed with the result as he concluded saying, ‘’As a Bengali, I always see Mohun Bagan at the top.’’