F C Kochin move to the top

S Ayyappa Swamy

Prodigal Mahindra United flattered to deceive and went down 0-1 to F C Kochin in a fifth National Football League tie at the Cooperage, in Bombay, on Thursday.

The match-winner came in the first half, after T.S. Anoj slammed home a waist-high left-footer after the ball came to him from a corner-kick, taken by Dinesh Nair. India goalkeeper Virender Singh jumped out and could only parry the ball towards striker Aaron Cole, who gently tapped it towards Anoj, who did the rest for his third goal of the tournament.

The victory saw F C Kochin maintain their unbeaten run and move to the top of the 12-team table. After ten rounds they have 24 points.

For Mahindra, it was their fourth defeat, their second in a row after their 0-2 loss to East Bengal at Calcutta. They have ten points.

Mahindra played as if in a trance. They sleepwalked in the attack zone and missed chances aplenty. Striker Abhay Kumar, who teamed up with Raman Vijayan, was a disaster, missing two genuine sitters and giving absolutely no challenge to Kochin's foreign goalkeeper Sunday Seah.

Kochin coach A.M Sreedharan did not find the necessity to unseat Seah from goalkeeper to striker as he had done in earlier matches, as they had already gone a goal up. Usually, whenever Kochin are trailing, Seah sheds his goalkeeping garb and teams up with Cole upfront.

However, Sreedharan had another surprise up his sleeve when he used his No. 2 goalkeeper Dinesh Nair, who has also played for Mohun Bagan and was considered India material, as right wing-back. And Nair did a splendid job, policing Raman Vijayan, and was quick as wll to clear the dangerous balls.

And, it was off Nair's corner-kick that Kochin got the goal.

Kochin had a wonderful chance to go 2-0 up but Anoj wasted the chance after striker Hemanathan, who received a wonderful through pass from I M Vijayan, had done all the hard work and set him up beautifully.

Mahindra coach Shabbir Ali rung in the changes in the second half by bringing on Anthony Pereira for Shamsy Raza and pushing up Iranian right-wing-back Gholam Reza in the halfline. Yet, Mahindra lacked the rhythm in their play and the other Iranian Davoud Hosseni and schemer Aqueel Ansari did their cause no good by slowing down the game.

Kochin's Jo Paul Ancheri, the India captain, was strong in the defence and often moved up from his sweeper-back position. He has already scored two 35-yard free-kicks so far and almost got his third on Thursday. His shot rebounded off the defensive wall, but he was quick on the ball again, only to find his India teammate Virender Singh rising to the equation by tipping the ball over the bar.

Virender also effected two other brilliant collections and the one off Cole's close-range shot should keep his critics, who are vocal on his weaknesses off the crossball, quite for some time now.

Related reports:
FC Kochin lead National Football League race
F C Kochin stay ahead
Salgaocar close in on early leaders
Mohun Bagan well-placed after five rounds
Air India, Mahindra in a spot - Summary of Round 6
East Bengal high in the saddle - Summary of Round 7
East Bengal on top for second week - Summary of Round 8
Three in close race - Summary of Round 9