SBT fifth after second win

SBT fifth after second win
ENS AND AGENCIES

Ludhiana, Feb 5: State Bank of Travancore scored their second straight victory, beating Border Security Force (Jalandhar) 1-0, to leapfrog to the fifth position in the fourth National Football League on Saturday.V Shahji scored the all-important goal off a long pass from Leander Thomas in the 15th minute of the first half and SBT then warded off some good attacks from the securitymen to take three points at the Guru Nanak Stadium here.

The bankmen have 20 points from 13 matches in the 12-team league and were placed behind Mohun Bagan (25), Churchill Brothers (24) and Salgaocar (20), all of whom have a match in hand. BSF, with six points from the same number of matches, are 11th.

JCT face ITI
LUDHIANA: Winners of inaugural edition of NFL Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills, Phagwara, will lock horns with ITI Bangalore on Sunday. JCT, with 18 points from 12 encounters, are still in the reckoning and are expected to go all out to garner full points against ITI, whom they had defeated 3-1 in their awaymatch at Bangalore on January 25.

ITI, with 11 points at the end of 12th round, would bid to improve their standing. While the visitors would have five foreign recruits (two Ghanians, two Nigerians and one Uzbek) in addition to some outstanding local players among them, JCT would depend on local talent.

The only worry for coach JCT Sukhwinder could be absence of star performer Hardip Sangha, who had yet to recover from an ankle injury sustained during their match against Churchill Brothers. Hardip Gill, also on the injury list and who had to miss the FC Kochi match, was reported fit and would join his team-mates on Sunday.

Bagan on a roll
CALCUTTA: Riding the crest of a string of victories, Mohun Bagan will seek to capitalise on home advantage when they play Salgaocar on Sunday.Despite having won their last few matches, Bagan can hardly afford to be complacent against the former champions in what promises to be a keenly contested encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Bagan are at the top ofthe points table with 25 from 12 matches while Salgaocar have 20 points from as many.