Its hard to blame the Federation Cup organisers for scheduling Shillong Lajongs clash against Royal Wahingdoh at 4 pm. The 7 pm start,on the final day of group matches,would surely have had to involve Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers,boasting of a match-up between the strike duo of Sunil Chhetri and Odafa Okolie,Indian footballs highest-paid player. Unheard-of,unfancied Wahingdoh,however,had defeated both these behemoths. With Lajong also beating Bagan and dumping them out of the competition,the first-ever Shillong derby outside the Meghalaya capital suddenly became a big deal. And the Wednesday afternoon start,suddenly,looked a terrible idea,as the game began with only a smattering of spectators at the Balewadi Sports Complex. The most vocal group consisted of a group of youths who were classmates of Lajong winger Eugeneson Lyngdoh at the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering in Alandi. Every time the referee ruled against Lajong,they belted out chants of Ye andar ki baat hai; referee unke saath hai. Another reason for the low turnout was that few had expected Wahingdoh to get past the qualifying phase and be in the main draw. Zohmingliana Ralte,a Lajong defender who wasnt part of their squad for Wednesdays match,was watching from the stands. Asked what it meant to see two Shillong clubs battle for a Federation Cup semifinal spot,his response was that he hadnt thought it would happen. We were actually quite shocked, said Ralte. But its definitely a big moment for Shillong football. And Shillong footballs depth doesnt just stop with Lajong and Wahingdoh. Theres also Ar-Hima,who play in the I-League second division,and Langsning is a good team as well, said Wahingdoh defender James Singh. Punching above their weight Wahingdoh managing director Dominic Sutnga was bursting with pride at his teams rollicking ride in the tournament. We knew we were an unknown quantity,and that we could surprise teams with our pace and skill. A little disappointing,but we always knew it was going to be a Group of Death,and Im proud of the way weve measured ourselves against these teams, he said. We have only one player with I-League experience,our big centre-half Kareem (Omolaja),whos played for JCT before. Considering that,to have done so well against teams of this stature was indicative of the kind of talent we produce. Sutnga also said that the slick,possession-based style of the two Shillong teams was the way ahead for Indian football. The problem has always been that long ball from the defenders to the strikers, he said. Its not worked for the last 35 years and its not going to work in the future,so this is the way to go passing the ball through midfield.
