Jeepmen on track after U-turn

After winning the Durand Cup in the build-up, Mahindra United and team coach Derrick Pereira would have definitely had plans of making a confident start to the second edition of the ONGC I-league. But with defeats against Churchill Brothers and newly promoted outfits, Chirag United and Mumbai FC, the city giants found themselves languishing at the bottom of the table after three rounds in the first leg.

Mahindra’s 1-0 win thanks to Sukhwinder Singh’s goal against Punjab powerhouse JCT at Ludhiana on Saturday may not have been an A-class performance and could be termed scrappy. But Pereira was pleased with his team finally opening their account in the I-league for the 2008-09 season.

“We actually dominated the game from the start, and could have easily finished with a bigger margin if we would have converted our chances. I was also impressed with the way we held on to our one-goal lead,” said Pereira from Kolkata, where his team is preparing for their next encounter against another newly promoted side, Mohammedan Sporting on Friday. He said that Mohammedan had a number of experienced players in their setup and would definitely not be an easy opponent to contend with. “Throughout the season we are going to take it one match at a time, and playing in Kolkata is never an easy task,” revealed Pereira.

The Jeepmen had taken an early lead in their home encounter at Cooperage against Chirag United before going down 3-1 in disappointing fashion. Pereira insisted that his team hadn’t performed to their potential but had also missed a number of chances in each of their three defeats. “The difference has been that our opposing teams have converted their chances while we haven’t. Even Mumbai FC missed one and scored of the other, while our boys miffed close to five chances,” said Pereira.

The Mahindra veteran had blasted his midfield after his team’s early losses, but insisted that the likes of Steven Dias and Pierre Djidjia Douhou were slowly but surely getting their form going. “I was surprised with their performance especially after watching them during our Durand Cup win. But it was satisfying seeing them blend well together against JCT,” said Pereira.

Another player whose performance has been under the scanner is Nigerian striker Edeh Chidi, who has struggled to find his finishing touch this season so far and is still to open his account. But Pereira insisted that Chidi was an experienced finisher and would soon turn the corner. “He is still creating an impact upfront in spite of not scoring any goals. We will definitely continue with him in the side, and I am confident that he will come good soon,” he said, dispelling any fears of Chidi losing his spot in the team.

Pereira revealed that despite making a horrible start to the season, his players were not too ruffled and were simply waiting for things to fall into place. “We are an experienced outfit and we know that in football any team can win on a given day,” he said. Pereira was of the opinion that his team was now raring to go, especially after posting their first points of the season against JCT.