FC Kochin holds Mohun Bagan

By Our Special Correspondent

KOCHI, FEB. 10. In the end, it was only a fair result as FC Kochin, twice in arrears, recoiled in fine fashion to hold Mohun Bagan to a 2-2 draw in the V National football league at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday night.

The needle match between the top two teams after the fifth round, in fact, had all the right ingredients to keep the impressive turnout entertained throughout the day. And left to remember was the brilliant long-ranger from Jo Paul Anchery in the second session which stood out as a real gem from among the goals that were scored tonight.

Missing the services of its Liberian striker, Aaron Cole - temporarily suspended after drawing two cautions - FC Kochin undoubtedly had started on a disadvantageous note. But what pushed it to the back seat eventually, as Mohun Bagan pressed hard to translate its known prowess in the midfield, was the poor form once again shown by the home team playmakers.

Other than Rashidi Wiliams, none came up to the expectations to match the brilliance of their rivals who thus were left with only the straightforward job of relaying the ball to their colleagues upfront.

Both James Singh and Basudeb Mondal, left with ample room to maneouvre, created havoc in the FC Kochin goal-area right from the early stages, pushing the ball with uncanny ease to a waiting Jose Barreto and R.C. Prakash. With R.P. Singh and skipper Lolendra Singh also getting into the act, it seemed, at least during this phase, that the Kolkata powerhouse was in for an easy run. The home team defence was often hardpressed to keep the marauding forwards at bay. It was not successful in stopping Mohun Bagan from taking the lead.

However, the initial goal struck by R.C. Prakash was more or less born out of the confusion caused by the FC Kochin defence itself. Trying to catch an advancing Prakash, in the off- side trap, the FC Kochin defence only cut a sorry figure as Mohun Bagan, making progress through the right with ball in possession, cleverly side-stepped the danger before being left free to conquer Sunday Seah under the home team bar.

But, for a side which was enjoying overwhelming superiority, Mohun Bagan, surprisingly chose to defend its slender lead rather than try to consolidate its position. And when I.M. Vijayan moved from the middle to the firing line, the home side was helped not only to make its presence felt for the first time in the match but also to return the compliment from Prakash.

The sudden change of tactic in moving Vijayan upfront to join Eugene Gray had the Kolkata defence often in two minds and this gave the latter the opportunity to equalise, scoring off a well- measured Hemanathan pass with a rousing right-footed volley.

Mohun Bagan regrouped its resources in the search of a second lead-goal. This time, however, its efforts were met with stiff resistance from the home team which warded off the mounting danger with quick counter-attacks. But all the same, Mohun Bagan was not to be denied the lead with James Singh finding the target off a Prakash cross from the right.

FC Kochin, as has become its usual practise, brought in Seah into the frontline after the interval after getting defender Dinesh Nair to don the keepers' jersey. The Liberian was not to let his team down and it was a foul on him which gave Anchery the opportunity to negate the advantage held by Mohun Bagan.

The goal was almost a replica of the one scored by the Indian defender against ITI on Monday. Awarded a free-kick from almost the same spot from where he had converted that goal, Anchery blasted the ball past a bemused Bivash Ghosh, who was reduced to the role of a mere spectator even as the ball crashed into the net.

That the two teams could keep up the momentum through the rest of the remaining period was what the day memorable. This notwithstanding the many chances missed by the forwards of both the teams. FC Kochin, now with twelve points, will stay back home for its next outing against JCT on Sunday, while, Mohun Bagan, in the lead with 14 points, will return back to meet East Bengal on February 17.

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