BFC seek to build on away win

Hosts take on resurgent Shillong Lajong today

After a month and four games without winning, Bengaluru FC’s victory away from home against Goan side Salgaocar early this week was a major shot in the arm for them.

With the race heating up for the top spot, Ashley Westwood’s side will again have bring their A game to tackle Shillong Lajong in an I-League encounter here at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Sunday.

Both sides have enough reasons to be highon confidence. BFC are second in the table and a win on the morrow would certainly help their cause as they try to stay among the top dogs. A victory for Shillong, on the back of a fine run which sees them ùnbeaten in six games, could take them to fourth in the table depending on other results.

An intriguing subplot in the match is the presence of both Pradhyum Reddy, assistant coach, and Johnny Menyongar, the midfield rock who has been one of the standout performers, in the BFC ranks after having served Shillong with distinction during their time there.

In fact, Pradhyum was the manager when Shillong won the second division of the I-League back in 2011.  Westwood did concede that having Reddy was an advantage for every game. “Not only for this game. It’s an advantage having Pradhyum for every game because he is a good coach,” Westwood said.

With just an inferior goal difference keeping BFC from top spot, expectations are high but the former Blackburn Rovers assistant manager wasn’t willing to look so far ahead.  “We are not really expected to win the league. I can’t really ask for anything more from my players as long as they keep applying themselves on the pitch.”

Thangboi Singto, coach of Shillong Lajong, did not think the presence of Menyongar and Pradhyum in the opposition roster was a hindrance to his side’s chances.

“Not really (if they would have revealed any secrets of the team’s make up). The technology that is available today is so vast no team has any secrets any more as everything is out there in the open anyway,” Singto said.

One player who both the home centre backs – John Johnson and Curtis Osana – will have to shepherd relentlessly is the Trinidad and Tobago forward Cornell Glen. A player who represented the tiny Caribbean island at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Glen is one of the leading scorers in the current campaign with six goals and will be looking to breach the BFC defence.

With both teams having no injury concerns apart from the odd niggle, which is understandable, chances are bright of a free-flowing game.