After a sabbatical, Mariners hit the grounds

Team McDowell Mohun Bagan resumed their practice sessions after a gap of around 10 days after the Mumbai FC match. Technical Director Subrata Bhattacharya, however, was spotted at the Club grounds, since the past few days, train a few young players of the squad.

Today's session saw a total of 21 players sweating it out. Odafa and Barreto were missing in action today - they shall resume practice from tomorrow onwards.
Babluda (Subrata Bhattacharya, the Technical Director) divided the players into small groups and the players played a 7-a-side match amongst each other. The players felt at ease on the grounds today. Quite a lot of goals were scored during the sessions; whenever a player made any mistake, you could see Babluda running towards him to point out his mistake. N.P Pradeep dazzled with a few stunning left-footed goals. A cool down session, coupled with a few rounds of sprinting and jogging, followed - concluding the sessions.




While talking to the press, goalkeeping coach Hemanta Dora said, "We are in a good position in the I-League and the players have got a good rest and hopefully, we will be able to win the remaining matches of I-League. The goalkeeper's position is vital in the game of football. A single mistake can cost 3 points but on the other hand, a goalkeeper can save the day by making a few good saves. I prefer sticking with one goalkeeper instead of an unnecessary rotation policy. Few years ago, when I joined Mohun Bagan, the Chief Coach at that time had the policy of rotating goalkeepers after every 2 matches, whether the goalkeeper was in good form or not. I prefer one goalkeeper, who would continue to play, while the other goalkeepers would get a chance to prove themselves in the practice sessions and in some local league matches, as well."

As per the schedule released by IFA, McDowell Mohun Bagan will play their next Kolkata League match against Aryan on the 29th of February. The last round match might be held in the last week of February.

THe IFA shield will likely be held from March 4th to March 17th - the fixture might be declared today evening.