I-League 2017: Minerva Punjab pull up socks to spoil Churchill Brothers’ party

Churchill Brothers FC Goa, commonly known as the Red Machines, face Minerva Punjab FC at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana tomorrow (February 1, 2017).

Coach of Churchill Brothers FC Goa, Alfred Fernandes and central defender Meldon D’Silva attended the Press Conference representing the visiting side while Head Coach of Minerva Punjab FC, Surinder Singh along with the Minerva winger Simranjeet Singh attended the Press Conference for the homies.

On being asked whether he’ll tweak in the strategies after the last defeat at home, Surinder claims it was a tough opponent to meet at home and there were few defending mistakes which cost them a defeat.

“We’re prepared now for our next challenge and we like to bring the team up with confidence. The boys need confidence and once we have won three points, our morale will rise up.” Surinder adds.

When asked if the home side will prefer to attack, Surinder states, “We’ll definitely attack, but once we lose the possession, we have to defend no matter what.”

When asked about the conditions of the pitch and travel conditions, Alfred Fernandes says, “We have to get through this phase. We’re part of I-League before. We’re used to travelling around, but we only have little time to practice, which is tough on the players. The schedule is such that there can be no complaints because it’s the same for all times.”

When asked about playing two matches in four days, Surinder Singh states, “We need to bear this schedule we got and we have to put our effort in training also and we have to manage recovery for our players for our next game”.

About asked how defeating Bengaluru FC might have given the Churchill boys much-needed confidence, “When we go out on the field, it’s always 3 points in mind. Sometimes strategies fail, sometimes it works. I was the first to congratulate Bengaluru FC for their AFC campaign. It was a fabulous achievement for Indian football.”

Upon asking Simranjeet about the hectic journey for Minerva, he adds that “Yes, last defeat was a huge one for us,but now that we have Colm Sir with us, and daily we get to hear our errors and in training we work on that and we are sure will improve in the next match”.

About the weather in Ludhiana and if Melvin D’Silva and his team find it difficult to cope up, Meldon comments, “It’s cold, we have to adapt to this climate and play. In Goa, it’s very hot now,”

The match is scheduled at 4:30 PM and it’ll be telecasted live on Ten 2.