Bright start for Pailan Arrows

It was an exhibition match – the first practice match for Pailan Arrows in the season; and they performed in style. Despite muffing a penalty, Pailan Arrows defeated Prayag United 2-0 at the Khardah Vivekananda Stadium on Sunday — a result which Technical Director Sukhwinder Singh believes will “motivate the boys.”

Pailan Arrows

Pailan surged into the lead in the 25^th minute. In a desperate attempt to prevent Pailan striker S Sabeeth from pushing it into the net, Bapi scored an own goal. And then, Malswamfela scored the second off a solo effort in the 65^th minute. In between, Lalrozama Fenai failed to convert from the spot in the 35^th.

However, Sukhwinder wasn’t willing to go overboard. “It was just an exhibition match where all teams experiment a lot. But I’m happy with the manner the boys combined on the field,” he told www.the-aiff.com.

“Unlike other clubs, our pre-season training started late. It’s just been more than a week that all the boys have gathered in Pailan,” he informed. “We are stressing on improving the physical fitness and the technical side.”

“This is a learning process for the boys. They need to handle pressure. It’s a long season,” he added.

Pailan Arrows’ next venture is the Federation cup where they have been clubbed in Group B along with I-League Champions Salgaocar, Mumbai FC and HAL. “In football, you need to respect every opponent. All the teams are seasoned ones. We will take one match at a time,” Sukhwinder maintained.

Pailan Arrows play their first match in the Federation Cup against Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on September 18.