Chennai: On a day of contrasting matches, Wesley outclassed Bhavans Rajaji Vidyashram 5-0 and Velammal (Panchetti) withstood a late rally from St. Patrick’s for a 2-1 result in the Chola MS Schools Premier League football tournament here on Friday. After six matches at MCC School ground, action will shift to St. Michael’s at Adyar next week.
The difference in class between Wesley, coached by SAI’s I.K. Unni, and Bhavans was evident from the first whistle. Even though the smaller boys of Bhavans tried their best to stay in the match, Wesley’s superiority reflected in the score line. I. Sohel Ahmed and M. Uma Shankar scored a brace each. V. Gopinath gave Wesley the lead in the 13th minute and the score line stayed that way until the break. If Bhavans had found the back of the net in the first 30 minutes, they could have approached the second half with some confidence.
Even though goals were fewer, there was certainly more entertainment in the Velammal-St. Patrick’s match. Velammal looked the better side at the outset but they went up thanks to a blunder from St. Patrick’s defender S. Akash. Instead of booting the ball away inside the box, the little boy tried to dribble the ball to safety and paid the price. He slipped during his adventure and K. Tharun Kumar slammed the ball home from point-blank range. The second-minute goal was indeed a gift.
Velammal enjoyed a greater share of possession but that didn’t result in another goal until the break as St. Patrick’s defence held firm with Akash growing in confidence. The mistake seemed to have steeled the resolve of Akash. Sanjay of St. Patrick’s had a fine chance to restore parity but he failed to take advantage of N.P. Navin Kumar’s poor pass near the edge of the box. Sanjay did well to get into a good position but his shot lacked venom as well as direction.
The impressive V. Vineeth Kumar, easily the best player on the pitch, doubled Velammal’s lead right after the break with a delightful free kick that went in off the left post. St. Patrick’s pulled one back with eight minutes on the clock to set up a frenetic finish. P. Suresh scored a superb goal with a diagonal shot from the right to make Velammal jittery. If he had shown the same confidence in his earlier attempts, St. Patrick’s would have gone home with something in their bag.
The referees should keep an eye on the number of ‘coaches’ allowed in a team’s dugout. At one stage, as many as six persons were shouting instructions from the St. Patrick’s bench. But none of them was able to give any useful information when St. Patrick’s earned an indirect free kick on the edge of the box. The ‘coaches’ were happily watching when a St. Patrick’s player went for goal directly.
Shouting is different from coaching. Foul throws have been aplenty in the tournament. If the coaches can’t impart a basic lesson in football, how can one expect them to solve complex problems?
Results: Wesley 5 (Sohel Ahmed 33, 48; Umashankar 41, 50; Gopinath 13) bt Bhavans Rajaji Vidyashram 0. MoM: Umashankar. Velammal (Panchetti) 2 (K. Tharun Kumar 2, V. Vineeth Kumar 35) bt St. Patrick’s 1 (P. Suresh 52). MoM: Vineeth Kumar.
