KOLKATA: Ugandan playmaker Musa Mudde will lead Black Panthers in the 2019/20 Hero 2nd Division League starting from Jnauray 25, 2019. Meanwhile goalkeeper Priyant Singh will be his deputy.

Having clinched the title in the 39th Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup, the Saheed Ramon-coached side would be hoping for a positive start to their campaign when they face Bhawanipore FC in an away encounter on Saturday and eventually make it to the I-League.

“As we said at the end of Calcutta Football League, the rebuilding process for the 2nd Division League and beyond is aimed at ensuring that we restore this iconic institution to where it rightfully belongs – at the summit of Indian football.” said General Secretary Md. Qamaruddin.

“Our supporters have always carried the club and continue to do so. They demonstrated by filling up the stadium during Calcutta Football League. We hope to see more full stadiums this season.” he added.

Click Here To Know The Full Squad: http://www.mohammedansportingindia.com/?sp_list=mohammedan-sporting-club-squad-2019-20

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club were held to a 2-2 draw by Mohun Bagan in a friendly match played at the Mohun Bagan Ground on Sunday morning.

90 minutes of regulation play was broken into three thirty minute periods and both teams used different sets of squads to give almost all their players a chance to play.

The Black Panthers looked dangerous from the outset and took a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes thanks to Musa Mudde and Satyam Sharma. However, the Mariners fought back and halved the deficit through Lalramzauva Khiangte’s goal before Bikramjit Singh made it 2-2 with a last gasp header.

Mohammedan SC coach Saheed Ramon, is happy with his team’s performance but admits there is still a lot of work to be done.

“Everybody is showing the right energy. I am happy with the mood in the team. These kind of matches gives us an opportunity to measure our level of readiness for the upcoming 2nd Division League. We can only build on from here on, there’s a lot of things we worked on as a team and we want to continue to establish that foundation going forward,” Ramon said.

KOLKATA: Orbit Group Kolkata and Mohammedan Sporting Club came together to celebrate Black Panthers’s 2019 Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup triumph and to recognize and reward top performers at the first ever Mohammedan Sporting Club Annual Awards Night, held at the Orbit Ashwa, in Kolkata, on Saturday evening.

The guests gathered together to honour those who made significant contributions to the Black Panthers’ quest for the Calcutta Football League silverware in what was a challenging season and, even though the end result fell short of achieving glory for the club and supporters, it was imperative for the club to acknowledge and reward players’ hard work.

“It is important for the club to review and take note of some of the highlights of the season and show appreciation to all involved in continuing to contribute to the rich history of this institution. In assessing what has essentially been a season of transition, during which new coaching methods and playing combinations take a while to bed in, it was still necessary to recognize the effort and unrelenting commitment of the warriors who wore the Black and White jersey with pride and fought gallantly for the Mohammedan Sporting Club badge. Learning the key lessons is always important because they will help us to pave the path for success in the future,” said Mohammedan Sporting Assistant General Secretary Dr. Taha Ahmed. 

Goalkeeper Priyant Singh was named the Official’s Player of the Season. In a poll conducted online, Vanlalbiaa Chhangte was named the Fans’ Player of the Year and Sovan Sen was named Emerging Player of the Year, while Tirthankar Sarkar’s goal against Mohun Bagan in the Calcutta Football League was voted the club’s Goal of the Season.

“It’s been a phenomenal season and I’m really proud of the team, the staff and those who have been working behind the scenes at this club.” said club President Mr. Mohammad Amiruddin.

Rock band Sufiana made for entertainment on a night when the Black Panthers celebrated their historical Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup triumph.

About Orbit Ashwa: Orbit Ashwa, a residential concept of community living, is a widely spread residential project by Orbit Group. Orbit Group is India’s premier real estate and infrastructure development company. Ashwa is located at Hossain Shan Road, Alipore, Kolkata; offering a blessed nature friendly lifestyle in the heart of the City. Ashwa is offering a beautiful lifestyle in their 3BHK & 4BHK apartments with a herd of amenities.

KOLKATA: To mark the historic occasion of the first ever Day-Night Test Match at Indian soil between India and Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Mohammedan Sporting Club turned pink to pay tribute to the longest format of the game on Friday evening.

This is being done as the Test match will be played with a pink ball unlike the red ball used traditionally.

The newly elected BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is the man behind making this possible as he convinced Indian captain Virat Kohli and the Bangladesh Cricket Board to play under floodlights in a bid to pull crowds to the stadiums in the longest format of the game.

Various other city landmarks such as the Howrah Bridge, The 42, Shahid Minar, Tata Centre have all been lit up with a pink light for the occasion.

GANGTOK, SIKKIM: Mohammedan Sporting Club coach Saheed Ramon has expressed his immense pride in his players after they claimed the title in the 39th Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup with a 2-1 victory over Sikkim Himalayan FC in the final played at the Paljor Stadium in Gangtok on Tuesday.

Ramon could not have been a happier man at the final whistle as a tournament that took him on a rollercoaster ride finally came to a happy conclusion.

“There is plenty to say about the match and I probably can’t find the words right now,” the elated Nigerian said.

“I am just really just super proud of everyone the players, the staff and everyone. I couldn’t be happier. It was a satisfactory result and we worked very hard. I won’t take anything away from Sikkim Himalayan. They showed how good they are. It was tough, it was a final and you have got to grind it out.” he added.

For Sikkim Himalayan coach Pranay Subba it wasn’t the result he wanted, but he could do nothing but congratulate his charges for giving the game, and the tournament, their all.

“Mohammedan deserved this win. They showed hunger and they didn’t allow us space to play, credit to them,” he said.

“I want to highlight the players’ bravery and battling spirit,” he continued. “I am pleased with their performance, and in particular, with the effort and character they showed throughout the match. It was very important to us that our players produce a response against a team like Mohammedan despite going down early. So we can be happy with what the team have done at the tournament.” Subba concluded.

GANGTOK, SIKKIM: Mohammedan Sporting Club blank Sikkim Himalayan FC 2-1 to claim the title in the 39th Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup at the Paljor Stadium in Gangtok on Tuesday.

Vanlalbiaa Chhangte (4th and 79th), who adjudged as the player of the tournament, scored twice after Sikkim Himalayan equalized through Eugene Nimako (62nd).

The Black Panthers looked dangerous from the outset and took the lead as early as the 4th minute through Vanlalbiaa, who rounded Sikkim Himalayan goalkeeper Urgen Pintso to slot from close range.

There were thoughts that the early goal might see the floodgates open for Mohammedan SC, however this was a Sikkim Himalayan side with renewed purpose keen to show the form that carried them to the final.

Eugene, John Kane and Uttam Rai led the charge forward for the home side, with several first-half chances going just short of the target.

Mohammedan SC, on the other hand, looked a lot more comfortable in the first-half, adopting a passing game that often had Sikkim Himalayan giving chase rather than being able to control the game themselves.

There were a slew of chances for the Black Panthers but they were thwarted each time either by the penalty area management from Urgen, or their own difficulties finding the target which saw Dipendu Biswas’ charges went into the breather with a solitary goal lead.

Following the pause for half-time Sikkim Himalayan came straight out of the blocks controlling the ball, winning set pieces and keeping Mohammedan SC pinned into their own back third.

The constant attacking by Sikkim Himalayan eventually wore down the Mohammedan SC defence to the point where a heavy touch allowed Eugene to steal possession and slot the ball past Priyant to restore the parity for the locals in the 62nd minute.

That goal was what Sikkim Himalayan needed as it gave them confidence against a side which had been running rings around them. With a couple of personnel changes, the locals started looking more and more competitive forcing Priyant and his back-line to work a little harder than they’d needed to in the first period.

The back and forth continued with Mohammedan SC slowly gaining more possession, and creating more chances as the started to dominate the midfield until eventually they got the break they were looking for when Vanlalbiaa find the net with a powerful drive at the end of a determined run and cross from the left by Tirthankar in the 79th minute.

The match started to become a little tenser as the clock counted down with Sikkim Himalayan showing great determination in their pursuit of an equalizer, while Mohammedan SC players tried to kill the game’s rhythm and they did what they needed to secure third Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup title.

“I am really excited. We were here to win, obviously everyone is, but I’m excited we did it,” Mohammedan SC technical director Dipendu Biswas said.

While expectations on the match were high, Biswas said the execution of the game plan from his players was spot on.

“I think I should say thank you to all the players, everyone, especially in the second-half. There was a bit of pressure coming but we stuck to the plan and defended well.” he added.

GANGTOK, SIKKIM: Mohammedan Sporting Club technical director Dipendu Biswas says tomorrow’s final of the 39th Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup at Paljor Stadium will be tough but stressed that the Black Panthers have prepared well to soar over Sikkim Himalayan FC.

Sikkim Himalayan, who reached their maiden Gold Cup final, will compete against a side that has been there 9 times before – and successful 2 of them.

Sikkim Himalayan are the only second club from the state to reach the Gold Cup final, after GMC Gangtok beat BSF Kadamtala to clinch the title in the inaugural edition of the competition in 1979.

“Final is about small details. There’s stress and pressure, and these details make the difference. It will be premature to say how we would approach the match but I can say it will be a good game.” Biswas said.

Biswas continued, “We will play our normal game but bearing in mind that the most important thing for us is not to concede. Keeping things tight at the back will be important.”

According to Biswas his side will strike a balance between offensive and defensive play but will definitely take the game to the opposition and continue with the style and combinations that has served the side well so far.

“Sikkim Himalayan is a good team and I think we need to improve our game as we have shown throughout the Calcutta Football League. I completely trust my players and hopefully they will again execute the game plan the coaching staff will set like they have done so well so far.” Biswas added.

Though it may appear that Mohammedan SC have an excellent pedigree to go the distance, but they have to topple a Sikkim Himalayan side that have grown stronger and stronger as the tournament has progressed.

“We have a lot of respect for Sikkim Himalayan and their football but we are ready to face them. l have been working on my team and concentrating on what we need to do to win. We have our destiny in our own hands and I believe we can win this tournament. We are capable, we have what it takes to win,” he added.

Despite creating plenty of goal-scoring opportunities the Black Panthers have often struggled with their finishing and Biswas feels the likes of Charles Atcha and Sarra Camara need to be more clinical in attacking third given a draw will go straight to penalties.

The pressure will be very much on Mohammedan SC to clinch the first silverware of the season. Sikkim Himalayan, on the other hand, have exceeded many people’s expectations by reaching this stage and they have a side that is more than capable of pressing for the title, and with so much riding on the outcome, tomorrow’s meeting is sure to be an absorbing affair which will kick-off at 1:30 pm.