Round 1 - Good start for the favourites:
Favourites had it easy in the opening round matches of the 6th National Football League which kicked off on December 12. One who must be considering themselves favourites and who did not have a good start was Mahindra United who were held to a goalless draw in an away tie at Bangalore. And what's more it turned out to be acrimonious as players traded blows with one from each side - Mir Farook Hyder of Mahindra United and Zaheer Abbas of ITI - being sent off with red cards.
If Mahindras do not win this league or at least finish second there is every chance that the team may simply wind up. The management has done enough and more but the results are simply not coming. It is one of the costliest teams in India with an array of India players, but it is not clicking. Coach Harish Rao has a lot of work to do with his psychology and all that.
Two-time champions Mohun Bagan, defending champions East Bengal, Churchill Bros. and Salgaocar, all front-runners for the title, won their matches without much ado.
Mohun Bagan were the most impressive of the lost with a 2-0 triumph over citymates Tollygunge Aggragami in what was an away for the latter. Seriki Abdullatheef, the Nigerian who first played in India for JCT, has made it habit out of scoring, which Mahindra will hope their strikers M Najeeb and Raman Vijayan can learn, and struck one with James Singh to complete the tally.
Churchill Bros. faced slight problems in their match against JCT, for whom Stephan Abarowei makes a comeback after three years. Though they went up 1-0 and then a spectacular goal by Hardeep Gill helped JCT equalize. But Francis Coelho got the matchwinner off a first-touch from former India player Tejinder Kumar.
One of the two debutants Hindustan Aeronautics Limited pulled off a point from Vasco who had finished fifth in the 5th NFL. But the other, Punjab Police were not so lucky as defending champs East Bengal won convincingly 3-1 with two goals from Suley Musah and IM Vijayan.

Round 2:
The Kolkata Derby clash between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the first of the 6th NFL, was the Big Match of Round 2 (round 3 actually as round 1 matches had been postponed due to non-availability of grounds) but the team that hogged the limelight was Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Sports Club who upended former champion and Indian heavyweights Salgaocar in a home match.
HAL are the Bangalore league champions and as such, on paper at least, are the better side than Indian Telephone Industries who have been in the elite league for two years now. Their 2-1 win over the Goan side is truly the first big upset of the 6th NFL. HAL may well be wearing a 'Do Not Take Us Lightly' placard on their necks, and the result also conveys a message that Salgaocar are not ready as a combination, perhaps a lot like Mahindra United.
Mahindra United got their three new foreign players defender Musa Isa Eroje and strikers Austin Akolo and Bala Usman. And after their goalless result against ITI in Bangalore a lot more was expected from the jeepmen. Yes, they scored two and got three solid points, but the display was sketchy to say the least. There was little co-ordination in the mini Indian team and the first goal was an early X'Mas gift from Vasco. They added another goal but coach Harish Rao admitted that the result was totally unexpected. Meanwhile, Vasco, who finished fifth to the surprise of many in their debut year, are still searching for their first win.
Mohun Bagan's effervescent striker Jose Barreto will contest for the best goal of the week prize with an obscure player like Prahlad Rawat of Tollygunge Aggragami. Barreto's brilliant side-volley saw Mohun Bagan earn the matchwinner in a packed Salt Lake Stadium. And Rawat's brilliant volley saw Amal Dutta's Tolly earn a 1-1 draw in an away tie against ITI at Bangalore. Ironically, Rawat was with ITI until last year and switched to Tollygunge as the Bangalore outfit was mostly keeping him on the bench.
Churchill Bros. made it six out of two in their visit to Punjab. In the first round they had beaten JCT 2-1 in Ludhiana and three days later repeated the act against Punjab Police at Jalandhar, this time with a 3-0 verdict. The Punjab cops, who have now lost both their opening home matches, committed hara-kiri by conceding two penalties.
Down South, JCT had FC Kochin by the scruff of their necks, but escaped with a 1-1 draw as veteran and former India striker VP Shaji got them the equalizer after Hardip Sangha had put the champions of the first NFL ahead.

From Round 3 upto Round 10:
Twenty day back had I written this round-up, I would have given Mahindra United nary a chance of being in the reckoning for the NFL, at the halfway stage and beyond. But the win, emphatic at that, over Churchill Bros. In the final of the Durand Cup has completely and dramatically altered the situation. Of course, one always has to see if Mahindra United can keep the momentum going. And they will face a stern test right away against two-time champions Mohun Bagan on the coming Thursday, luckily, in a home match.
That Mahindra lost only one match, to Churchil Bros. Is of good significance here. The jeepmen picked up important three points in an away match against FC Kochin. And away win over JCT was always expected. If they drew another away match against Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club it was on expected lines as the Bangalore side have really been impressive on their debut year, even topping the league on and off. But it is Mahindra who are at the top after 10 rounds, albeit on a goal-difference with Mohun Bagan and Indian Telephone Industries, and it remains to be seen what happens in the next round for that should decide the leader at the halfway stage. ITI too have a tough match on hand at home against HASC and the telephonemen have finished second-best in the local league too.
The Mahindra halfline is playing to wonted form. Though Khalid Jamil is not in peak form, he has sneaked in three goals, one of them in the dying seconds for a win over draw experts Tollygunge Aggragami. New recruits Bala Usman and Austin Okolo, both strikers, too have impressed. The revelation has been medio S Venkatesh who has decided to prove his worth despite being constantly benched. Venkatesh, also got a goal in the 10th round home tie against Punjab Police. Mahindra have a lot of injuries on their side and hopefully they will be able to rise above it.
It is time Mohun Bagan rechristened themselves, methinks. Either they extend it to Mohun Bagan Jose Barretto or may be incorporate his name between Mohun and Bagan. Such has been the Brazilian wizards' impression in the Kolkata outfit's performance in the 10 rounds. He has got six goals so far and has rescued Mohun Bagan at least in three matches. Barretto has not been completely fit and he has missed a match too, yet Mohun Bagan are completely obliged and dependent on this effervescent striker-creator. He didn't play against Salgaocar and the result was a goalless draw. With Barretto around, surely he could have created a goal out of thin air.
Like Mahindra and ITI, the other two on 19 points, Mohun Bagan too have lost only one match and that too a shocker against HASC in the fourth round. One Kolkata coach, Manoranjan Bhattacharjee, has already lost his seat, and Mohun Bagan coach Subroto Bhattacharyya better be on guard for slip-ups.
Krishnaji Rao moved from HASC to ITI and has brought some luck to them as well. And that ITI are no gropers in the dark was amply evident as they entered the semifinal of the Durand Cup before losing to eventual winners Mahindra United. Currently, ITI is on a three-match winning streak, and all at home. Their scalps include bottom-placed JCT and Punjab Police and also contenders Vasco. Their only defeat has been at the hands of Salgaocar in Margao. The induction of Mike Okoro, who notched up a hat-trick against Punjab Police, seems to have brought newfound incision in the team. Another Nigerian George Ekeh too got into the goal-scoring act against Vasco to give the coach an embarrassment of riches.
Don't' write Churchill Bros. (18 points) off. They are my favourites for the NFL title. With monetary problems in Goa and the state government pitching in, it is imperative one of the Goan team win and I hope it is Churchill who simply have not tasted success at the national-level. They lost both their matches in Kolkata to the Big Two but that has been quite traditional. But a pointer to the success lies in their match when they won by a comprehensive 6-0 margin over HASC. The induction of Iranian Amin has also furthered their cause. Add Yusif Yakubu, the other hat-trick man, and Abdul Ganiyu Saley as well as lucky coach TK Chathunni, you have a formidable combo. That they have scored 21 goals for a health goal-difference of plus 13 is an abject warning to the leaders.
Former champions Salgaocar (16 points) have been like Munshi Premchand's Lost Child. Here and there and wandering a bit. They have lost two matches, drawn a few and are there close to the top. There may be a case of overdependence on Sunday Seah, the goalkeeper turned striker. Surely he was recruited from FC Kochin for his intrinsic double value. But Seah has got just two goals that along with Eugene Gray's two brought the Goans an emphatic win over East Bengal in a home match. With a young coach and bright ideas (Savio Medeira) on the bench, Salgaocar will have to do something out of the ordinary to bring them into championship-status.
Noel's Vasco (15 points) are making the right amount of noises, but two successive defeats in the ninth and 10th rounds have been quite a setback for the title-aspirants. And now in the Arlem Cup, which they hosted, Vasco were beaten by State Bank of Travancore and that would not have done their morale any good. Brazilian Rui Wanderley Weis has been their key player and has proved value for money with four goals so far. On debut they did well, and the second year is always tougher.
HASC (15 with -3) has proved to be the jokers in the pack. They have been quite out of the ordinary, nay outstanding. To pull off wins against all four previous champions calls for doffing of hats. But they are paying a price for consistency. Losses to Punjab Police, FC Kochin and then the blast from Churchill Bros. Have done their cause no good. That they have managed only nine goals against 12 conceded also tells a sorry tale. They play attractive football, and hopefully it will also tell on the extreme right column of the points table.
Tollygunge (12), East Bengal (11) and FC Kochin (10) are hovering just above the also-rans. Surely they will not face demotion and all these three clubs will have to really pull up their socks in the second phase. Tollygunge, with Amal Dutta having quit, face a tough task. They are experts at drawing and may just manage to sneak ahead of JCT and Punjab Police. And so would East Bengal and FC Kochin.
East Bengal are going through a terrible phase and hopefully their semifinal berth in the Durand Cup would have been morale-booster. The defending champions have just one point from their last five ties. And that calls for some improvement. The ominous sign they are looking at is perhaps the return of Jo Paul Ancheri from injury.
FC Kochin may have been a trop draw team with IM Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri. But this Kerala outfit is simply not in the same class. In a Karel Stromsik they have a world-class coach. If they have to depend upon veteran VP Shaji to fetch them goals even God will not help them earn a top five berth.
Surely Sukhwinder's JCT is set for relegation. Apart from Stephan Abarowei, it is an all-India star cast. Last year, they barely escaped relegation. This time they are assured of it unless Sameeer Thapar spends some big moolah and brings on David Beckham and Javier Saviola. After five successive losses, JCT scraped through their first win, 2-1 over Vasco in Margao.
Even if a 61-year-old Pele plays for Punjab Police, they will not be able to escape demotion. There will be the occasional upsets and a draw perhaps. Nothing beyond that.

Round 11:
Twice they have led midway through a round, once at the end of it and for the first time in the history of the National Football League, Mahindra United, are the frontrunners at the halfway stage. At the start of the season this was just a hopeless dream given their own luck and even considering the wealth of talent that is in the side.
That the Durand Cup victory has given the side a new feel, the taste of winning is quite evident in their 11th round match against Mohun Bagan in Mumbai. Mahindra got the early lead through a brilliant volley by S Venkatesh. I call it brilliant simply because you rarely get to see an Indian player taking such a shot and scoring too. For these waist-high volleys, it is important to hold the head steady and Venkatesh was perfectly positioned for it.
Mohun Bagan, led by the venerable Jose Baretto and Abdullatif Seriki, had the jeepmen dancing to their tunes but it simply was not the Kolkata side's day. There were a couple of brilliant shot and combined this with the airy-fairy shots, Mohun Bagan could not breach the defences of the jeepmen. A sour Subroto Bhattacharrya, the Bagan coach, refused to deliver his pearls of wisdom on the match.
The loss pushed Mohun Bagan, only their second, to the fourth spot and Indian Telephone Industries's loss in the Bangalore Derby to Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club, Goan champions Zee Churchill Bros jumped to the second spot despite a 1-1 draw with Salgaocar.
Mohun Bagan now take on Vasco in another away match and that should be quite an interesting tie for the Third Figure in the Goan triangle themselves got into the match with a good 2-0 victory over FC Kochin, both the goals coming from Marcos Pereira.
Defending champions East Bengal, after their semifinal entry into the Durand Cup, seems to be determined to reverse the trend of their last five matches, of which they lost four, and gained a confident-raising 2-1 win over Tollygunge Aggragami. Perhaps the return of Jo Paul Ancheri has got something to do with it. His wonderful pass set up the first goal and then the Footballer of the Year 2001 was on target himself. Most of the East Bengal players revere coach Subhash Bhowmick and hopefully the former India players will be able to pull the red and golden yellow brigade out of the woods.
HASC have made it a habit of pulling off upsets in the first leg of the NFL. And by beating ITI in Bangalore they only repeated their local successes over their city mates. And at 18 points they are not far from the top.
JCT are going to find it extremely difficult to avoid relegation this time, though they have seven home matches in hand. In the 11th round, they hosted Punjab Police and could not get ball into goal. Sukhwinder Singh's reputation is certainly at stake.

Round 12:
An unknown disease usually strikes Kolkata teams, especially when they are in the lead. As a consequence they lose some matches of course. It also takes a big scalp in the coach. The disease that struck East Bengal midway through the first leg, spread to Mohun Bagan and it saw them losing their second match on the trot. Of course every team loses some match or the other, but when a well-balanced team like Mohun Bagan, who lost to Mahindra United in the 11th round in Mumbai, end up on the losing side for two consecutive matches, one really have to take notice. So what if it is Vasco, who must be counting themselves front-runners too.
Two away matches and both losses must be deeply disturbing for the Mohun Bagan fans as well as Subrata Bhattacharjee. If Mohun Bagan have to thank Brazilian Jose Barretto, Vasco have their own magician from the land of Samba music - Rui Wanderley Weis who struck both goals in the odd-goal-in-three win.
The losses to Mohun Bagan surely would have given their Kolkata counterparts some inspiration who made it two-wins in a row with a 1-0 margin away in Bangalore over Indian Telephone Industries. It was hard work for the red and golden brigade however as only it took a Chandan Das goal to bring down the defences of the telephone-men.
League leaders Mahindra United stages a great escape with a 1-1 draw over Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills, Phagwara. National and JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh had already started planing a small victory celebration when lanky striker Abhishek Yadav gave direction to a header in the first of the three minutes shown for wastage time. It really was a close shave for the depleted jeepmen as the millmen had upstaged them all the way, leading with a Surjeet Singh goal right through the match.
Anyone scoring two goals against Tollygunge need a reward. And anyone scoring more than two have attained immortality. Veteran coach Amal Dutta had fine-tuned the defences so well that Tolly are known as the draw expert. But, now without Amalda, they are playing a much open game and Salgaocar have not exactly gained immortality by pumping four past them. Despite all the problems they are having with Sunday Seah, it was the Liberian who struck two goals. One came from the consistent Alex Ambrose, the TFA trained boy.
Zee Churchill may not win the League but will surely end up with the highest goal-difference. Their 4-1 win over FC Kochin was their fourth +3 victory in 12 rounds. Quite a good record. But will they be able to sustain till the end?
Hindustan Aeronautics S.C. kept up their recent good run with a 1-0 victory over minnows Punjab Police after their Bangalore Derby win over ITI.

Round 13:
What goes up has to come down. If Mahindra United went spiralling up, their descent has been even faster. So much so that after the 13th round, the jeepmen find themselves in the fourth spot. In their hearts, Mahindra coach Harish Rao knew that the Kolkata leg matches would show his players' true worth. They may get past Tollygunge in the 14th, but the 13th against East Bengal and the 19th against Mohun Bagan are the most crucial ones.
His players failed the first test, losing one man and by one goal to the red and golden yellow resurgent team under Subhash Bhowick. That it was the opening match of the 13th round gave a fresh impetus to the leader-tailers like Churchill B ros, Vasco and Mohun Bagan.
The same day, Churchill jumped to the top spot with a convincing 3-1 win over Indian Telephone Industries at Bangalore. The prolific Yusuf Yakubu was in the thick of action yet again. ITI are experiencing some turbulence after their early steady flight.
Next day it was the turn of Vasco to get past Mahindra United. And they did with some ease, a 2-1 win over wooden-spooners Punjab Police. And Rui Wanderley Weis was again one of the scorers as Vasco went into No.2 place.
The following day it was the turn of Salgaocar to push Mahindra to the fourth spot. It was a narrow 1-0 win over JCT in Ludhiana, but three fruitful points nevertheless. And as Sukhwinder Singh has been saying, they have been losing matches narrowly that they should have been winning handsomely. Tough luck Sukhiji.
Two-time champions Mohun Bagan came back into the winning ways defeating FC Kochin who like Punjab Police and JCT are turning out to the whipping boys of the 6th NFL. Foreign coach and all that but the side from the south have simply shown no guts nor have the firepower to move away from the relegation zone. And JCT feels that Kochin are easily catchable. Wait and watch!
Tollygunge are escaping from the relegation zone, bit by bit. And the 3-2 win over Hindustan Aeronautics SC has given them a lot of breathing space. There was a fine hat-trick by Akeem Abolonke.

Round 14:
Two successive defeats have wiped the smile off the faces of Mahindra United. Coach Harish Rao is rediscovering the law of gravity - what goes up has to come down. And they have come down faster than they have gone up. Leaders at the halfway stage, the Mumbai-based jeepmen are down to the fifth after round 14.
Their visit to Kolkata has been a veritable disaster as they followed their 13th round defeat at the hands of East Bengal with a 0-1 reversal at the hands of, believe it or not, Tollygunge Agragami. Nothing to degrade the Kolkata side of course, but the best team to lose to a side that is just about escaped from the relegation zone.
Agreed Harish Rao had just 15 players on the bench what with injuries and suspension. But a team hoping to win the NFL should have certainly built up a strong reserve side. Their next two matches in Goa will decide if Mahindra will remain in contention or not.
They are not very far from the top, especially as new leaders Churchill Bros. and No. 3 Vasco played out a goalless draw in Goa. To Vasco's credit, they were at the receiving end of some strange refereeing decisions and were down to even 10 men. So Derrick Pereira's men salvaged one point and that's quite creditable.
The draw also helped Salgaocar move up the ladder onto the second spot. They are tied with Churchill for the top spot. Salgaocar, who too boast of an enviable goal-difference of +13, got past cellar side Punjab Police by a solitary goal. And coincidentally it was the only tie that saw a home team losing in this round.
All other matches were won by the home team. And the biggest victory was scored by JCT who got past defending champions East Bengal by the odd goal in three. Wasn't it only 10 days ago that national coach Sukhwinder Singh was expressing confidence of saving relegation. Now JCT have caught up with FC Kochin, who lost to ITI, for whom not only are the points not coming but even the goal-difference is widening. And JCT have a few matches more at home at hand.
Mohun Bagan earned their revenge when defeating Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club 2-1 in Kolkata. They had suffered at the hands of the Bangalore outfit in an away match at the start of the 6th NFL.

Round 15/16:
Chants of Vasco, Vasco are reverbating round the country. well almost. Did anybody expect them to top the nfl and be the front-runners too. They have a stole a march over their closest competitiors, two of whom, Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar had to settle for draws in the 15/16th round. That kept Vasco ahead by two points. they had a deserving win over Mahindra United, who are in the middle of a bad patch, and then got the better of Tollygunge Agragami in an away match. Simply a superb performance.
The Kolkata Derby saw Mohun Bagan repeating their second round performance with a 1-0 win over East Bengal. And like on that day in the winter, it was the irrepressible Jose Ramirez Barreto, the Brazilian magician, who got the matchwinner yet again. Barreto's value simply cannot be evaluated in mere words or even money. The Mohun Bagan vs. ITI match in Kolkata was probably the best match of the 16th round. Mohun bagan had the match well sewed up. But Syed Hussain produced a beauty of a free-kick which instantly reminded one of David Beckham.
Most indians do not pay any attention to body positioning while taking a free-kick. the balance is very important. the bend of the body, the positioning of the non-kicking foot and the head as well. Hussain was simply perfect on that day. having watched the goal on television, i can confidently say that it is one of the best free-kicks in recent years, quite comparable to the efforts of IM Vijayan and Hamilton Bobby, known exponents of this art.
What happened after that was very sad. Mohun Bagan supporters could not digest the stolen point and began hurling things at the bench. and this forced the police on duty to do their bit, quite unnecessarily one thought. the freely-weilding lathis saw a few broken bones and many injuries. The cops must realise that supporters come looking for entertainment and a little tolerance is necessary. They have to find ways to protect the players and referees rather than use force on the paying spectators.
Salgaocar earned two draws and both at home. Against HASC they played out an insipid draw, as per reports available, but against Mahindra United it was a better performance as the match ended 1-1. But the loss of four points have arrested Salgaocar's growth of graph.
Mahindra United's downward slide continued with the loss to Vasco but they managed to stop it further with the draw against Salgaocar. it was a match that was dominated by the jeepmen, according to coach Harish Rao. a few refereeing errors also saw Mahindra being deprived of full points.
Punjab Police scored their second win of the 6th NFL, though it did not help their cause it certainly harmed FC Kochin's prospects of saving relegation. the contest is between FC Kochin and JCT for the second spot. may be we could have some wagers for the bottom as well.

Round 17-22:
Hallelujah, It's Mohun Bagan. Zee Churchill Bros are bridesmaids once again. Most would say nothing surprising. But Churchill would live and regret the 6th NFL right to the end. The Goans had everything tailormade for them right till the end. A good lot of home matches and a favourable draw saw that all their rivals chasing them for the points. Churchill were the leaders in the true sense.
Everything went hunky-dory until the 17th round when they defeated Mahindra United 3-2 in an exciting match in Mumbai. The first ominous signs of a downfall came in the 18th round when Tollygunge Aggragami all but got the better of them in Goa. It took a super late strike by Somatai Shaiza to keep them in the running. The second sign was more distressing and it came in the 19th round when Salgaocar got the better of Churchill by the odd goal in three. Two victories followed and then in the penultimate round, Churchill were kept really ahead when Salgaocar won 4-3, a superb comeback match against Mohun Bagan. Now they were two points ahead of Mohun Bagan, pegging away and keeping them in the reckoning for their third title. They had a minor shock in the 18th round when Tollygunge managed to almost pull off a draw. They were ahead and then it was 1-1 until Uday Konar got them a late matchwinner.
And so it was No.1 vs. No.2 in Goa. And it promised to be an exciting tie. Both teams were missing at least one key player each and both were plotting to stop Jose Ramirez Barreto of Mohun Bagan and Yusif Yakubu of Churchill Bros. There was a mini contest within the big battle as Barreto with two goals against Salgaocar had come one short Yakubu's highest scorer tally of 17. Both would be keen to earn the honours as they had expressed wishes of moving out of India to greener pastures.
Churchill fought well and hard but it was Mohun Bagan who showed more tactical composure. They wanted one goal which they got through the towering Abdul Saliu playing in place of Amauri da Salva (red card). Then Mahesh Gawali, who was doing a good job of marking Barreto was sent off with a second yellow card of the match, and things eased out for Mohun Bagan.
The stadium should have erupted when the final whistle went but deafening silence met Mohun Bagan who had dared to beat Churchill Bros in their own den. A deserving victory none-the-less. Mohun Bagan finished at 44, two points ahead of their closest rivals. It was indeed the grand finale of the NFL, in fact in it's entire short history.
Vasco, the fourth contestant for the final, came down a pedestal in the 17th round when they lost to a resurgent East Bengal at home. From then on, though they scored good victories, it was always a case of the others faltering more than Vasco themselves performing well. They defeated the two Bangalore biggies, but lost the final match to JCT in an away tie. A victory would have meant a runners-spot as they would have finished on 43. But JCT, though at the bottom of the table, were tough opponents as they were seeking to remain in the league and as such Vasco had a real tough match in their hands.
Salgaocar too were entirely dependent on the impending poor show by the other three rivals – Churchill, Mohun Bagan and Vasco. A draw with ITI in the 17th and a shock defeat in the 20th at the hands of FC Kochin saw the former champions stuttering on the finish line. Salgaocar took their match against Kochin a tad too casually, resting a few players and then missing chances galore. For Kochin too there was much at stake, not just relegation but the entire pride of Kerala. As such, perhaps, coach Savio Medeira, erred in not playing his main players. Salgaocar's performance in the penultimate round against Mohun Bagan was nothing but outstanding. They knew at that stage that there was nary a chance of finishing No.1, perhaps No.2 but a distinct possibility. Yet they fought like a wounded tiger to wrest a match that looked all but over in favour of Mohun Bagan by the 30th minute.
Salgaocar trailed 0-3 and then went to script a brilliant comeback in which four goals came in 31 minutes. In the history of the NFL, there has not been such a terrific match and that too coming at the fag end of the league. It was a match you could tell your grandchildren 'I was there'. And I was really there to cheer not just Salgaocar but simply a superb match. It just goes to prove that no match is over until the final whistle is blown.
Salgaocar drew their last match against East Bengal after trailing and that saw these former champs finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. After the first leg, when the defending champions were trailing in the 8th place, it was difficult to imagine that they would finish three places higher. It's to Subhash Bhowmick's credit that he scripted a good side which had Jo Paul Ancheri and IM Vijayan not playing regularly. They had to a play a home match at neutral venue when police refused to provide bandobust for their tie againt Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club and the match was shifted to Mumbai. East Bengal went on to win 4-0. East Bengal were unbeaten in their last five rounds, which itself is a creditable achievement as they had five losses in their first 11 matches under Manoranjan Bhattacharjee.
The early bird catches the worm, but all Mahindra United got was the remains after the fight was taken off their turf. Though they won the Durand Cup and then defeated Mohun Bagan at home in a big match immediately after, the Mumbai outfit failed to shift gears and finished a poor sixth. 'Poor' because they had the wealth of the Indian talent in their side. Successive losses in Kolkata and Goa, and then defeats at the hands of Churchill Bros at home and Mohun Bagan away, took the stuffing out them. There was a possibility of them finishing fifth but they conjured up a defeat at the hands of Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club and that meant finis to their hopes.
The two Bangalore sides Indian Telephone Industries and HASC, like Mahindra United, failed to get going in the second phase and that meant a middle finish for both. ITI finished seventh and HASC eighth. For debutants HASC it was a wonderful achievement as they were the only side to defeat all past champions. But their inability to do well in away matches (they won only two, losing seven and drawing the other two) meant that they would always struggle for points. While HASC had a final hurrah with a win over Mahindra United in an away tie, ITI had all but given up as they lost Punjab Police in the final round. In fact they lost their three matches and that showed the inability of the players to remain focused until the end. HASC were assured of their eighth spot yet finished with a bang.
Tollygunge played another final against FC Kochin and came out triumphant in glorious fashion. The loser of this match was likely to be demoted and the Kolkata outfit struck five telling times to snuff the challenge of Kochin whose future hangs in balance now. Tollygunge, under Aloke Mukherjee, played their final few matches really well and but for better luck could have pulled off victories over Churchill Bros. and Mohun Bagan too.
When the chips were down, JCT turned in outstanding performances. They first beat Tolly, their close rivals for relegation, and then beat Vasco by the odd goal in three to ensure for the second year in running that they would remain in the elite league by the narrowest of margins.
Kochin would join Punjab Police next year in trying to gain promotion. From the outset it was evident that Punjab Police are the minnow in the truest sense and always lacked top class material. They played well especially Praveen Kumar who with seven goals finished as the highest Indian scorer.