Internet Desk: After winning three consecutive games on a row, Kingfisher East Bengal is getting ready to continue their winning run against Minerva Punjab FC on Sunday at the Guru Nanak Stadium. But the ground has already sparked controversies as the Red & Gold brigade got literally shocked by the present conditions of the playing surface. It is learned that the East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan and his assistant Warren Hackett got literally dumbfounded to find nails, safety-pins and an ugly-looking pitch at the stadium.
The East Bengal camp got the information that the army parade and rally and its practices also took place at the playing venue on and before the 23rd and 26th January. And that made the surface look even more terrible. The condition of the surface is as terrible as it has appeared to be difficult to roll the ball properly as well.
The present temperature of Ludhiana has gone down below ten degrees centigrade at the moment and the strong wind and the fog have presented an atmosphere which has certainly scared the East Bengal team management. The Red and Gold brigade has trained at the venue today as they had the opportunity to have a first look before taking on the Punjab outfit tomorrow.
Manager Trevor Morgan and Robin Singh attended the conference on behalf of the away side while Head Coach Surinder Singh and Manandeep Singh represented the host.
When asked about the ground conditions, Robin claimed that he had no complaints on the ground, but it can definitely be kept better.
After being asked about the league, Trevor Morgan said, “The I-League is tough and taxing, we’ve played across different surfaces, against different types of opposition and it’s been a lot of travelling around.”
When asked about their road to Ludhiana after a home win against the champions Bengaluru FC, Morgan commented, “We had a good win against a good side. We have to prepare for a hard game against Minerva Punjab FC. We don’t want to be at end of upset here in Punjab.”
Trevor seemed happy with the weather as well. He stated, “We trained in the morning today. It was foggy. But the positive thing is that the weather becomes clear after 9-9:30 in the morning. So, it won’t be a problem.”
The English coach will be pleased to see Robin Singh get back to scoring ways as he scored the winner in their last outing.
Robin stated, “I’ve just put the ball at the back of the net. It’s done & dusted already and tomorrow is a new game. It’s not an easy game tomorrow and we’ll play to win it.”