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East Bengal ground in horrible state ahead of I League

[caption id="attachment_31012" align="alignnone" width="580"] Mehtab Singh, the goal scorer in U'18 I League derby on Tuesday with his teammates. Image Source: Xtra Time[/caption] Kolkata: East Bengal registered a 1-0 win over arch rivals Mohun Bagan in the U’18 I League derby on Tuesday at East Bengal ground. Mehtab Singh scored the winner for the hosts in the 86^th minute of the match with a header from a Prakash Sarkar cross. The win takes East Bengal in level terms with Mohun Bagan. Both teams now have 10 points from 5 matches. Incidentally it was Mehtab’s goal which got disallowed in the last derby which caused crowd trouble at Mohun Bagan ground. Both teams played a lackluster first half, relying mostly on counter attacks. The home team showed much more intent in the second half and got a couple of opportunities to score. But tight defending backed up by good goalkeeping from Bagan kept the hosts at bay. Eventually, the all important goal was scored by Mehtab from a neat cross by Prakash Sarkar in the dying moments of the match. Mehtab’s header got past the outstretched hands of Bagan goalkeeper Bappa Das. An elated Mehtab, who is also a huge fan of Arnab Mondal later commented, “I am very happy to see my goal helping my team win. In the previous derby, I got disappointed to see my goal disallowed. My dream is to play for the senior team one day.” East Bengal coach Sujit Chakraborty was happy to see his boys win. The gaffer heaped high praises on Mehtab. “He has the potentiality to play for the senior team. Obviously with the U’18 I League it will not be possible to draft him in the senior squad straightaway. He will surely get his opportunity.” Mohun Bagan coach Jo Paul Anchery looked disappointed with the result. “It is disappointing to end up on the losing side. The boys have really tried hard.” There was a lot of tension following the crowd trouble in the last derby. It was noticeable to see more police being deployed at the East Bengal ground. Barring a few taunts from the rival fans against each, the match otherwise ended peacefully. There was also some news of mild lathi charge in front of Eden Gardens as fans of both clubs were entangled in a tussle. There was another interest apart from the derby on Tuesday. East Bengal ground hosted a competitive match for the first time in six months. The ground was being prepared since last July. But it must be said that the ground looks to be in horrible shape with lot of uneven bounces. It is not at all conducive for practice, leave aside a match. The officials did seem to be concerned with the condition of the ground, as Coach Trevor James Morgan is due to start his practice session with the senior players from December 19. According to Debabrata Sarkar, “We will try and get the ground ready as quickly as possible.”