Customs eager to bounce back

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Chennai Customs are, as always, one of the frontrunners to win the Chennai Football Association-senior division league that gets underway on Friday.

They desperately want to bounce back from the disappointment of losing their crown last year.

Customs are one of the most popular teams in Chennai and for their legion of supporters finishing second wasn’t a great achievement.

With a glittering array of talent at their disposal, Customs shouldn’t have lost the title last year. But then, we hadn’t factored in ‘complacency’. Customs coach S. Grand Duraipandian does not want to take any chance this season.

“There are a couple of things that we might want to do differently this time. Most importantly, we are going to approach every match as a knockout round. Our aim is to win all the matches.

The draw against Railway hurt us a lot last year. We are wiser now and will not commit the same mistakes again,” said Grand.

Customs have been preparing for the league in all earnest. The young team, according to Grand, even weathered last month’s heavy rains to turn up for practice at Don Bosco School (Perambur).

“The group is in the right frame of mind. After winning the inter-revenue title in Hyderabad last week, the boys are keen to carry the momentum forward.

The victory against Kochi in the final has given my team a lot of confidence. We are looking ahead for a good tournament and I believe we will achieve our goal this time,” the coach added.

M. Ramesh and Bharathiraja will once again lead the Customs challenge. The former, who scored a dozen goals last year, will look to continue his rich vein of form.

“Ramesh and Bharathiraja have formed a lethal combination. I am sure the duo will thrill one and all with their chemistry. Another player to watch out for is Nirmal.

He is an asset and his versatility can be handy to any team. I am also counting on playmaker P. Sudhakar to come good. In Karthik, Sathish, and Fredy (formerly of FCI), we have solid defenders.

The departure of striker M. David and right-winger S. Parthiban to other teams will not hurt us.

We have already made suitable replacements,” noted Grand, who oversaw Chennai’s triumph in the U-19 inter-district tournament at Ooty last month.

The former Customs star said he would be indebted to his officers for their unstinting support to the football team.

“Our commissioner Mr Sanjay Kumar and sports officer Mr D.S. Thiagarajan have been a pillar of strength. We would like to repay them by winning the title.

I am positive that there will be a handful of appointments if we go on to win the cup,” said Grand, who also praised the roles of assistant coach M. Raj Kumar and manager J. Elangovan.

The supporters of Customs create a festive atmosphere at the Nehru Stadium with drums and trumpets whenever their beloved team take the field.

The coach said the support of the fans is a great motivating factor. “Those who come in to support us are not just players’ friends or relatives. We don’t even know many of them.

Our attractive style of football appeals to them,” he added.