THE I-LEAGUE STORY

Published on: May 29, 2010

THE MAJESTIC: Dempo SC buried any doubts in the minds of football pundits that they are the best club in the country. Dempo won their second I-League title and fourth league title in six years, and this with no other contender in sight.

The Goan giants secured the title in round 25 with a 1-0 win over Lajong FC in Shillong. They finished with the most number (16) of wins, most (54) goals, best goal difference (+23) and the best home and away records.

SOME SOLACE: Although Churchill Brothers held a lot of promise before the start of the league and it seemed that it would be difficult for other teams to snatch the title from the marauding Goans, the outgoing champs were found wanting for most of the season and had to struggle to surge to the second spot, which was confirmed with a win only in their last fixture. It ensured that for the third consecutive season the top two teams are from Goa.

DREAM DEBUT: In their debut season, Pune FC did remarkably well to finish third. Derrick Pereira’s team conceded the fewest goals (23) and missed on the runners-up place by one point.

CURTAINS FOR JEEPMEN: It was a sad end to a bright story in annals of Indian football history for the red brigade. Mahindra United eventually finished in fourth place after challenging for the title for much of the season. But this will be the Mumbai club’s last ever season in competitive football after the Mahindra Group’s decision to disband their team.

THE DISAPPOINTING: The competitors from Kolkata were reduced to also-rans after a good last season. Although Mohun Bagan were the best finishers among Kolkata teams in fifth spot, their fairly inconsistent campaign was mostly forgettable.

SOMETHING TO CHEER: Former champions from Goa, Salgaocar SC despite fighting for relegation for the majority of the campaign, eventually finished sixth after winning their last three matches.

IN THE TOP HALF: JCT completed the top half after finishing above Chirag United due to a better head to head record.

OUT OF STEAM: Chirag United were one of the most consistent teams in the first phase but after winning just two out 13 matches in the second phase, the Kolkata side ended in eighth position.

THE HORROR STORY: Kolkata giants East Bengal might have won the Federation Cup but they were very disappointing in the league and eventually finished in ninth spot and only four points above the drop zone.

SAVED IN TIME: Viva Kerala were one of the favourites to go down at the start of the season but they did well to ensure their survival at the end of the penultimate round. They finished in tenth place and three points above safety.

JUST THERE: Mumbai FC was also tipped for relegation at the beginning of the campaign and were only safe after winning their last round fixture. Khalid Jamil’s side finished in 11th place.

BY THE THREAD: Another Mumbai outfit, Air India, also managed to beat the drop despite suffering a heavy defeat in their final fixture. The Airmen finished just one place and one point above the bottom two.

ESCAPED:Sporting Clube de Goa finished third in the 08-09 season but this term they were rock bottom for much of the campaign and only won their first match in round 17. Their strong perfomance in the second round  where they scalped most of the teams in the top half of the table and also the decision of Mahindra United to withdraw from the league helped them to avoid the drop.

IN AND OUT: Shillong Lajong’s first ever I-League campaign eventually ended in relegation. The north eastern club showed a lot of promise both on and off the pitch and even finished runners-up in the Federation Cup. But a poor away record, which was the worst in the league, and no wins in their final five fixtures eventually sent them down. They finished rock bottom.

Source: with inputs from navhindtimes.in

Added by: Anselm Pio Noronha