Get It India!

[Lippo255]

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National Football League

Dempo 3 - Wahingdoh 1

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Not our best performance but in the end its still a win. Fabio Ferreira bailed us out scoring 2 goals & adding an assist as well.

Dempo 1 - SC Goa 0

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Another worrying performance. A Gawli header from a corner just after the break followed by a backs to the wall defensive effort got us the win but if we keep playing like this our streak will soon be at an end.

Dempo 4 - Pune FC 0

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A return to form here as we dominated possession & looked threatening throughout. No real standouts as this was a good all round team performance.

Dempo 1 - Bengaluru 0

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We are starting to yo yo a bit. Brilliant last game, average again here. A gorgeous half volley from Jewel Raja getting us out of jail.

Dempo 4 - Mohun Bagan 1

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Up we go again, an impressive performance with striker Kim Seong Yong leading the charge with 2 goals.

Dempo 0 - Lajong 0

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Not as bad as the score line would suggest, created enough chances to win but just couldn't get 1 past the keeper, at least our defence held firm to extend our unbeaten run.


Table

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Still unbeaten after 12 games, our lead at the top is getting towards insurmountable. By my calculations we only need 8 points from our final 6 games to secure the title!


Team Stats

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The standout stat here is our defence, only conceded 4 goals in 12 games an astounding improvement over last year!


Youth intake

Not much of an intake this year I'm afraid, was so uninspired I forgot to take a pic of them. Here, instead, is a pic of our highest rated prospect

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[Lippo255]

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National Football League

Dempo 3 - Churchill Bros 0

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For 85 minutes this game was in the balance. To be honest we were completely out-played in the first half & lucky to go in level. Even after we took the lead on 65 mins we still looked nervous & were lucky not to concede on a couple of occasions. We held on though & extended our lead further in the last 5 minutes to put the game beyond doubt.

Dempo 3 - Salgoacar 4

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Once again we were completely out-played in the first half, this time we were not so lucky & took a 3 goal deficit to the break. Come out in the second half & dominated but just I I thought we were in with a shout of making a sensational comeback Salgaocar got their 4th & dashed our chances handing us our first defeat of the league season.

Dempo 3 - East Bengal 2

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Another very nervy performance. We showed a lot of fight though twice coming from behind before snatching the winner in added time through youngster Pratesh Fernandes (his first goal for the senior team).

It turned out to be an important one too as the following day 2nd place Bengaluru suffered a surprise defeat to Goa which handed us the title!!!



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Finally we will play some football in Asia, surely there is no way they can take it from us this time.

Still 3 games to go but had to share this now!!! Will update those results in my end of year summary, to be honest I'm finding it hard to get motivated to play them. Will definitely be giving some youngsters a run so hopefully they can impress.
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[Lippo255]

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End of season wrap


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Amazingly enough we went on to win our final 3 matches despite having nothing to play for & fielding a lot of youngsters! In the end we went painfully close to having an unbeaten league campaign, a 4-3 lose to Salgoacar the only blemish.


Final table

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So a 17 point gap between 1st & 2nd highlights our dominance. This has been one of my most successful seasons on any FM & despite falling short on Fed Cup expectations the board have seen fit to extend my contract.

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Player Stats

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Midfielder Jewel Raja stood up this year & turned in some impressive performances, while Clifford Miranda's advanced age (33) doesn't seem to be affecting his ability to dominate. New-comer Fabio Ferreira also shined & youngster Pratesh Fernandes showed that he is definitely one to watch, at times looking a level above at just 16 years of age!!!

Honours & Awards

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3 players named in the team of the year. Once again Clifford Miranda makes the left wing spot his own & is this year joined by midfielder Jewel Raja & goalkeeper Subrata Paul.

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Bit of a strange one in my opinion. No doubt Ivo put in some good performances this year but for the most part he was overshadowed by another youngster Pratesh Fernandes who I expected to be a shoe in for this award??? Oh well at least it has been keep in the family so to speak.

Finances

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Not a bad year financially speaking. A few title wins & some cash injections from the board has seen us claw back some of the ground we lost last year & with Asian football to look forward to next season it would appear things are on the up
One concern though is a lack of progress as far as getting bums on seats are concerned

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Despite our title win we still attract the 3rd lowest average crowd in the league! No idea what can be done to improve this either!!!

Anyway thanks for following for another season, will be back before too long with a pre season update & hope you will join me again for my first foray into Asian football.
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[Lippo255]

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Pre-Season



New Faces



Aryn Williams

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A young Aussie signed both for his Indian Citizenship as well as to keep youngster Pratesh Fernandes honest, as Brazilian Leo Arantes has chucked a hissy fit & will not feature in my plans. Brother to Middlesborough midfielder Rhys.

Santos

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Promising young Brazilian targetman. Won't be using one of my foreign player spots on him this year but has signed on as a prospect so may well end up on loan.

Lalkamal Bhowmick

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A fringe international, signed as a fringe first team player, to add some depth in the midfield. Has averaged 7+ in previous years for Mohan Bagan & Churchill Bros.



All in all a pretty quiet off season, am comfortable my local talent is the best & deepest in the comp & with a few foreign player contracts up at the end of the year will probably save the "big" moves until then.


Durand Cup Results

Dempo 4 - Aizawi 2

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Fabio Ferreira turned a poor performance into a victory here bagging a hat-trick. Not much else to say really.

Dempo 3 - Sikkam 1

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Handed young striker Santos a start against last years finalists & he was VERY impressive scoring 2 goals & generally looking lively.

Semi-Final

Dempo 2 - Green Valley 0

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Goals from Ferreira & Seong Yong got us the win in what was a largely forgettable match, honestly don't even remember playing it lol.

Durand Cup Final

Dempo 4 - Mumbai FC 2

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We win again & so we should! Not sure I understand the point of this comp, guess it is just a warm up for the more competitive matches but really who cares? Will spare you all the praise & celebratory screenshots as I'm sure you all care even less then I do lol.


Complete Pre-season Results
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Have kinda done this a bit backwards but I forgot to take a screenie prior to the start of the Durand Cup.

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A lot of green dots here, we have a ridiculously long pre season & are incapable of arranging friendlies against anyone who can even remotely challenge us. Hopefully a stint in Asia will increase both our revenue & reputation so I can use this time a bit more constructively!



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In reality the biggest news of the pre-season is that we have managed to tie down young starlet Pratesh Fernandes to a long term professional contract.
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[Lippo255]

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As a Sydney FC fan this was very hard to turn down. This is the first time in any FM I have been approached by them. Despite the temptation I must finish what I've started :'(

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[madpot]

Great story so far
I've managed in India before, finances are hard to control.

 

[Lippo255]

Thanks mate.
Yea the finances are brutal, thankfully the board has been sinking a lot of cash in for us so we are "only" 300k in the red atm. Not that anyone will pay for my players but the % of transfer revenue made available has been slashed to 0 as well. Very tough.

 

[Lippo255]

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Late Arrivals

The incident with Joseph Yobo last off-season along with a growing interest in my targets saw me pull the trigger on a couple of late signings despite having neither the wage room or foreign player spots to do so. :S


Saif Salman

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First up is young Iraqi international Saif Salman. Good now & will only get better. I have no doubt he will be one of the best ever to ply his trade in India. Had to throw in some large bonuses to get him to come.


Taofeek Akanbi

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Another youngster with a tremendous upside. Like Saif Salman Potentially one of the best to ever play here.



Although I am incredibly happy with landing these guys the fact remains that I now need to offload players to balance the books. Ageing star Stephen Appiah along with North Korean striker Kim Seong Yong will now join Brazilian wingback Leo Arantes on the unwanted list. The board will be far from happy if I cannot get rid of at least 2 of them!

Super Cup

Dempo 3 - Bengaluru 0

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As the score-line would suggest we did this fairly easily. A brace from youngster Ivo Coutinho & a rare Appiah strike handing us our 2nd trophy for the year. No blow by blow.


Federation Cup

Dempo 3 - Pune 2

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A tough match here as I tested my new signings for the first time. We lacked a bit of fluidity but with a touch of luck still managed to come out on top thanks to a brace from veteran defender Mahesh Gawli.

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Decided to use this comp to test out my new signings having used the old guard to defend the super cup. Above is how the new look side is looking. A false 9 rather then a target man but beyond that very little change to our shape. Jewel Raja will drop into the deeper sitting midfield role to make room for Saif Salman to attack (although I have started Lenny Rodrigues ahead of him here.)

Since this shot have changed Gustavo's role to halfback to cover my back 2 a bit more & allow my fullbacks to push further forward.

Dempo 4 - Goa 0

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A much better performance this one! Akanbi already notching his first hat trick in just his second game! He WILL be good.

Dempo 1 - East Bengal 0

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Our first real test of the season once again showed that our defence will stand up when the chips are down. An own goal separating the sides in a very cagey affair.

Dempo 6 - Churchill Bros 2

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After leading 2-0 early on we completely switched off & were lucky to get to the half at 2-2! Gave the boys an absolute rocket at half time & the rest is history. Another hat trick from Akanbi, that's 6 goals in 4 matches, & a brace from the ageless Clifford Miranda without a doubt the highlights.

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Sorry mate. lol



Group stage final table

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Did it easily in the end. 4 games, 4 wins! We are far & away the best team in India at the moment.

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Suspected this day may well be on the horizon. Despite being 36 would dearly love him to keep playing, will leave a massive hole in the team but lets hope I can convince him to stay on in a coaching role.

Federation Cup Semi-Final


Dempo 1 - Salgoacar 2

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We again fall short of expectations in this competition, even worse its god damned Salgoacar that do us in!!!

We took the lead after just a minute but on 8 minutes the game changed as defender Rowlison Rodrigues was dismissed for a last man foul on one of their strikers (forget who). From that moment it was always going to be an uphill struggle & despite creating chances we never really looked like getting away with it.


Beginning of the end?

An early exit in the Confederation Cup along with my inability to offload any of my 3 unneeded imports means that, for the first time, my job is under real pressure. A poor start to the league campaign may well seal my fate. The nervous signings late on, as good as they may turn out to be, are looking to be a real mistake on my behalf. Oh well live & learn I guess, I'm not done just yet!
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[city4lyf]

Fantastic story pal, hopefully the board will remember your past achievements and give you a bit more time!!

 

[Markobucko]

Lol...should have known better than deal with Lucas Neil....he's a scumbag!!
good read mate

 

[Lippo255]

Fantastic story pal, hopefully the board will remember your past achievements and give you a bit more time!!

Thanks mate, I hope so still got plenty I'd like to do here.

Lol...should have known better than deal with Lucas Neil....he's a scumbag!!
good read mate

Yeah, i liked him at Blackburn but he become a bit of a **** late in his career didn't he?
Still could have been a decent player in India i would have thought.

 

[Lippo255]

Ha, ha!

Despite my complete disregard for the wage budget & failure to win the federation cup i hit the board up for a new contract & they gave me 2 more years!

Job security is now full as the board doesnt have the funds to pay out my contract!

 

[AayushCFC]

Knew nothing about Dempo when I decided to take them on but was honestly expecting more than this. 23,000 per game lower then Mohun Bagan who sit in 7th spot on the table!!!!!!!​

Mohun Bagan has crazy following in India, Kolkata is hub of football in India.

If you want to increase attendance in the games, you might have to take control over Indian national team and take them up the rankings. 1.2M population, will take some initiative to get a few thousand bums to watch.

 

[Lippo255]

Mohun Bagan has crazy following in India, Kolkata is hub of football in India.

If you want to increase attendance in the games, you might have to take control over Indian national team and take them up the rankings. 1.2M population, will take some initiative to get a few thousand bums to watch.

Cheers mate, attracting a crowd has proved very difficult. Despite the title win last year i think my average attendance actually dropped from the previous year! Will try to work a screenie in sometime this season to show any progress or lack there of.

At some stage i absolutely want to take charge of the national team & see what i can do to push them up the rankings. Cant remember who is in charge atm but they seem quite content with him despite what i would call some mediocre results :S

 

[Enternirvana]

This is so Awesome dude. Wish I had the patience to do this!

 

[Lippo255]

This is so Awesome dude. Wish I had the patience to do this!

Thanks mate, always motivating to know that people are enjoying the story.

 

[Lippo255]

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A new found security

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As mentioned in a previous post, I hit the board up for a contract extension as I was in real danger of getting the ***. This was an absolute "hail Mary" but to my surprise the board offered me a new contract. Score 1 for gross mismanagement at board level. lol

As you can see my job is fully secure for the foreseeable future


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For those of you who do not know Ricki Herbert he is most famous for managing New Zealand in the 2010 world cup in which they surprised many people by going undefeated in a group stage that included Italy!


Squad Comparison

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The stats confirm we are the best team in the country at the moment. Anything less then the title would be a major disappointment, not just to the board but to myself as well.


National Football League


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No change to the competitions ranking. At least the backwards slide has been halted.

Results

Dempo 1 - Pune 0

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Not a great start to the season as I forget to take a screen shot straight up!

On the pitch it wasn't much better either as we squandered numerous chances & somehow managed to scrap a 1-0 win thanks to another goal from Taofeek Akanbi.

Dempo 4 - Bengaluru 1

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New signing Saif Salman produced a stand-out performance here, bagging a brace, while striker Teofeek Akanbi continued his great start to life at Dempo again getting on the score sheet.

Dempo 1 - East Bengal 1

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Always looked comfortable in this game despite only holding a 1 goal lead. Unfortunately, in the final minute of normal time, central defender Mahesh Gawli missed an unchallenged header on the 6 yard box allowing Atiqur Bachaeu to score the equaliser from point blank range. :S

Dempo 2 - Rangdajied 1

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An absolutely horrendous display of finishing in this game as, despite our dominance, 2 own goals from the Rangdajied defenders saved us from utter embarrassment!

Dempo 1 - Goa 1

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Another sub par performance up front as we once again managed to turn complete dominance into a draw. After just 5 games Salgoacar have already opened up a 4 point gap at the top making our upcoming match of the utmost importance.

Dempo 2 - Salgoacar 1

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Despite recent so-so performances I decided to go with my strongest possible 11 for this all important match & what do you know, 2 of the guys I seriously considered dropping got us the goals. This win keeps us within a point of the pace setters with a 3rd of the season gone.


Table

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4 wins, 2 draws from our first 6 see's us sitting comfortably in 2nd place ready to pounce when (or if) Salgoacar slip up.



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[Enternirvana]

Loving the battle between you and Salgaocar

 

[Lippo255]

Loving the battle between you and Salgaocar

Must admit, so am I! Infuriates me that they have the wood on us, but the league would be pretty boring without them. Not to mention their smart *** manager who i love to hate

Gunna pick a fight with Ricki Herbert next lol

 

[Lippo255]

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Results

Indian National Football League

Dempo 3 - Mohan Bagan 3

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Another wasted opportunity. Every time we took the lead their next shot found the back of the net, wherever it was from! Incredibly frustrating as we controlled the match & were clearly the better team.

Asian Confederation Cup

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Finally, my first venture into Asian Football has began, 12k for participating is not a lot but there are bonuses for winning & such so lets hope for a good run to help balance the books a bit.

The expectation is that we make the Quarter Finals.

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No idea what to think about the group. Could be a very difficult one, or an incredibly easy one I have no clue. What I can tell you is that Dhofar are from Oman, Al-Zawra from Iraq & Riffa from Bahrain.

Dempo 1 - Dhofar 1

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A very even match in most regards. Again we were wasteful only managing to get 2 of our 11 shots on target.

Dempo 0 - Al-Zawra 0

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Almost a carbon copy of the match above. 11 shots, this time 3 on target, but all in all another disappointing performance going forward. Not sure if it is the higher level or a flaw in my tactic but we are looking devoid of idea's in attack & are resorting to taking too many long shots :S

Dempo 1 - Riffa 0

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Probably our worst performance so far ends in our first victory. Not only were we look devoid of ideas going forward but we completely lost our shape at the back as well & were incredibly lucky to keep a clean sheet. A Mahesh Gawli goal from a corner getting us out of jail in the 75th minute.

Table

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We sit in second spot at the halfway point of the group stage. Like our form at the moment it could go either way.

Confederation Cup Attendances

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Very underwhelming after our first 2 home games I'm afraid. This figure is actually 1000(ish) lower than our domestic turnouts.

Indian National Football League

Dempo 0 - Pune 2

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Our luck finally ran out here. Despite having more shots & controlling possession we were unable to create any real chances & were stunned by Pune's clinical finishing on the break.

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Despite our recent poor performances I had almost forgot what it was like to lose. Let's hope it doesn't become a trend.

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Completely ballsed this up. Was negotiating for him to join the back room at seasons end but at some stage during proceedings forgot to change the contract date to "end of the season." This has left me with a MASSIVE hole to fill. Have been scouting for a replacement since he announced his retirement with no luck so have decided to rely on a youngster.

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Dongre is not rated by my staff at all but a quick look at his attributes would suggest that, with a bit of development, he will be capable of doing a job for me. Needs to work on some of his technical skills but is decent on the ball & has adequate speed & acceleration as well as high determination.

Youth Intake

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More disappointment. :'(
Not much to see here, our youth set up desperately needs improving but with out an increase in the maximum wage I can offer it is proving impossible. I need cash & a lot of it! :S
Wont even bother with screenies, if anyone develops beyond expectations will let you know. Wont be holding my breathe though.

Dempo 4 - Churchill Bros 0

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A return to form in this match, although we played against 10 men for the majority of the game. Still I was relieved to see us turn our possession into goals.

Table

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We slip to 3rd, although we have a game in hand on Bengaluru. Salgaocar's complete dominance can be seen in their goal difference, they are a team in form at the moment & are dishing out some real floggings! Let's hope they catch a serious case of late season slump syndrome.

League Attendances

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Not really sure how these numbers stack up compared to the first season (too lazy to go back & look) have a feeling they are pretty much the same, maybe slightly lower.
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