Soccor’s strike helps Gunners draw level

MUMBAI: Soccor Velho, the Golden Gunners forward, is turning out to be quite a hitman for Dereyk Desouza’s side. The striker joined the Gunners outfit in Mumbai this season from Goan side Cabral. He is already being talked about in the football circles as the man to watch out for.

In Gunners’ Mumbai League match against Western Railway on Wednesday, Velho’s brilliant 57th-minute equaliser enabled them to steal a point. The match ended 1-1.

Western Railway, who ended runners-up in the 62nd Inter-Railway final to Mumbai’s Central Railway on September 25, had their share of chances to seal the game, but couldn’t capitalize.

"We are not at full strength right now. Most players are indisposed or injured," said Western Railway coach Koushik Pal. Gunners dominated the proceedings right from the start. But it was Railways that dealt the first blow, through a Raghunath Reddy strike in the 49th minute.

In the 51st minute, Aldrin Montorieo had a golden chance to make it 2-0, when he ran clear of the defense. He dodged the charging goalkeeper but could convert, despite an open goal in front.Six minutes later, Velho’s calculated lob over the charging goalkeeper leveled the scores.

"In the last few matches, I have been missing a couple of easy chances. The coach has been working with me a lot and now I am hitting the mark more often," said Velho.

Desouza rested most of his first team players in Wednesday’s match to try out his bench strength.

Gunners have shown a lot of promise this season. They’ve given both Air India and Mahindra a run for their money. Can they do it in the super sixes? Desouza is hopeful.

"We’ve played some good matches. Super six will be a fresh start. Hopefully, we can keep up the tempo," he said.

Meanwhile, in another match of the Elite League, Central Railway beat H2K Holy Family 2-0. DP Singh put his side ahead in the 37th minute, while Altaf Khan sealed the win with a 57th-minute strike.