Mohun Bagan's Mohanraj Wants SAFF Cup Glory

N.Mohanraj is the only Mohun Bagan player in the 24 man Under-23 squad for the 2009 SAFF Cup. He was also part of the senior squad that had a camp in Goa followed by the exposure tour to Barcelona.

The defender also trained with the senior team during the Nehru Cup and so believes that his experience with the senior setup will help him do well in the 2009 SAFF Cup.

Speaking to Goal.com he said, “My experience with the senior squad will help me in the SAFF Cup.

“I trained with the best players of the country and went to a place like Barcelona. So I learnt a lot in those two months which has made me a more matured player now.”

Even though India will be playing a U-23 team in the SAFF Cup, Mohanraj still feels that the four time champions are capable of winning the tournament.

“It's an Under-23 team but still there is a lot of quality in the squad. Players like Baldeep, Sushil, Jagpreet and Sushil have also been part of the senior team while many are regulars in their clubs.

“So it is a very strong team therefore I think we can win the SAFF Cup.”

Other than Mohanraj, Air India’s Ravinder Singh and Churchill’s Robert are two other left fullbacks in the squad. So the Mohun Bagan man is well aware that he is not guaranteed of a starting place.

“Like I said there is a lot of quality in every department. There will be a lot of competition for the left back slot so I have to play well to make sure that I am in the team.

“Between now and 2011 there is the SAFF Cup and Asian games for the Under-23 players. Whoever performs well will be in the Asia Cup squad so all of us have to work hard to win a place in the senior team.”

The former HAL player is in his third season with Mohun Bagan. He revealed that he has enjoyed playing in Kolkata and relishes the pressure that exists in the region.

“Kolkata has a lot of passion for football so it’s great to play there. Yes there is a lot of pressure but I think that’s good for a player. I think it's important to go out and enjoy playing the game so that’s what I try to do.”

The youngster stated that his club has been inconsistent so far but they don’t want to look back at the bad results and are only focusing on their next game.

“We have had a mixed season so far. Three wins and three losses is not championship form so we have to improve.

“Last match was a bad result but we don’t want to look back now. Our aim is to win the next game,” he concluded.

Mohun Bagan’s next assignment in the I-League is an away game against bottom placed Sporting Clube de Goa on Saturday, 7th November.

Amoy Ghoshal