31 January,2012 07:32 AM IST | | Sundari Iyer
Having lost five matches in the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Elite division so far, Mumbai FC U-19 coach Naushad Moosa is not thinking of the outcome anymore. But at the same time, the coach feels that his boys gave a good account of themselves in the tournament.
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Mumbai FC U-19 (yellow) & ONGC U-19 players during yesterday's Elite
Div match at Poinsur Gymkhana. Pic/Nimesh Dave
Mumbai FC suffered their last defeat when they were beaten 1-3 by ONGC at Poinsur Gymkhana in Kandivli yesterday.
"For me winning is not everything. The aim was to give the boys some exposure so that they can play in the I-League in the future. This is a fresh team comprising college students from Rizvi and Thakur. This is the best platform we could have provided. Barring two, who are 21, rest are all U-19 players, the youngest being 15-year-old Nikhil Pujari," Moosa told MiD DAY.
Mumbai FC is on the verge of being relegated to Super Division, but Moosa is not too worried. His sole aim being the boys get to play against experienced and better sides.
Skipper Sujit Pandey, who was a part of the team that won the Super Division title last season, echoed similar feelings: "Playing for such teams gives young players like us a platform to showcase our talent. If we perform well here, we will be picked by I-league teams, so this is definitely a stepping stone for us."
