08 August,2011 09:22 AM IST | | Sundari Iyer
It's a do or die situation for defending champions Don Bosco (Matunga) in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) U-16 Div I league today.
They must beat St Stanislaus (Bandra) if they wish to keep alive any hopes of retaining the prestigious inter-school title for the third time on the trot.
Adding to the pressure of the must-win clash against their arch-rivals from Bandra, are some stern words from principal Fr Bosco D'Mello after the Matunga lads' shock 0-1 defeat to Campion (Colaba) recently.
"Fr Bosco shouted at us for losing to Campion and also squandering a lot of chances. He has given us strict instructions that we must win both the upcoming matches and win the title again," Don Bosco skipper Floyd Pereira told MiD DAY yesterday.
Bosco and Campion are on 19 points from eight matches (with two to go), while OLPS have 18 from nine outings, and St Stanislaus and Bombay Scottish are on 18 points with two matches in hand.
Pereira however does not want any pressure to get to his boys. "We cannot let the pressure get to us. Playing against Stanislaus is tough ufffd it's like an India vs Pakistan encounter. But I'm confident we can beat them today," added the Class X student.
Coach Leslie Machado could not agree more. "We will have to go all out and win the remaining two matches," he said. Stanislaus meanwhile, have similar plans. "The title is still very much up for grabs and we have a good chance of winning it," said Stanislaus coach Roy Fernandes.
