06 August,2010 08:25 AM IST | | Husain M Zaidi
St Xavier's (Fort) and Jamnabai Narsee (Juhu) have been following almost similar patterns as far as the fate of their U-16 football teams is concerned. The former used to be one of the top-notch teams along with all-time favourites Don Bosco (Matunga) and St Stanislaus (Bandra).
Similarly, Jamnabai Narsee shocked one and all when they won the title ahead of the other inter-school stalwarts.
However, the following year painted a completely different picture. The Juhu side were not only knocked out in the first round but were also demoted to Division II.
On the other hand, St Xavier's are yet to come to terms with losing good players every year. Apart from their potent midfielder, Panmei Dimzanglang, everone had a dismal U-16 season that saw them also relegated to Division II this year.
The two teams faced each other in the U-14 group yesterday, and the tie turned out to be a stalemate, mirroring both sides' recent woes.
Both coaches are now pinning their hopes on the U-14 lads, as the teams progressed to the knock-out round after a 0-0 draw.
"We were dealt a severe blow when our U-16 team bowed out but we have a lot of hope from this young lot," said St Xavier's coach Alex Fernandes. His counterpart Albert Braganza was of a similar opinion. "We have three wins and a draw so far. We should capitalise on this," said Braganza.
