Shillong, May 12: Langsning FC will play their last and final match of the Second Division League 2018 tomorrow against TRAU FC at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal at 2:30PM.
The match will be played for pride as TRAU have already confirmed their berth in the final round of the competition after they beat Chennaiyin FC reserves 4-0 at home on 9th May. That victory gave them an unassailable 20 points and first place in Group C. Being the top team automatically guarantees them a place in the next round.
However, even victory for Langsning will not allow them to progress as only the top team from each of the groups as well as the team that finishes second best overall from all three groups will qualify. Langsning currently have 15 points and victory tomorrow would put them on 18. However, there are four teams across Groups A and B that already have 19 points, meaning that Langsning’s campaign will come to an end tomorrow.
That is disappointing to the players, especially after the club has seen a sharp uptick in form of late, winning their last two games convincingly (3-0 away at Bengaluru FC reserves and 5-0 at home against Jamshedpur FC reserves) without conceding any goals.
Nevertheless, the Shillong team are keen to end their season on a positive note. TRAU won 1-0 when the two sides in the reverse fixture of the North East derby in March, so Langsning will definitely aim to get their own back.
Out of their nine matches so far LFC have won four, drawn three and lost just two. Goalkeeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar has kept three clean sheets, while forward Kitboklang Pale is the top scorer in the group with six goals to his name. Langsning have also conceded the fewest goals of any club in Group C at just six.
The team departed Shillong on 10th May for Imphal and have been training hard in anticipation of the contest. Although already having secured a place in the final round, tomorrow’s hosts TRAU will not want anything less than a victory in front of their home fans, so it is sure to be a good contest.
(Photo contributed by Langsning FC)
