Several banners hang from Block D of the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab. One of these, a permanent fixture in I-League games, reads “Started From Da Bottom, Now We Here”. Words that ooze Punjabi pride and swagger. Also, words that crisply describe Minerva Punjab Football Club’s rise, devoid of shortcuts, to the upper echelons of Indian football.
It’s been quite a journey indeed: from 2005, when Minerva Academy Football Club (the club’s old name) started as a six-a-side team which would play as many tournaments as it could, to 2017, when MPFC is rubbing shoulders with Indian football’s big boys.
Along the way, a solid grassroots foundation – with highly qualified coaches and a residential academy – has been built, which led to trophies at the state level with the senior team (senior only in name) as well as at the national level with age-group sides. A runners-up place in the second division of the I-League last year provided the club with a chance to play in the I-League.
Levelling up to the topmost division, though, hasn’t come easy at all.
Not the best of beginnings
In January, the team played its first five matches in 22 days, which proved to be a real baptism by fire – one that the club wasn’t ready for. Which isn’t an excuse; it’s a genuine reason. Only on December 12, less than a month before the start of the new season, did the All India Football Federation announce MPFC as a new entrant in the I-League. Hardly sufficient time to prepare for your biggest challenge.
If that wasn’t enough, I-League’s bizarre scheduling (aimed at reducing travelling costs) further added to the woes: Minerva began the season with four consecutive away matches followed by their first home fixture versus the mighty East Bengal.
A hard-fought point versus Chennai City made for a decent start but it was quickly followed by narrow, but deserved, defeats to Aizawl FC and Shillong Lajong FC, and one-sided drubbings at the hands of the two Kolkata giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Naturally, the January numbers made for some sorry reading. One point earned and only one goal scored – a long-range strike by centre-back Loveday Okechukwu – in five matches. A settled line-up looked far away: MPFC averaged nearly five starting XI changes per game, the highest in the league. On the plus side, though, the club gave its youngsters a chance to experience the big stage, using at least five Under-22 Indian players per game.
A lack of identity
“When you are given only 12 days to make your team, players don’t even know each other’s names on the field,” lamented Ranjit Bajaj, who plays a dual role at the club as both owner and team manager of MPFC. “In the first three matches, our players would often call each other by positions or jersey numbers on the field!”
“Every player wanted to hit the ball long and just get rid of it,” recounted Bajaj. “Nobody wanted to take risks and make any mistakes.”
Indeed, Minerva had lacked an identity on the pitch throughout January. A directionless game that you would expect from a hastily-assembled team. Some would call it the “typical Indian long-ball game”; others would term it the “kick (forward) and rush” type of football. Cohesion was virtually non-existent and players were still learning to adapt to each other.
February brings better tidings
In contrast, February witnessed an upswing in form. Two wins and four draws meant MPFC went undefeated in the month and found themselves in the upper half of the form table. Three clean sheets were kept and eight goals were scored. Unsurprisingly, stability was high: MPFC averaged less than two starting XI changes per match during the month. Cohesion was key.
A maiden I-League win saw Mumbai FC beaten 2-1 at home; a game in which goals were scored by 17-year-old forward Baoringdao Bodo, the I-League’s youngest ever scorer, and 19-year-old midfielder Anirudh Thapa, making it the first instance, as per ESPN, of two teenagers scoring in the same match since the introduction of the football league system in 1996.
A few other results stood out too. A 1-1 draw at the home of champions Bengaluru FC showed the ever-growing fighting spirit in the team – it was the first instance of Minerva ruffling the feathers of a league giant. A remarkable 5-4 victory in Goa over Churchill Brothers – a game in which Minerva came from behind thrice – gave the club its first ever away win and, as per head coach Surinder Singh, “definitely boosted the morale of the boys”.
The nine-goal thriller that turned it around
However, it took MPFC 14 games and a little over two months into the season to truly show that they belonged in the I-League. On 11 March, just before the league’s midseason break, the side from Punjab completely outplayed league leaders Aizawl FC for large parts of the contest in Ludhiana, in a manner worthy of the more prominent teams in the division.
While the end result may have been a 2-2 draw – MPFC valiantly fighting back from two goals down—it’s the team’s intent and approach on the day which stood out. There was urgency in Minerva’s play right from the offset – it took less than 10 seconds for the home team to have an attempt at goal. Confidence was flowing and a working structure on the field was clearly visible: lining up in a coherent 4-3-3 formation the players appeared to be comfortable with.
Only Aizawl’s goalkeeper Albino Gomes, who’s been in inspirational form for the Mizoram side this season, kept AFC in the game with a series of sensational saves before the away side went two goals ahead against the run of play – a quality that has seen AFC ascend to the top. But Minerva fought back late on, a point the minimum they deserved on the balance of play.
It’s a fixture which spoke volumes of the progress made by the club. Both the owner and the head coach admitted it was the best the team had played all season. “Imagine if we had more time to prepare before the season,” reminded Bajaj, after the game.
Consistency and cohesion
It’s also a fixture that provided a snapshot of how MPFC’s erratic season appears to be coming together late on. Only two players – Loveday and Victor Amobi – who started against Aizawl had featured in the club’s opening two matches. Two others, namely winger David Ngaithe and goalkeeper Arnab Das Sharma hadn’t even joined the club until the fourth round. And another, Korean defender Sang-Min Kim, arrived at the club only in time for the eighth match.
There have been changes galore during the season. No club has used more players than MPFC (34) in a league which averages 25. On the plus side, this has also meant that no club has used more Under-22 players this season than MPFC (16).The Punjab club has also averaged 3.4 changes per game to its starting XI which, again, is the highest in a league which averages 2.2.
On the pitch too, changes in positions have been evident. Kareem Omalaja Nurain, a centre-back earlier in the season, was a centre forward against Aizawl. He’s the club’s topscorer this season along with Loveday (with three goals each). Amobi, a right winger for most of the season, was deployed as a defensive midfielder. Kim, who played as a full-back on his debut, was an authoritative centre-back on the day. Bodo, used as a centre-forward earlier, caused havoc on the left side of a front three – which is his preferred position.
The Minerva flag keeps flying
Aside from the struggle for results, other issues have plagued the club’s campaign. Colm Toal, who was appointed as the Technical Director of MPFC in a significant coup for the club, left Minerva after only three weeks allegedly due to a difference of opinion with the owner.
Playing field in Ludhiana has been heavily criticised by players and managers for its poor quality, while the shoddy TV coverage – a poor vantage point – has done little to ensure that MPFC’s games are watchable. Attendances have been low but not as low as expected: as per official figures, Minerva’s home games average higher attendances than three other clubs.
It’s been a creditable start. The club has made a good fist of it in its debut season. Immunity from relegation this year has ensured that there’s enough margin for error. With four games to go, MPFC sit second from bottom but can still realistically aim to achieve fifth position.
It’s taken them a while but Minerva Punjab have finally found its footing in the I-League.
All statistics used in this article are compiled by the writer himself, unless mentioned otherwise.
Akarsh Sharma is a sports traveller and writer who contributes to various publications. His work is collated on akarshsharma.com and he occasionally tweets here.