2014 Kerala Blasters FC season

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The 2014 Kerala Blasters Football Club season was the first ever season of professional football played by Kerala Blasters. The club managed to secure qualification for the Indian Super League finals on 9 December 2014, after finishing the regular season in fourth position. They managed to make it to the final, but were defeated by Atlético de Kolkata through a stoppage time goal.

The Blasters signed the former England international, David James, as their first ever coach in August. They also drafted in India internationals such as Mehtab Hossain, Sandip Nandy, Chinadorai Sabeeth, Renedy Singh, Ishfaq Ahmed, and Nirmal Chettri. The Blasters also selected an international foreign player, Canadian international Iain Hume before signing on former Scottish internationals Jamie McAllister and Stephen Pearson outside the draft.

After starting the season with five straight away games, the Blasters found themselves with only four points. Once the team started playing home games they gained 11 points from the next five games. Another 4 points from their final four games were enough for the team to qualify for the finals. The finals started off very well for Kerala Blasters as they defeated Chennaiyin 3–0 away from home in the first leg of the semi-finals. Despite giving up that lead in the second-leg, an extra-time goal from Stephen Pearson ensured that the Blasters qualified for the final. In the final, the club were defeated 1–0 by Atlético de Kolkata through a last-minute strike by Mohammed Rafique.

Background

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In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG–Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of the nine selected cities for the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL), a franchise tournament modelled along the lines of the Indian Premier League for cricket.[1] On 13 April 2014 it was announced that the rights to the Kerala franchise were won by former India cricket captain, Sachin Tendulkar, and serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and educationalist, Prasad V Potluri.[2] Then, on 27 May 2014, the team's official name was unveiled as 'Kerala Blasters FC' which is based on the nickname of co-owner Sachin Tendular, 'Master Blaster'.

Selection of the players for the first season started on 22 July when the Blasters, along with the other seven franchises, took part in the domestic draft to select the first fourteen Indian players in each team.[3] India international Mehtab Hossain was the first draft pick made by Kerala Blasters and thus the first player in Kerala Blasters history.[4] At the end of the draft, the Blasters were composed of fourteen players, including Hossain: Avinabo Bag, Sandip Nandy, Chinadorai Sabeeth, Luis Barreto, Milagres Gonsalves, Ramandeep Singh, Renedy Singh, Ishfaq Ahmed, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Sushanth Mathew, and Godwin Franco.[5]

On 13 August 2014, former England international goalkeeper, David James was announced as the first head coach of the club and the first marquee player in team history, thus coming in as a player-head coach.[6] Then, on 21 August 2014, the team participated in the international draft in which each team selected seven foreign players to join their team.[7] Former Newcastle United forward Michael Chopra was the first foreign player drafted by the Blasters.[8]

Signings

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Indian draft

Round Position Player I-League club
1 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Mehtab Hossain East Bengal
2 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Sandesh Jhingan Mumbai FC
3 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Ishfaq Ahmed Mohammedan
4 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Gurwinder Singh East Bengal
5 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Nirmal Chettri Mohammedan
6 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Sushanth Mathew Rangdajied United
7 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Godwin Franco Dempo
8 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Avinabo Bag Pailan Arrows
9 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Sandip Nandy Mohun Bagan
10 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Chinadorai Sabeeth Mohun Bagan
11 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Luis Barreto East Bengal
12 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Milagres Gonsalves Salgaocar
13 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Ramandeep Singh Air India
14 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Renedy Singh Shillong Lajong

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International draft

Round Position Player Last Club
1 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Michael Chopra Template:Flagicon Blackpool
2 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Iain Hume Template:Flagicon Fleetwood Town
3 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Pulga Template:Flagicon Kallithea
4 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Erwin Spitzner Template:Flagicon Atlético Paranaense
5 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Pedro Gusmão Template:Flagicon Atlético Paranaense
6 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Cedric Hengbart Template:Flagicon Ajaccio
7 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Raphaël Romey Template:Flagicon Bastia

Template:Col-2 Template:Col-end

Other signings

No. Position Player Last club Date Ref
70 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon David James Template:Flagicon ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar 13 August 2014 [9]
3 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Jamie McAllister Template:Flagicon Yeovil Town 23 August 2014 [10]
18 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Penn Orji Template:Flagicon Mohammedan 1 September 2014 [11]
27 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Andrew Barisic Template:Flagicon South China 1 September 2014 [11]
25 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Stephen Pearson Template:Flagicon Bristol City 1 September 2014 [12]
32 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Colin Falvey Template:Flagicon Charleston Battery 4 September 2014 [13]
29 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Saumik Dey Template:Flagicon East Bengal 7 September 2014 [14]
13 Template:Sort Template:Flagicon Duleep Menon Template:Flagicon Central Excise 27 September 2014 [15]

Pre-season

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Indian Super League

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The Kerala Blasters began their first ever season away from home against NorthEast United on 13 October. A goal from Koke lead to the Blasters losing that match 1–0 to open the season.[16] Their second match was no better as the Kerala Blasters lost their second match of the season to Chennaiyin 2–1. Despite Canadian international Iain Hume scoring the first goal in Blasters history, Chennaiyin managed to grab the victory through goals from Elano and Bernard Mendy.[17] The winless streak continued for the Kerala Blasters as they headed into their third match against Atlético de Kolkata. An equalizer from Iain Hume meant that the Blasters managed to draw the match 1–1 and thus earn their first ever point.[18] The draw helped propel the momentum for the Kerala Blasters as they ended their first month of competitive football with their first ever victory against Pune City. The Blasters fell behind in the match early through a David Trezeguet goal in the 15th minute but Chinadorai Sabeeth managed to level the score in the 41st minute, becoming the first Indian player to score for the team ever. It was then Penn Orji who scored the winning goal in the 65th minute as the Kerala Blasters won 2–1.[19]

The team then began what would be a long month of November for the team as they would have to play eight matches. Their first match came on 2 November against Mumbai City in Mumbai. The Blasters fell in the match 1–0 after Nicolas Anelka scored for Mumbai City from a free-kick.[20] The team then returned to Kerala to play their first home game of the season of a three-game home stand against FC Goa on 6 November. After a goalless first half, it was Milagres Gonsalves who came up with the winning goal for the Kerala Blasters in the 64th minute as the Blasters won 1–0.[21] Despite the opening home victory, the Kerala Blasters were unable to do more than achieve 0–0 in their next two matches against the Delhi Dynamos and Mumbai City respectively.[22][23]

After their three-match home stand, the Kerala Blasters returned to the road as the took on the Delhi Dynamos in Delhi. A 61st-minute goal from Penn Orji was enough as the Blasters won the away tie 1–0.[24] Five days later, the Blasters returned home to take on Atlético de Kolkata. Early goals from Iain Hume and Pedro Gusmão helped lead the Kerala Blasters to a 2–1 victory of the Kolkata side.[25] The joy from the victory was short-lived though as the Kerala Blasters ended the month losing two matches in a row. Their first defeat occurred away from home to FC Goa on 26 November. A brace from Miroslav Slepička and another goal from André Santos lead to the Blasters losing 3–0.[26] That defeat was followed with a 1–0 defeat at home to Chennaiyin.[27]

With just two matches left before the finals entering December, the Kerala Blasters knew the two matches would be crucial for their season.[28] Their first match occurred on 4 December against NorthEast United. Despite creating many chances upfront, the Blasters were held to a 0–0 result.[29] That result meant that the final match of the regular season, at home to Pune City, would prove to be the decider between the two sides to see who qualifies for the finals.[30] Due to a free-kick goal from Iain Hume and a fantastic performance from Sandip Nandy in goal, the Kerala Blasters came out victorious 1–0 and thus qualified for the finals.[31]

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Table

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Results summary

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Indian Super League finals

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Semi-finals

The Kerala Blasters entered the finals as the fourth seed from the regular season and thus had to face the first seed, Chennaiyin in the semi-finals.[32] The first leg of the semi-final turned out to be the Blasters' best offensive performance of the season as they came away with the 3–0 advantage. Ishfaq Ahmed scored the first goal for Kerala in the 27th minute before Iain Hume doubled the lead in the 29th minute. The match was set to finish 2–0 before Sushanth Mathew fired home the third goal for the Kerala Blasters.[33] Despite having the advantage, the Blasters found themselves giving it away in Chennai. Strikes from Mikaël Silvestre and Jeje Lalpekhlua, as well as an own goal from Sandesh Jhingan saw the match end 3–0 to Chennaiyin and thus require extra-time to decide the tie. The match looked set to be going to penalties but it was Stephen Pearson who broke the deadlock in the 117th minute and send the Kerala Blasters into the final.[34]

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Final

Template:Main The final of the Indian Super League took place at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai against Atlético de Kolkata. The match remained at 0–0 until the very final minute of second stoppage time when Mohammed Rafique scored for Kolkata and thus take the title away from the Kerala Blasters.[35]

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Player statistics

Season stats
# Position Player Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
2 DF Template:Flagicon Cédric Hengbart 13 0
3 DF Template:Flagicon Jamie McAllister 6 0
4 DF Template:Flagicon Ramandeep Singh 0 0
5 DF Template:Flagicon Nirmal Chettri 12 0
6 MF Template:Flagicon Renedy Singh 2 0
7 MF Template:Flagicon Sushanth Mathew 5 1
8 FW Template:Flagicon Michael Chopra 9 0
9 FW Template:Flagicon Pedro Gusmão 7 1
10 FW Template:Flagicon Iain Hume 16 5
11 MF Template:Flagicon Ishfaq Ahmed 9 1
12 FW Template:Flagicon Chinadorai Sabeeth 8 1
13 MF Template:Flagicon Duleep Menon 0 0
14 MF Template:Flagicon Mehtab Hossain 9 0
15 DF Template:Flagicon Sandesh Jhingan 14 0
16 DF Template:Flagicon Gurwinder Singh 11 0
18 MF Template:Flagicon Penn Orji 13 2
21 MF Template:Flagicon Godwin Franco 4 0
22 DF Template:Flagicon Raphaël Romey 8 0
23 DF Template:Flagicon Avinabo Bag 5 0
24 GK Template:Flagicon Sandip Nandy 6 0
25 MF Template:Flagicon Stephen Pearson 17 1
27 FW Template:Flagicon Andrew Barisic 11 0
29 DF Template:Flagicon Saumik Dey 10 0
30 GK Template:Flagicon Luis Barreto 1 0
32 DF Template:Flagicon Colin Falvey 9 0
44 DF Template:Flagicon Erwin Spitzner 0 0
70 GK Template:Flagicon David James 12 0
85 MF Template:Flagicon Pulga 6 0
88 FW Template:Flagicon Milagres Gonsalves 13 1

See also

References

  1. ↑ Indian Super League sees interest from 30 franchise bidders. Business-Standard(24 March 2014).
  2. ↑ Stars embrace soccer through Indian Super League. Times of India(13 April 2014).
  3. ↑ ISL domestic draft to include 40 national players. Times of India(19 July 2014).
  4. ↑ ISL: Mehtab Hossain key to success of Kerala Blasters. Zee News(13 October 2014).
  5. ↑ Indian players' draft process ends. The Hindu(24 July 2014).
  6. ↑ David James set to have a blast with Sachin Tendulkar in ISL. Times of India(20 August 2014).
  7. ↑ ISL: Draft for overseas players on August 21. Times of India(14 August 2014).
  8. ↑ Michael Chopra, Bernard Mendy Star Picks in Indian Super League Draft. NDTV Sports(21 August 2014).
  9. ↑ David James set to have a blast with Sachin Tendulkar in ISL. Times of India(20 August 2014).
  10. ↑ Jamie McAllister on career switch to India. Scotsman(14 December 2014).
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Committed to Kerala Blasters, says David James. India Today(2 September 2014).
  12. ↑ Motherwell: Stephen Pearson returns to Fir Park. BBC(19 January 2015).
  13. ↑ Charleston Battery's Colin Falvey is loaned to club for India. Post and Courier(4 September 2014).
  14. ↑ Kerala Blasters sign defenders McAllister, Falvey, Saumik for ISL. IBN Live(7 September 2014).
  15. ↑ Blasters' Talent Spotters Unearth a Local Gem. New Indian Express(30 September 2014).
  16. ↑ ISL: NorthEast United FC beat Kerala Blasters 1-0. Times of India(13 October 2014).
  17. ↑ Chennaiyin FC beat Kerala Blasters 2-1. Times of India(21 October 2014).
  18. ↑ Kerala Blasters FC earn first point with draw. Indian Super League(26 October 2014).
  19. ↑ FC Pune City 1-2 Kerala Blasters: James' side picks their first win. Goal.com(30 October 2014).
  20. ↑ Mumbai City 1-0 Kerala Blasters: It’s Anelka show at DY Patil. Goal.com(2 November 2014).
  21. ↑ ISL: Kerala Blasters FC Edge Past FC Goa 1-0. NDTV Sports(7 November 2014).
  22. ↑ Kerala Blasters 0-0 Delhi Dynamos: Harm van Veldhoven sent off in a game of missed chances. Goal.com(9 November 2014).
  23. ↑ ISL: Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC Settle for Goalless draw | Football News. NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  24. ↑ ISL: Delhi Dynamos' Listless Show Continues, Lose 1-0 to Kerala Blasters. NDTV Sports(16 November 2014).
  25. ↑ ISL: Atletico de Kolkata denied a point as Kerala Blasters win 2-1. Zee News(21 November 2014).
  26. ↑ ISL: FC Goa demolish Kerala Blasters 3-0. The Indian Express(26 November 2014).
  27. ↑ Kerala Blasters FC 0-1 Chennaiyin FC: Materazzi's side books a spot in the semis. Goal.com(30 November 2014).
  28. ↑ Kerala Blasters - NorthEast United FC Preview: Battle of the low scorers. Goal.com(4 December 2014).
  29. ↑ Kerala Blasters 0-0 NorthEast United: Goal-less in Kochi. Goal.com(4 December 2014).
  30. ↑ Kerala Blasters - FC Pune City Preview: Qualification hangs in balance. Goal.com(8 December 2014).
  31. ↑ Kerala Blasters 1-0 FC Pune City: Hume sends James' side into the semis. Goal.com(9 December 2014).
  32. ↑ Kerala Blasters - Chennaiyin FC Preview: Blasters hope to fulminate Blues' final hopes. Goal.com(12 December 2014).
  33. ↑ Kerala Blasters 3-0 Chennaiyin FC: Ishfaq stars as Blasters produce a stellar display. Goal.com(13 December 2014).
  34. ↑ ISL: Kerala Blasters FC beat Chennaiyin FC 4-3 on Aggregate to Enter Final. NDTV Sports(16 December 2014).
  35. ↑ Atletico de Kolkata Defeat Kerala Blasters to Win Inaugural Edition of ISL. NDTV Sports(20 December 2014).

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