I-LEAGUE Media Team

PUNE: Bharat FC, the newest club on the Hero I-League rack, have a tough task at hand in their debut match as the Kalyani Group-backed team take on former champions Dempo Sports Club in the Round 2 match of the Hero I-League football at the Balewadi Sports Complex on Saturday.

The Pune club, who joined the I-League in September 2014 after winning the bid to own a team, have had very less time in putting the team together. But the British coach Stuart Watkiss has spent enough hours to at least get a workable combination which on paper looks good to take on any team in the competition.

No doubt the 48-year-old Watkiss is all excited but as the players will be tested for the first time as a team, he would like to keep his fingers crossed on the performance of his crack combination. Given that he has worked mainly in England, for Watkiss everything is new—from his team to the opposition teams.

But ever since the club was launched in November 2014, Watkiss has spent as much time as possible to get to know each and every player and their preferences in terms of field positions and the way they like to play their natural game.

While the team building was still on, Bharat FC are ready with a full squad that is raring to go against Dempo under lights on the morrow.

In a team of 22, Bharat FC has just three foreign recruits. Instead they have put in place a formidable coaching staff under the chief coach Watikiss. Former India coach Stanley Rosario is the assistant coach, which makes Watkiss’ job simple while dealing specifically with the Indian players.

New Zealand attacker Kris Bright, Briton defender Bobby Hassell and Benin’s Romauld Boco, the midfielder are the only foreign players Bharat FC boast of.

In a sense it gives more Indian players a chance to prove their worth what with Gouramangi Singh, who joined Bharat FC after a highly successful stint in the Indian Super League (ISL) for Chennaiyin FC.

Former national team player Mehrajuddin Wadoo, who played for FC Pune City in the ISL has continued his romance with the city by joining  Bharat FC, which strengthens the defence also lined by Rajinder Kumar, Shahbaaz Saleel, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Nallappan Mohanraj and Adil Khan.

Though Bharat FC will depend on Bright to deliver the goods upfront, but much will also depend on how Subhash Singh, Surajit Bose, Jayashelan Prasad, Gunashekhar Vignesh assist the Kiwi international.

Though Bobby Hassell will be in the defence, Watkiss will expect him to perform the role of a playmaker given that he has played in the Championship for 10 years. Watkiss, however, is non-committal in defining the role for Hassell, but clearly the Briton expects Hassell to take charge when the whistle is blown tomorrow.

Dempo on the other hand would expect a favourable opening given than this was their home match, but was given to Bharat FC on request to allow the Pune team to make a grand debut at home.