Football
Bansbari squander chance to go second in league
The early kickoff between Pulchowk Sports Club and Shree Bhagwati Club also finished in a goalless draw.Sports Bureau
Third placed Bansbari Club squandered an opportunity to climb to second in the Martyrs Memorial 'B' Division League football tournament after a 0-0 draw against Shree Kumari Club at the ANFA Complex, Satdobato, on Saturday.
Bansbari, who played the first draw of the season after seventh match, have 15 points with five wins and a defeat. They are four points behind leaders Satdobato Youth Club and one behind second placed Khumaltar Youth Club after the completion of seventh round.
Bansbari could have been level on 16 points with Khumaltar had they not faced punishment of a point deduction for finishing in bottom two position in the last edition of the league, which did not have the provision of relegation. Shree Kumari are eighth with seven points in their kitty.
Bansbari had to thank their goalkeeper Roshan Nepal for rescuing a point as he made some heroic saves to deny Shree Kumari victory in the late fixture of the day.
Shree Kumari kept pushing for the goal and almost broke the deadlock in the stoppage time but goalie Nepal poured cold water on their ambition. The custodian punched Santosh Kumar Singh's goal bound header to safety.
Bansbari coach Yugal Kishor Rai expressed satisfaction at the draw and pointed out that his forward lacked sharpness. "We came up with short-passing style of play. We had devised a plan to stop their forward and we were successful in that but we failed to convert our chances," said Rai.
His Shree Kumari counterpart Sandesh Kumar Shrestha said they should have won the game but goals eluded them. "The boys played well and even created some good chances. Our forwards should have scored at least a couple of goals," lamented Shrestha.
The early kickoff between Pulchowk Sports Club and Shree Bhagwati Club also finished in a goalless draw. Despite creating some beautiful chances, both sides failed to achieve their targets.
Pulchowk coach Mangal Maharjan said that his side failed to produce a performance similar to that of the first half after the interval and instead they came under pressure. "Some of my key players are injured and their replacements came under pressure especially in the second half. We also lacked sharpness upfront," said Maharjan.
Shree Bhagwati coach Sailesh Karmacharya said his side have recruited some new players in the team and that they are yet to have good understanding with other players. "The performance of the team will gradually improve once my team gets fully set," said Karmacharya.
Pulchowk, looking for their first win, hit at the bottom of the standings with two points from seven matches. Shree Bhagwati are ninth with six points.