I-League: Lajong take on Chirag

Kochi, March 23 (IANS) Chirag United Kerala resume their relegation struggle in the I-League 2011-12 as they take on Shillong Lajong FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here Saturday as the league returns to action after a short break.

Even though the objective of the season remains the same before and after the break, a lot has changed at the Kerala club in the meantime.

The club saw the departure of Sri Lankan coach Nizam Packir Ali and the arrival of former Mohun Bagan coach Biswajit Bhattacharrya as the technical director bringing along a whole set of support staff from Kolkata.

He is joined by AFC licensee Ananda Kumar Ghosh who was appointed as the head coach and Dipesh Mukherjee and Partha Bhattacharya who took charge as trainer and goalkeeping coach respectively.

Chirag played the 116th IFA Shield in the break but bowed out of the event with two defeats. Since then, the team has been having rigorous training sessions under Biswajit in Kolkata and has played a friendly match with Mohun Bagan there before returning to Kerala.

'The boys are working very hard and sincerely ever since day one. They are a good and talented lot and I hope we make it at the end of the season,' Biswajit Bhattacharrya said.

Shillong are sitting pretty in tenth spot with 27 points from 20 games while Chirag are on 14 points from 19 matches.