Beto after scoring vs Churchill on Wednesday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Roberto Mendes de Silva ? having endured his eight-month association with Mohun Bagan club bordering on rejection ? rose to the occasion like a man possessed at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday and delivered the lifeline for his beleaguered club to survive the ignominy of tasting the demotion ditch.

Both Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers finished the ninth National Football League with 23 points, but the former survived, thank to better goal differential. If the AIFF sticks to its decision to demote four teams, Churchill will suffer the humiliation along SBT, Vasco and Tollygunge Agragami.

However, the Brazilian ? affectionately called as Beto ? is now out to give all those days of rebuffs and insults their due. Having helped the three-time champions hold Churchill Brothers with a stunning goal and returned to a hero’s welcome after the match, he’s no longer willing to be part of Mohun Bagan’s battle for lost glory next season.

“My job is over? so is my association with the club,” Beto revealed, checking his emotions in the flood of accolades from fans and officials in the dressing room. “I wanted to prove something (to my detractors) and I think I did it today. Now I’ve made up my mind that I’m not coming back here,” he added.

Beto appeared to be a man immensely humiliated and misunderstood during his edgy tenure in the club. For him, there was also the pressure of living in the shadow of one Jose Ramirez Barreto ? who also left the club humiliated.

Under both the previous coach Subrata Bhattacharya and his successor Amal Dutta, he never seemed to enjoy the privilege of being the first-choice striker. After Wednesday, all this must come to a stop.

“This is certainly my most cherishing moment (in India). I played on in spite of being regularly threatened to be thrown out (by the club) because of the fans. I feel happy today because I knew I did something for the fans? This was my goal to them,” Beto remarked.

The Brazilian’s goal took Dutta by surprise as well. “Certainly his best goal till now,” felt the veteran coach.

Like the player, Dutta was also basking in the limelight. “I came to the club like a messiah. I took the challenge with a self-belief that this team could not be relegated. At least I can sleep well tonight,” the septugenarian maintained.

When asked how was he feeling now, he lightly commented: “It’s like the feeling for a girl, who has wedded to a handsome boy.”

Will he continue with the club? Dutta didn’t commit himself to the query, saying “my contract with Mohun Bagan has expired after today’s match.”

His wards, however, want him to stay on. “He’s a great motivator,” said Mehtab Hussain, who was adjudged the Man-of the-Match.

Basudeb Mondal also felt that the team was determined to avoid demotion. “It’s a great feeling?,” he said.

Churchill manager Alphonso Santiago, on the other hand, said that Churchill should be allowed to play in the top tier of the NFL. “The established clubs like us should not be in the (NFL) second division, just to balance the colour and competition in the two divisions. I don’t know what will happen now? may be running an academy is an option,” he said.