Keeper William Koso displays his skills as his ASEB teammates warm up before a Guwahati super league match at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati last year. A file picture

Guwahati, June 8: The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) Sports Club has proved to be a rich hunting ground for big soccer clubs of the country with Goa giant Churchill Brothers picking up goalkeeper William Koso and Mohun Bagan hiring medio H. Hritzuala for the ensuing season.

Not only did the duo sign up with outstation clubs, the entire inner core of the team, barring mercurial forwards Sanjiba Rongpi and Utpal Basumatary, have moved out of the power brigade to join other clubs.

Last year?s Manipur recruit striker Sushil Kumar Singh has left for trials in the Indian Navy, stand-in goalkeeper Dinesh Basumatary has joined Assam Rifles in Tezpur and Zenith Sharma has signed up with Royal Sports Club of Guwahati. Defender Ratna Chetia has also signed up with Assam Police Blues, Guwahati.

This is not the first time that the ASEB SC is losing players to outside clubs. Record shows that the club had groomed many players who were signed up later by other clubs.

The ASEB SC has, however, signed up one of the most promising teenagers of the state, Mani Kanta Brahma of Sports Authority of India SC, Guwahati, as medio to replace Hritzuala.?Hritzuala was a very attacking half and his signing up with the Calcutta club is not only a loss to ASEB SC, but also to Assam. Brahma is the only replacement who can step into his shoes,? ASEB SC coach Ganesh Rai said.

Besides, ASEB SC has signed up Suraj Sonar from Williamson Magor Football Academy, Monabari, as a promising medio to rub shoulders with the seasoned Kamal Chettri, Kamakhya Basumatary and Syed Ansar. The team management is, however, worried about finding a replacement for the ageing Kamakhya Basumatary, who is the only defensive midfielder of his kind in the entire Northeast.

The ASEB has signed up at least eight new faces this season. Among them are a stopper from Manipur, Thangthang Kom, and last year?s Orissa under-21 defender Suresh Das. Two more defenders have been taken in from Kokrajhar.

?All the new recruits are very young players and have a bright future. I am confident we can groom them into good footballers,? Rai, who has groomed many players to be subsequently recruited by Assam as well as other adjoining state teams, said.

On the void created by Sushil Kumar?s departure, Rai said last year?s Nagaland recruit Vizakhole Medoze would make up for him. ?Besides, we have recruited 19-year-old Arinjit Brahma from Kokrajhar who is a promising player. I am confident that he can be groomed to be a formidable striker,? Rai added.

Rongpi, Utpal Basumatary and Pabitra Lunchnung are the other forwards in the team.

As for the goalkeeper, Rai said the team would have to bank primarily on Mintu Sonowal. Besides, the ASEB has signed up Surajit Singh from Manipur among the new recruits. ?Singh is improving fast,? Rai said.