Calcutta: Trevor James Morgan was busy training his East Bengal boys at the Howrah Stadium on Wednesday morning in preparation of their opening CFL Premier Division tie against Bhowanipore Club.
Around almost the same time and a few kilometres away, officials from the Indian Super League (ISL) and Atletico de Kolkata were inspecting the Mohun Bagan ground and its facilities as part of their search for an alternative to the Salt Lake Stadium to host the city franchise's home matches this season.
Not that the events were co-related, but it's a fact that while the ISL is spreading its wings, the CFL of today is a shrunken entity.
Yet, for East Bengal this CFL season would be like no other. After all, they will be gunning for an unprecedented seventh league title on the trot.
Morgan himself though holds a different view. "You won't see any pressure from my side... The club equalled a record when they won their sixth title last year, it was a great achievement... And if they can't add to it this time, it won't be a disaster for sure," the Englishman said.
Under the watchful eyes of Morgan, the East Bengal team concentrated more on set-pieces at their practice. "Yes, it's important. I hate conceding a goal from a free-kick at crucial moments of the game... At the same time, I love the team scoring one from a free-kick. So set-pieces are important," Morgan explained.
It's a good blend of youth and experience that East Bengal has in their squad. With youngsters like Abhinas Ruidas, there are senior pros like Arnab Mondal. It is all a matter of hitting the right combination.
It's difficult to predict the playing XI in the season opener, but one guesses that the likes of 'keeper Luis Barreto, Arnab, Gurwinder Singh and Do Dong Hyun would be there in the starting line-up.
Bhowanipore, coached by former East Bengal player Debjit Ghosh, are an unknown entity. But Morgan is cautious.
"It will be a tough game tomorrow and I won't be expecting anything other than a very difficult match. We have to be at our best. We won't see any opposition with any disrespect. We have to work hard, take opportunities," Morgan said.
Korean import Dong knows his job well. "I will try my best to score. We know how we want to play, and if you know that no team can beat you. Personally, I think all goalkepeers know where I am going to place my free-kicks, so I will try something new," Dong said with a grin.
It however did look a bit surprising that while East Bengal practised ahead of their season opener, the fans stayed away. The empty stands did hurt the eye. But Morgan hardly looked that way, instead he is looking far. "It's where you are at the end of the season that counts, not whether you win or lose your first game. It's about where we finish at the end of the season."
Did he mean winning the seventh CFL title on the trot?
