MoM Somnath Khara thwarts a Mohammedan Sporting attack during their CFL Premier Division match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: Following in the footsteps of Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting also started their Sahara CFL Premier Division campaign on a disappointing note on Tuesday. But unlike the defending champions’ shocking 0-1 loss to Calcutta Port Trust, Subhas Bhowmick’s side at least salvaged a point, with a goalless draw against Railway FC at the Salt Lake Stadium.

An admixture of youth and experience, Mohammedan Sporting couldn’t live up to expectations as they appeared lacking in defensive organisation, mobility in midfield and thrust in the attacking third. Probably, the black-and-white brigade was struck by what is called season-opening blues.

A crowd of about 15000 thronged the stadium in anticipation of a good show from Mohammedan Sporting, who have created a flutter in the Maidan thanks to their recruitment of some key players who had served East Bengal last season. Add to this the appointment of Bhowmick in the hot seat, and you could sense an air of expectation gripping the supporters. The day, however, gave way to disappointment.

Though playing with the typical mentality of a small-team, Railway FC marked a departure from tradition by exploring attacking options whenever chances fell their way. Amjad Hussain had to survive a few anxious moments due to Shankar Das and Biplab Naskar’s splendid play down the left wing. Since Railway FC — for whom the main objective was a draw — didn’t show any clear intention of reinforcing their attack, those moves eventually bore no fruit.

On the other hand, veterans like Debjit Ghosh and Noel Wilson had a forgettable day — a fact which was responsible for Mohammedan Sporting failing to maintain any semblance of cohesion and understanding between the midfield and forwardline.

The match, incidentally, marked the return of Brazilian Douglas da Silva to the Maidan after almost one-and-a-half years. The erstwhile East Bengal midfielder had broken his right shin bone during a National Football League match against Mahindra United in February last year and had to return to his native land following a surgery.

Bhowmick opted for a 4-5-1 option with Bijen Singh as the lone striker. But with the midfield failing to perform and Bijen squandering a clear chance in the first-half, the coach fell back on Douglas in the second session.

The lanky Brazilian looked a bit tired, but his introduction at least provided some momentum to his team’s forays into the Railway FC box. However, Mohammed Nizam came up with feeble attempt from close while Bijen missed out on another opportunity.

Another substitution came in the form of Raman Vijayan and predictably, balls started flowing into the box from both flanks, hoping to cash in on his and Douglas’ height. Jamir Ali Mondal — who made his debut for Mohammedan Sporting — was the provider of most of these balls.

The Railway FC citadel was breached on quite a number of times at that time, but their goalkeeper Somnath Khara — who was adjudged Man-of-the-Match — protected his area with some brilliant saves.

Two minutes from time, Douglas took a left-footer which came back into play after hitting the post. Apart from that moment of anxiety, Somnath, with the thickness of his gloves, inspired his teammates to fight till the end.

Teams

Mohammedan Sporting: Prasanta Dora; Amjad Hussain (Douglas da Silva, 46), Habibur Rahman Mondal, Madhab Das, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury; Mohammed Nizam, Debjit Ghosh, Noel Wilson (Raman Vijayan, 67), Jamir Ali Mondal, K. Kulothungan (Sheikh Shahnawaz, 31); Bijen Singh.

Railway FC: Somnath Khara; Tapan Das, Sundar Mandi, Shankar Das, Rahul Mishtry (Alok Barua, 87), Biplab Naskar, Sandip Karmakar (Suraj Mondal, 39), Subhranil Dutta, Gourav Dutta, Swarnava Barua (Surajit Chakraborty, 75), Sanjib Mishra.

Referee: Dhanapati Roy.