Will son shine at Real Kashmir? Coach hopes so

Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 22

A familiar surname, Robertson, was on the score-sheet for Real Kashmir FC as they beat Bengaluru FC-B 3-2 to enter the final of the Jammu & Kashmir Invitational Cup on Sunday. “After the game, there were happy faces in the crowd,” coach David Robertson told The Tribune on Monday.

It was his son, Mason, who scored the decisive goal on Sunday. Mason, 23, signed on for Real Kashmir FC from Peterhead, a Scottish League 2 side, in July this year. David was a bit reluctant to bring Mason to Kashmir as he went about strengthening the squad after winning promotion to the I-League in May this year.

However, a slight nudge from club owner Shamin Mehraj eased his doubts.

“I had coached him for four-five years in America… When we won the league, Shamim sort of encouraged me to take Mason after seeing him play,” David said. “I knew Mason was good enough but the fact that Shamin pushed me, made my job easier.”

Not the first

The Robertsons isn’t the first father-son duo to represent the same team in India. Franco Colomba managed his son Davide with FC Pune City during the 2014 Indian Soccer League season.

“He is strong, he is aggressive,” David said of Mason. “The thing is, when you bring in foreign players, in general you don’t know personality-wise what you are going to get, but I know what I get from him,” he said.

Survival key

David said his side are not expected to win the I-League and said picking points in home matches would be the difference between staying in the league and relegation. After the opener against reigning I-League champions Minerva Punjab FC on October 31, Real Kashmir will play six successive games at home.

“I-League has never been held in Kashmir. But I know it will not be an easy place to go to,” David said. “You know the weather will not be great, it is at a high altitude, and the synthetic turf will also be not easy to play on. It may not be the best surface but we have got to use it to our advantage.”

Security to be beefed up for first home game

The first home game will be a test for the organisers — the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) as well as the security agencies. Real is slated to host Churchill Brothers in a day match on November 6 and a capacity crowd is expected to descend on TRC ground. Apart from the stadium upgrade – changing rooms, media rooms, broadcast rooms and floodlights – the security of the visiting team would be of prime focus for the organisers.

Zaheer A Thakur, the president of JKFA told The Tribune that they have already sought help from the local authorities to manage the security. “We had no security during Sunday’s game where 10,000 came,” Thakur said. “We have notified the authorities and I am sure they will take care of it.”

The stadium will be handed over to Real Kashmir by November 1 but without the floodlights.

Real Kashmir net Adidas 

I-League debutants Real Kashmir Football Club pulled off a major sponsorship coup on Monday by signing up with sportswear giant Adidas for the upcoming national season. For the two-year-old Srinagar-based side, which won the second division league to become the first club from Jammu and Kashmir to qualify for the top-tier I-League, the association with Adidas is significant. Though the financial nitty-gritty of the deal is not known, Adidas will be the official kit partners of Real Kashmir in the I-League, beginning on October 26. “It is a momentous day for Real Kashmir. Such a big brand coming to support us as an official partner is an achievement in itself,” said club co-owner Shamim Meraj.