“Everyone Loves Football in Meghalaya” – Shillong Lajong Head Coach Jose Hevia

The 133^rd IndianOil Durand Cup is being hosted by two new cities – Jamshedpur and Shillong and this allowed Shillong Lajong FC to play their Group F matches in front of their home crowd. Having defeated Tribhuvan Army FC and local rival Rangdajied United FC in their opening two matches, The Reds are very close to qualify for the quarter finals for the first time in their history.

Spaniard Jose Carlos Hevia, who coached Shillong Lajong back in 2019, took over The Reds again recently and was in charge during their opening two fixtures of the Durand Cup. “I feel very optimistic with the performance of the previous two matches especially because we were very dominating in the second half of both the matches. The players are developing every day during the practices with more intensity, commitment and the way they’re learning the new concepts,” coach Hevia said while reflecting on the team’s performance so far in the Durand Cup

Jose then mentioned that the team will go into the match with a mentality to win rather than settling for a draw to qualify. “There’s a willingness among all to play the next match as winning the next match will qualify us for the quarter final and it will be a milestone for all the Faithfuls of Lajong. So, we are very optimistic on facing FC Goa and we would want to carry on with our game idea which we are working on every day. The 90 percent of time when you go out to play a match thinking of drawing, the team ends up losing. So, we have to face Goa with 100 percent willingness and commitment to win and carry on with our improvement,” he further added.

Having joined the team on the last week of July,Jose has been impressed with the boys’ performance in the Durand Cup and how the tournament is helping his side prepare for the season ahead. “Prior to the first game I only got six days with the team and so far, I have been able to do 16 sessions with the team. So, the preparation through the Durand Cup is helping us a lot. It is good to have such high intensity matches to take a step forward in our preparation. The tournament has been a good option for us to carry on growing,” he said.

Shillong Lajong FC, in 2019, won the Shillong Premier League after a gap of two years under Jose Hevia. In what remains a special year for the club, they went on to win the Meghalaya State League under the Spaniard and coach Bobby Nongbet led their U-18 team to their U-18 Shillong Premier League title. “Everyone loves football in Meghalaya, and they want to learn a lot. The players here are like a big sponge; they take all the new information and are asking questions continuously. Also, the Faithfuls, the supporters of the other teams are very involved in football; the love and passion they feel for football is very different. The main reason why I decided to come back here is the people of Shillong and Meghalaya, how they have always treated me. They always have the smile in their faces, and they made me feel like I belong to this city,” he said while speaking about the love for the game he’s seen in the state.

Jose then concluded with asking the support from the LajongFaithfuls for the match against FC Goa and said, “We need them. Of course, they won’t play neither will I. But we need their support, and I am confident that they will support us continuously with their commitment. If we win the match, it will be a milestone for everyone.”