Letter from LCFC

The club thanked the Leicester City FC and its manager for their good wishes. The club noted that the letter will inspire the players, the coaching staff and the fans to strive harder as the club moves forward. It is indeed a proud moment for Acme Sports Club.

To access the pdf version of the newsletter, please click the below link:Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

Students FC took the lead in the first half and consolidated their position before the half time whistle by adding a second goal. After the break, Acme came out with renewed energy and forced the opponents on the backfoot by scoring within two minutes. Raja Prashant got the ball in the midfield and put a through ball to Ajmeer who lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper to raise hopes of a comeback. With time running out, Students FC was holding off Acme amidst tremendous pressure and finally the equaliser came in the 67th minute with three minutes left for the final whistle. The architect of this goal was substitute Kumar (who had replaced Ashok). The 14-year old playing in a wide midfield position in the left received the ball from Saravanan and placed a pinpoint cross to Ajmeer who again lobbed the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper to send the match into penalty shootout.

In the tie-breaker, Rajan, Kumar, Ajmeer and Velmurugan scored all their kicks and Students FC could convert only 2 out of their 4 kicks with goalkeeper Prem saving one of the shots. Ajmeer was given the player of the  match award during the presentations  for his crucial strikes although Kumar was the toast of the local crowd.

Once the second half started, Acme attacked with more intent and finally the goal came via a beautiful freekick taken by Sarath. Just as the match was heading for a close fought win for Acme, Tuticorin came back and levelled the game in the dying minutes of the match. This led the teams to the penalty shootout and Acme players were spot on and converted all their kicks to clinch a famous win and enter the finals of any state-level tournament for the first time.

In the finals, they will face Trichy on 31st May 2011.

The clubs went in at 1-0 at half time. In the second half, Acme picked up from where they left off and scored 3 more goals in quick succession to seal the tie. Goalkeeper Prem was substituted for what seemed to be a minor injury and the young replacement did well to come out and clear a half chance for the hosts. However he could not do much when the hosts took a corner early and an unmarked player shot the ball home through his hands from a short distance.

Acme will next play the semifinals against Tuticorin team in the semifinals scheduled for 28th May.

The students were provided with a pair of training jersey and shorts. Football boots, stockings and shin pads were issued at a concessional price. The students were also given daily food supplements like milk and eggs during everyday of the camp. The camp was concluded with a practice game and a small ceremony to mark the conclusion. It was attended by the Tamil Nadu Football Association President Mr. Seeni Mohaideen and the long time club mentor Mr. Andrew Symington, who had flown in from the UK to see the progress of the academy and the club in general. Babanasa Srinivasan, the club treasurer welcomed the gathering and Mr. Alagappan gave the vote of thanks. In addition, a number of ex-players, supporters, parents of students and members of the press were also in attendance. The coaching camp also got a mention in the leading Tamil news daily Dinamalar the next day.

The next camp will be conducted in September during the quarterly school holidays, club secretary Yagna Srinivasan informed.