After an intense round of games, the JSA Premier Division 2019 is in its final leg. Each team played each other in a round-robin format and JFC Reserves have topped the table with 25 points, followed closely by Tata Motors on 23. The third and fourth place was secured by Babulal Soren Football Club and Tata Steel with 18 and 19 points respectively. These four teams are set to play against each other in the semi-finals, which start on Tuesday, July 9.
The JFC Reserves have had a very successful campaign this season. Good defensive displays and a relentless attack have rightfully earned them a place at the top of the table. They have been led by the goalscoring exploits of Vimal Kumhar, who tops the team’s charts with 9 goals so far.
The leaders opened the JSA Premier Division with a resounding 7-1 win over Pandit Raghunath Memorial Club. From there, they went from strength to strength, trouncing Narwa Pahar Sports Club 8-0 in their second game. They were held to a gritty draw by Aruna Samiti after that, but resumed their winning ways with an exciting victory against Andhra Sporting Union, as they came back from a goal down and won the game 3-2 thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Sana in the 92nd minute. That performance was the start of a four-match winning run, as they beat Jharkhand Sporting Club 4-2, and then Thakkar Bapa Club by a whopping 10-0 scoreline, before capping off their win streak in the highly anticipated match against Tata Steel. Jaipal Singh Sirka’s 65th-minute goal was enough to give JFC reserves the win in that game, a hard-earned victory that proved vital to earning top spot in the league stage.
Their only loss so far in this campaign followed, against Tata Motors, as they fell to a 90th-minute goal by Sushil Kisku. But they wrapped up their league campaign with a win against BLS Football Academy, beating them 2-1 courtesy a goal by S Akthar in the dying minutes of the game to ensure they stayed at the top of the table.
JFC Reserves will get a rematch against BLS Football Academy in the first semi-final, which will be played at 3PM on July 9 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. The final will be played on July 16, with kick-off at 5.30 PM in a game set to be played under the lights at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.
