Football mania had hit my college. With teams blossoming in all 10 divisions, I,Mech were the first ones to leap in. We got our jerseys made which were the limelight in the whole of FE, red and black blended with white. We went about the college flaunting our jerseys to others jealousy.
And the other teams joined in, with each divison having a jersey of their own. Inter-class rivalries started developing and after 3 consecutive draws and a loss, everyone was under the impression that I,Mech are just a bunch of idiotic losers who want to show off in every possible way. We were hellbent on chaging that image of ours but to no avail. The spot had been made and to make things worse, we were knocked out by a FE team in the House Cup. The only way to repaint our tarnished image was to get a win, somehow.
However now it was IJ,Mech. The 2 divisons were combined in an erratic fashion. Though majority players were from our class but the politicians were from J. The team captain was chosen however the team was just a formality I felt and none of them wanted the other class. However we moved on.
Then came the turning point, a golden chance to richfill the image with colours of joy and glory. The FEPL(First Year of Engineering Premier League) was introduced, the most coveted trophy for the FE's. We had 5 teams, every team to play 4 matches. Preparations started from I,Mech but J were no where to be seen. However we continued in their absence. And when the tournament was a stone's throw away, J suddenly woke up and unwatingly we had to draft players into our system.
However the tournament started with a bang when FE Computers lost to FE Extc, the underdogs. But the major part was when our 1st match was to be played. I was tensed as players in the team though i wasnt a part of the playing 11, i was the audience. The match kicked off with a bang and though we had many chances smacking the post at times, FE Computers got the lead. The margin increased to 6-0. Better say we were fucked hard. The team lacked chemistry. And we had a superb post-match arguement. Everyone felt J had no right to come into I,Mech. Politics played by the captain. Everyone was disappointed, Akaash Pathare also messaged me that night about his follies. I consider him to be the best player in the team.
So the team did realize about their mistakes. Chak De India jokes were being cracked to lighten up the mood of the players. However the cut was deep and would take lots to heal the wound.
Next up were FE Electronics who were the only team to beat us rather than Computers. They were the best FEPL team I felt. I remember playing against them and still losing to a useless deflected goal. The match was going good and ended as a 0-0 draw. IMPROVEMENT! However they were the better team, hitting the crossbar and the posts a million times and our shots being virually nil.
I always felt Muzzamil should have been in the team. His intelligence, cutting, workrate, everything is just so amazing. However the underdogs were up next. I was a spectator hoping my team would win. We shouted our lungs out to support the team. Mechanical students had turned up in large numbers, however we were unable to find a goal. The captain went for attacking options and put in Muzzamil and Rishit. The ball landed at Muzzu's feet and after some sexy cutting he placed a shot/pass(He said it was a shot but seemed like a pass!) and Rishit hit the rolling ball. After a few ricochets the ball finally turned the balance. MECHANICAL TEAM had scored their FIRST EVER WINNING GOAL. 1-0 and 3 points to the Mech team. We were overjoyed at our attempt! Post-match celebrations were cheerful!
Muzzu's determination won him a matchstart in the following match against FE IT. He was looking to continue his form. After a good start, Muzzu started with his cutting and in a gasp of fury, he lashed the ball at the keeper. And the ball crossed the line. The Mech supporters were on the pitch celebrating! We continued the match and dominated it. Krunal got the better of a defender and his rocket found the net second time for us. This time the audience went crazy. There was a dog-pile on him, I was personally congratulating him for I had asked him to score 1 for the team.
And as the final whistle drew closer, the audience couldnt wait. Chants were being shouted. And we finally stood second in the FEPL. We had found the perfect team, the perfect players, and the perfect audience! Always supportive of the team, IJ,Mech had proved that they were not a bunch of show-offs but a team with the never-say-die spirit. We had proved our point, brought up our image in front of people.
Maybe this win is historic, but it was truly the Chak De Style ;)
