I-league outfit Gokulam Kerala FC will head to Goa to participate in the 2nd edition of the AWES Cup in Goa. The squad will leave for Goa from Trivandrum where they are currently undergoing pre-season conditioning for the past few weeks.
Gokulam Kerala FC were the runners-up of the 2017 edition of the AWES Cup in which they lost narrowly to Goan giants Dempo FC in the penalty shoot-out. GKFC is looking to improve upon their performance in this edition and the target is to win this edition of the cup. The team is placed along with ONGC, Sporting Clube De Goa and Sesa FA in Group B of the competition.
GKFC will be going into the tournament under the guidance of the Argentine Coach Fernando Santiago Varela. The head coach is expecting the team to get some playing time against quality opposition in the tournament. “We have had a few good weeks of preparation by now and we are expecting to get even better by playing this tournament. We want to maintain consistency in our performance from the start to finish of this tournament and that is what we are working towards. I believe this tournament will provide us with an opportunity to asses our preparedness for the future goals we have set for this season,” said Santiago.
Technical Director Bino George is also optimistic about a good performance in the AWES Cup. “We want to better our performance in this edition of the AWES Cup. We have some good local talent in our roster and this tournament will present an opportunity for them to prove their mettle. We, as always will give our best and want to win the trophy as we lost it by narrow margins last season,” said Bino.
Schedule for GKFC matches: 01 September – Gokulam Kerala FC vs ONGC, 05 September – Gokulam Kerala FC vs Sporting Club De Goa, 07 September – Gokulam Kerala FC vs Sesa FA
Attached are the pictures from club’s pre-season preparations held in Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), Thiruvananthapuram.
