Sporting positive of avoiding relegation

Panaji: Sporting Clube de Goa are positive of avoiding relegation as they prepare to take on Chirag

United in their final round I-League match on May 28 in Kolkata. Four teams will fight the battle of survival on May 28 in three different regions of the country. Of these teams, Sporting are in the most precarious position, having scored two points less than Shillong Lajong and Mumbai FC and three less than Air India. Sporting, who finished third last season, started badly and finished the first phase without a win. They had to wait till the 17th round for a win when they beat Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan which changed their fortune. The team went on to win four more matches and reduced the gap with the three relegation-threatened teams. "We had a very bad start to the season because our preparation was not up to the mark and our foreigners were not effective. They came good only in the later stages of the league," said coach Vishwas Gaonkar, who took over the reigns from Roy Barreto in the second phase. Gaonkar is quite optimistic about his team`s performance against Chirag. "It`s normal for us. We have earlier played there against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and came up with a good performance. I`m not worried about the Kolkata factor," he said. Gaonkar knows the importance of keeping a tab on the performances of the other teams in the relegation zone. "My mobile phone will be active and I will keep a track on the results in Mumbai and Goa. But I will focus on my team`s game and try to earn a crucial three points," Gaonkar said. Meanwhile, the start of the final round matches on May 27 and 28 has been advanced by half an hour and all the games will begin at 1530 hrs, the AIFF said today. PTI