Real Kashmir head coach David Robertson dedicates British Empire Medal award to Snow Leopards

AIFF Media  

Real Kashmir head coach David Robertson received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on 12th June, 2021 for services to the local community of Jammu and Kashmir during his coaching tenure with Real Kashmir FC.

The award recognised the Scottish manager's outstanding contribution to the sport and the community as head coach of the Snow Leopards since January 2017.

From winning the Hero 2nd Division League in 2018 to becoming the first club from the Valley to compete in the Hero I-league, Robertson has been a key part of the incredible journey that had captured the imagination of Indian football fans since the very beginning, helping take the game forward together in the region and beyond.

“I would like to dedicate this award to so many people who have contributed in their own way. The Snow Leopard fans are certainly one of them— they are part of the family. Without their support no club can succeed. The support and warmth they have given not only to me but the whole club is incredible. They drive us all on, I hope very soon we can hear them roar at TRC.” Robertson told ileague.org after winning the Award.

The Snow Leopards recently added another golden chapter in history by winning the 123rd edition of the IFA Shield tournament in 2020.

"The sacrifices of my wife and family have allowed me to pursue my dream. My parents are also a huge part of my successful career. My mother passed away six months ago and my father passed away three weeks ago, just days after I was first notified of my Award. I’m sad that they were not here to celebrate with me," he added.

The 52-year-old played for clubs like Rangers and donned the Scotland colours during his illustrious career. He also coached clubs in Scotland and the USA and now he feels “attached” to the people of the Valley.

“I’m so proud to have been a part of an amazing story. When I arrived in Kashmir almost five years ago, I found it tough as it was a new experience but that soon changed as I was made to feel so welcome by everyone not only those involved at RKFC, but the general public when I walked down the streets. Now I feel so honoured and attached to the Kashmiri public, I feel so much appreciation for their continued support and feel I am working and wanting to do everything I can to give them a team to be proud of," he recalled.

Robertson lauded Mr. Sandeep Chattoo and his family for standing as the backbone of the club.

“I would like to thank Sandeep Chattoo and his family for all the support they have given me and their continued drive to keep the club moving forward. It's a total pleasure to be part of such a great club. No one could believe where we are today from where we started. So many people have contributed on and off the pitch to make the club a success and we aim to keep striving for even more success’’, he concluded.

Real Kashmir emerge champion to win ticket to I-League

AIFF Media

Real Kashmir FC secured promotion to the Hero I-League after clinching the 2017/18 Hero 2nd Division League title today evening.

David Robertson’s side only needed a point to win the title and promotion on the final day of the Hero 2nd Division League season, but the men from earth’s heaven produced a clinically efficient performance to blank Hindustan FC 3-2 at the FSV Arena in Bengaluru.

Real Kashmir scored through Ifham Tariq Mir (22′), Danish Farooq (42′) and Nadong Bhutia (67′) while Kushant Chauhan (34′ & 80′) was on target for Hindustan FC.

Hindustan FC started the match like a house on fire as they took the game to Real Kashmir. Hindustan FC created the first threat in the 17th minute when Nikhil Gehlot delivered a free-kick into the box, but Pawan Pratap Singh was unable to hit the target with his header.

That proved to be a costly miss as Real Kashmir took the lead five minutes later through Ifham, who collected a pass from Danish before calmly slotting past Mithun Samonto.

Hindustan FC then came close to levelling matters in the 28th minute when Loveday Enyinnaya lost possession inside the box, but Kushant’s shot went wide of the target.

Kushant, however, redeemed himself by scoring the equalizer in the 34th minute. The striker latched onto a loose ball in the box following a neat interchange of passing with Nikhil, to slot his shot into the top left-hand corner.

Nonetheless, Real Kashmir restored their lead three minutes before half-time when a swift counter-attacking move allowed Danish the easiest of tap-ins.

Real Kashmir had further chances to add to their tally in stoppage time, but they failed to do so as they first-half ended 2-1.

The second-half saw Real Kashmir on the ascendancy from the very beginning, and unlike the first-half where they sat back and allowed Hindustan FC to play, The Kashmir side opted for a more aggressive attacking game which made them more dangerous.

However, the first clear chance of the half would go Hindustan FC’s way as Kushant almost scored an identical goal as in the first when once again he was left unmarked in the box, to shot towards goal. Fortunately this time for Real Kashmir, keeper Sukhwinder Singh was well positioned to make a save.

Real Kashmir, on the other end, continued to dominate and create chances, the best of which saw Yao Kouassi Bernard put the ball just wide of the target 12 minutes after the restart.

Midway through the second-half Real Kashmir blew yet another opportunity when Danish put Ritwick Kumar Das in space in the penalty area, but the midfielder took too long to get a shot away and was closed down by Cheick Hamza Bamba. Ritwik looked threatening all evening and gave the Hindustan FC defence a torrid time.

Real Kashmir, thereafter, continued to run rings around their opponents and made it 3-1 in the 67th minute when Nadong, who came in as a substitute, scored from Ifham’s point-perfect pass.

Meanwhile, Hindustan FC, went all out in the final quarter and were also rewarded with a goal in the 80th-minute courtesy Kushant, but that was all they could manage as Real Kashmir thereafter managed to hold on to secure promotion in Hero I-League. 

Real Kashmir and Hindustan gear up for virtual final

AIFF Media

Real Kashmir and Hindustan FC lock horns in the virtual final of the 2017/18 Hero 2nd Division League on Wednesday (May 30, 2018) at the FSV Arena in Bengaluru to determine the team which will play the Hero I-League next season.
The clash marks the end of Indian football season and there is no better way to end the season which produced many edges of the seat matches. 

Although it’s virtual final Real Kashmir enters the match with an upper hand. Both teams sit on 4 points each in the table with Real Kashmir leading to a difference in goals scored. Hindustan FC needs to win at any cost and if the match ends in a draw, Real Kashmir will qualify for the next edition of Hero I-League. 

Nonetheless, Real Kashmir have a hard task at hand as they face a well-organized Hindustan FC side, who are competitive at both ends of the pitch, but coach David Robertson ensured that Real Kashmir have a sound game plan backed by players will be able to withstand the pressure of the occasion.
While Real Kashmir performed well against TRAU in their 2-2 draw, it wasn’t their best performance as they missed some vital opportunities of their own, while allowing their opponents the space they needed to get in behind and finish. 

What Real Kashmir do have in their favour is the likes of Nadong Bhtiua, Ifham Tariq and Yao Kouassi Bernard who can do the business up-front, while midfielder Danish Farooq will need to be at the top of his game in order to keep the team’s dream of making the Hero I-League a reality. 

Real Kashmir is vulnerable at the back, which Robertson warns must change. The Scottish mastermind insists his players cannot afford to worry about their opposition, indicating the key to their success will be to execute their own game plan. 

“If we concentrate on our performance then the results will take care of itself,” said Robertson. 

For Real Kashmir to accomplish their mission, senior players like Nadong Bhutia, Sukhwinder Singh, Atinder Mani and Loveday Enyinnaya must raise their hands because the team is largely inexperienced. 

On the other hand, Hindustan FC’s campaign looked perhaps a little less convincing. The men from the capital were made to work hard for their win against TRAU before playing out a 2-2 draw with Ozone FC despite leading twice. Hindustan FC are still shy of rhythm and need more assertiveness in the attack. 

However, coach Vikrant Sharma’s belief is that his side can be much more efficient in front of goal and his expectation will be for them to finish the chances that come their way because in a crunch match like this opportunities will be few and far between. 

“It’s the decisive match; if we can get full three points tomorrow we will go to the I-League and like I have said in the past my aim is to win every game, so against Real Kashmir, my team will be going all out,” said Sharma. 

Sharma, who has successfully transformed Hindustan FC into a force to be reckoned with, will be hoping for another strong performance from his charges against a side which he believes will provide a stern challenge. 

“Real Kashmir is a team that is well put together. I think they are very direct they are happy to sit back and defend but they are also dangerous going forward. It will be a tough match but we back ourselves to get a result,” he added. 

While Real Kashmir possesses a more aggressive attack which knows how to turn it on when they need to, Hindustan FC’s advantage is that they have worked together as a unit longer than their opponents who are with a new set-up. However, this is a game that demands composure and cool heads. 

Interestingly, these two teams were pooled together in Group A during the preliminary stage with both of their matches ending in the stalemate, will there be a winner this time around? We have to wait till 5:45 pm tomorrow to find out.

Real Kashmir edge past Ozone in a five-goal thriller

AIFF Media

Ozone FC Bengaluru got a big jolt in their final round campaign in the 2017/18 Hero 2nd Division League when they lost to Real Kasmir FC 2-3 at the FSV Arena in Bengaluru yesterday. With the win, Real Kashmir top the standings after the conclusion of round 1.  

Real Kashmir never had it all their own way as they were made to sweat for victory by Ozone who led twice courtesy Robert De Souza (26′ - penalty) and Sabeeth Sathyan (67′) but the Kashmir outfit kept their composure and scored though Nadong Bhutia (39′), Ritwik Kumar Das (89′) and Yao Kouassi Bernard (90+5′) to bag full three points.

Ozone began the match with good pace and high energy levels, aggressively pressing from the front. Contrary to Ozone’s approach, Real Kashmir preferred to remain compact and dropped back.

The Real Kashmir defenders were not allowed a lot of time on the ball and were therefore forced to hoof it up field in the hoping that Bernard would be able to compete. 

However, Nadong and Bernard were not quick enough to close down and as such the Ozone centre-backs had time to pick their passes. 

With Ozone gaining momentum, Robert found some space inside the Real Kashmir box and when he was about to pull the trigger goalkeeper Sukhwinder Singh fouled him which earned a penalty for Ozone which the Brazilian dully converted to put his side ahead in the 26th minute.

It could have been 2-0 in the 33rd minute when Gunashekhar Vignesh collected a Real Kashmir clearance just over the half-way line before launching a menacing counter-attack, which Real Kashmir were fortunate to escape from after Vignesh scuffed his effort over the post.

However, Real Kashmir, against the run of play, equalized when Nadong slotted from Ifham Tariq Mir’s pass in the 39th minute to level matters before half-time.

Real Kashmir started the second-half much like they ended the first, as they enjoyed prolong periods inside the Ozone half, and Bernard won a free-kick in a promising area, which Ozone goalkeeper Abhishek Das sent wide in the 49th minute.

Nonetheless, Ozone restored their lead through Sabeeth who slotted home following a goal-mouth scramble in the 67th minute. 

Real Kashmir, however, did not lose hope and continued pressing for an equalizer in the final quarter of the game and found it through defender Ritwik Kumar Das in the 89th minute before Bernard slotted home the winner in stoppage time. 

Real Kashmir will play TRAU FC next on Sunday (May 27, 2018) before Ozone FC and Hindustan FC face off earlier on the same day.

Ozone start their quest for I-League qualification against Real Kashmir tomorrow

AIFF Media 

Ozone FC and Real Kashmir FC will aim to start their Hero 2ND Division League final round campaign on the right foot when they square off at the FSV Arena in Bengaluru on Thursday (May 24, 2018). The match will kick-off at 5:45 pm. 

Following a grueling qualifying round four teams have made it to the final round and at the end of a single round-robin competition, the top team will earn promotion in the next edition of Hero I-League.

While Ozone FC qualified for the final round on top of their qualifying group after an impressive run that saw them beating strong teams like FC Kerala and Fateh Hyderabad. Real Kashmir defied the odds to topple a tricky group that included Hindustan FC, Delhi United and Lonestar Kashmir FC. 

It’s no secret that physical play against Real Kashmir will be crucial for Ozone FC. While Ozone FC have a reputation for free-flowing and attacking football, they are equally known for their physical play. 

Ozone FC have shown just how explosive they could be with 19 goals during a nine-game unbeaten streak in qualifying round before falling to Kerala Blasters reserves 1-0 in their final qualifying round game. 

Ozone FC coach David Booth has underlined the importance of a winning start insisting that a win on day one will put the team in commanding position for rest of the campaign. 

The Ozone roster is loaded with experience, boasting a blend of players such as Vignesh, Sabeeth Sathyan, Clyde Fernandes, and Chika Wali though players with valuable I-League experience like NS Manju, Chinta Chandrashekhar Rao, Sampath Kuttymani rarely find a start. 

However, all eyes will on the Brazilian goal-scoring machine Robert De Souza, who will lead the dream of Ozone FC in the final round. The 26-year-old has been in great form in the qualifying round and leading the goal-scoring chart with 8 goals. 

These many dangerous and creative players mean the Real Kashmir back-line needs to maintain it’s shaping throughout the 90 minutes, and coach David Robertson feels everyone must stay focused on the task at hand. He noted Ozone FC thrives on give-and-go opportunities with short, quick passes to draw out and get behind opposing defenders. 

His experience should provide a valuable asset, along with the speed and physicality of youngsters Atinder Mani and Ifham Tariq Mir. They may have some nerves on such a big stage, but Robertson thinks that’s to be expected for everyone and it’s important for them to soak up the pressure. 

The game looks balanced although with Ozone FC slightly with a slight advantage due to pedigree but Real Kashmir have a few quality players that can hurt any opponents on a given day.

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