Panvel Sports Club: Memories still linger
Driven by a strong regiment for discipline and the will to fight, keeping sportsmanship sacred, in victory or defeat was the commandment of players in Panvel, says Vishwas Vaingankar while recollecting with pride the days he was associated with Panvel Sports Club, a formidable team of yore.
Panvel Sports Club, though held in high esteem for their performances at the top level of the game, served more of a feeding channel to bigger clubs, churning out technically sound players.
Panvel Sports Club was an important platform for players who catapulted into the game''s Hall of Fame.
The genesis of this club began at Panvelim in 1965, a stretch between Ribandar and Old Goa by some enthusiastic youth and other elite of the locality.
The late M.L.A., Krishna Bandodkar, along with his son Laxmikant Bandodkar were the main catalysts in the metamorphosis of this institution. Their selfless dedication in promoting the club, bore fruit as Panvel rose to great heights and produced many great players.
The activities of the club diverted to various sectors of sports and other cultural activities. But the club remained etched in the memory of the public, mainly through football. Anthony Botelho, present secretary of Dempo Sports Club, continued the good work of Krishna Bandodkar and his son Laxmikant and looked after the club. Botelho, with an immense knowledge of the game, spotted young talent which was groomed by Joao D''Mello.
Botelho was the secretary of Panvel and his organised efforts co-ordinated a major change-over in the club. His ability to recognise young talent helped immensely to effect immediate recruitment in the Panvel armoury.
Panvel had a number of talented players like Gajanan Zingde, Brahmanand Shankwalkar, Sanjeev Nagvekar, Vasudev Chodankar, Rosario Rodrigues, Pramod Tople, Ireneu Gomes, Shashi Wadkar, Gurudas Surlikar, John Coutinho, Jeron,Edmundo Rodrigues, Adib Kenkre, Kaiko Kipgen, Felix Cardoso, Dilip Bandodkar, Egipcio Coutinho, Alex Miranda, Saleem Sheikh, Titus Fernandes, Nicholas Pereira, Babu Arolkar, Salvador, Francis D''Cruz, Jose Fernandes, Dionisio Trindade, Francis D''Souza, Francis Rodrigues, Digambar, Zacharias Vaz, Dilip Mhambrey, Newton D''Souza, Prakash Kaunte, Andrew Fernandes and so on. Francis Rodrigues, a speedy left winger, went on to assist Salgaocar, Vasco and Sesa while Francis D''Souza did a fine job for Dempo before donning the colours of the leading Calcutta sides. Alex Miranda and Babu Arolkar played for Salgaocar before joining Dempo. Rosario Rodrigues, Dionisio and Jose also donned the Dempo colours. Kenkregot employed with Central Railway ( Bombay) which also enjoyed the services of the Vasco stopper George Ambrose.
And thanks to Joao, Panvel became the nursery of Goan football. The budding footballers were eager to learn the techniques and the tactics of the game from their coach all the time.
"It was in 1969-70 that I stepped in the club and I remember being much younger than the players. I was only 18 then," Botelho remembers.
The late chief minister, Mr Dayanand Bandodkar, according to Mr Botelho was the unofficial patron of the club and the club had a place of its own in his big sporting heart. "The way he encouraged us to greater heights was indeed commendable. He granted Special Privilege Leave for the players. He also supplied 22 sets of kit to the club every season," Botelho disclosed.
Panvel''s maiden participation in an outstation tournament was in the Mammen Mapillai Memorial football tournament, at Kottayam in 1971, wherein they progressed no further than the second round losing out to Premier Tyres 0-5. In the same season, however, Pan vel won the Borgaokar Shield, at Kolhapur defeating Union Sports Club, Goa 4-3 via the tie-breaker after the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time.
But Panvel''s glorious conquest of the Bandodkar Gold Trophy, in 1974 needs special mention. Pan vel must consider themselves lucky to have managed to share six goals with Bank of India, Bombay almost on the call of time in the opening fixture. In the replay, however, Panvel scored a resounding 4-0 win over the Bankers.
The club then went on to get the better of AGO, Hyderabad by an odd goal in three and then earned the right to meet Bangalore Champions L.R.D.E which ended in a goalless draw. As expected, Panvel won the replay but the margin of victory (3-0) was beyond the imagination of one and all.
They subsequently met holders Orkay Mills in the double leg semifinal and scored a well deserved 2-1 victory in the first leg. Orkay managed to hold Panvel to a one-all draw in the second encounter but could not prevent the team from entering the finals.
Panvel had their finest hour when they carved out a convincing 2-0 victory over the seasoned campaigners Sesa Goa in the final. Whatever limited success Panvel tasted, it was due to the coverted efforts of their coach 10ao de Melo, undoubtedly its main architect. 10ao started coaching the team in 1972 and his dedicated coaching was handsomely rewarded with Panvel lifting the glittering Bandodkar Gold Trophy in 1974. But for his laborious and intelligent coaching, Panvel could have never tasted success, which also was a fitting reward for his selfless service and proof in support of his coaching ability.
All good things come to an end they say. Ditto with Pan vel Sports Club who after being relegated to the Second Division Football League in 1977, was never again seen in action. It is to state the obvious that the black outfit, symbolising their predecessors Academica, is missed by one and all.
