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Recent results may not have gone their way, but the FC Goa Development Team have set an excellent example with their holistic approach to player development. It is also the reason why they have been able to compete in two different leagues the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) and the GFA President's Super League simultaneously over the past few weeks.
Generally, the easy way out in such cases would be to prioritise one competition over the other, so as to get the best results out of players. But that is not the FC Goa way and rightly so, according to Dev Team head coach Deggie Cardozo. "There are no shortcuts to success. It may be true that the recent results were not quite satisfactory - but do they actually indicate success or failure at this level?" he asked. "The primary aim of the Dev Team will always be to help in the development of players so that they can become better footballers with time. Our success is measured by the number of players who will take up a role in the first team and play in the top leagues in future. On that note, I strongly believe we're on the right path," Cardozo explained. In fact, the coach and his staff believe that this is the perfect opportunity for their team to get some vital playing time under their belt. "We have no problems with the two leagues happening in parallel. We have a big squad and now is the right time to test the strength and abilities of all our players. That it's all happening in a competitive environment makes it better for them too, as they're being exposed to higher levels of the game at an earlier age," he said. And what are the observations and inferences? "I think the boys have done well to compete at RFDL's level. Yes, we lost a couple of games and drew against Hyderabad FC from a winning position, but those were largely due to individual errors. "It's good because the players are getting to know as to what they've done wrong and what the effects are. The upcoming games give them the chance to iron out those errors. This is called learning and gaining experience," Cardozo went on. One such issue that the Boys in Orange have faced lately, is the conceding of late goals. More often than not, they have come with a price too. Bengaluru FC's injury-time strike gave them the win earlier in April, while Hyderabad FC netted twice after the 89th minute to rescue a point from their clash last Thursday. "It's because of a loss in focus late in games when the boys get tired," Deggie Cardozo revealed. "It's unfortunate when it happens, but our boys are still learning. We're working on it and we hope to be in better control in our remaining matches." The FC Goa Development Team's next assignment is the RF Development League clash against Kerala Blasters on Wednesday. The match will kickoff at 4:30 PM, at the Benaulim Panchayat Ground. (ANI)
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