2014 Kerala Blasters FC season

The 2014 season was the first ever season of competitive football played by the Kerala Blasters. The team managed to secure qualification for the Indian Super League finals on 9 December 2014, after finishing the regular season in fourth position. They managed to make it to the final, but were defeated by Atlético de Kolkata through a stoppage time goal.

Kerala Blasters
2014 season
General ManagerPrasanth Agarwal
Head CoachDavid James
StadiumJawaharlal Nehru Stadium
ISL4th
FinalsRunners-up
Top goalscorerLeague: Iain Hume (4)
All: Iain Hume (5)
Highest home attendance61,323 vs. Chennaiyin
(30 November)
Lowest home attendance34,657 vs. Delhi Dynamos
(9 November)
Average home league attendance49,111[1]

The Kerala Blasters signed on former England international, David James, as their first ever coach in August. The team also drafted in India internationals such as Mehtab Hossain, Sandip Nandy, Chinadorai Sabeeth, Renedy Singh, Ishfaq Ahmed, and Nirmal Chettri. The Kerala Blasters also selected an international foreign player, Canadian international Iain Hume before signing on former Scottish internationals Jamie McAllister and Stephen Pearson outside the draft.

After starting the season with five straight away games, the Blasters found themselves with only four points. Once the team started playing home games they gained 11 points from the next five games. Another 4 points from their final four games were enough for the team to qualify for the finals. The finals started off very well for the Kerala Blasters as they defeated Chennaiyin 3–0 away from home in the first leg of the semi-finals. Despite giving up that lead in the second-leg, an extra-time goal from Stephen Pearson ensured that the Kerala Blasters qualified for the final. In the final, the club were defeated 1–0 by Atlético de Kolkata through a last-minute strike by Mohammed Rafique.

Background
Main article: Indian Super League

In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG–Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of the nine selected cities for the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL), a franchise tournament modelled along the lines of the Indian Premier League for cricket.[2] On 13 April 2014 it was announced that the rights to the Kerala franchise were won by former India cricket captain, Sachin Tendulkar, and serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and educationalist, Prasad V Potluri.[3] Then, on 27 May 2014, the team's official name was unveiled as the 'Kerala Blasters FC' which is based on the nickname of co-owner Sachin Tendular, the master blaster.

Construction of the team for the first season started on 22 July when the Kerala Blasters, along with the other seven franchises, took part in the domestic draft to select the first fourteen Indian players in each team.[4] India international Mehtab Hossain was the first draft pick made by Kerala Blasters and thus the first player in Kerala Blasters history.[5] At the end of the draft, the Blasters were composed of fourteen players, including Hossain: Avinabo Bag, Sandip Nandy, Chinadorai Sabeeth, Luis Barreto, Milagres Gonsalves, Ramandeep Singh, Renedy Singh, Shazin Sadhik, Ishfaq Ahmed, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Sushanth Mathew, and Godwin Franco.[6]

On 13 August 2014, former England international goalkeeper, David James, was announced as the first head coach of the Kerala Blasters and the first marquee player in team history, thus coming in as a player-head coach.[7] Then, on 21 August 2014, the team participated in the international draft in which each team selected seven foreign players to join their team.[8] Former Newcastle United forward Michael Chopra was the first foreign player drafted by the Kerala Blasters.[9]

Signings

Other signings
No. Position Player Last club Date Ref
70 GK David James ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar 13 August 2014 [10]
3 DF Jamie McAllister Yeovil Town 23 August 2014 [11]
18 MF Penn Orji Mohammedan 1 September 2014 [12]
27 FW Andrew Barisic South China 1 September 2014 [12]
25 MF Stephen Pearson Bristol City 1 September 2014 [13]
32 DF Colin Falvey Charleston Battery 4 September 2014 [14]
29 DF Saumik Dey East Bengal 7 September 2014 [15]
13 MF Duleep Menon Central Excise 27 September 2014 [16]

Pre-season
18 September 2014 (2014-09-18) FriendlyKerala Blasters5–1Kerala PoliceThrissur
Sabeeth (2 goals)
Chopra (2 goals)		 Report Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium
24 September 2014 (2014-09-24) FriendlyKerala Blasters6–0Sree Kerala Varma CollegeThrissur
Report Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium
25 September 2014 (2014-09-25) FriendlyKerala Blasters5–0Central ExciseThrissur
Report Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium
27 September 2014 (2014-09-27) FriendlyKerala Blasters1–0MohammedanThrissur
Report Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium
3 October 2014 (2014-10-03) FriendlyVasco0–4Kerala BlastersGoa
Report
5 October 2014 (2014-10-05) FriendlyCavelossim1–4Kerala BlastersGoa
Report
7 October 2014 (2014-10-07) FriendlyChurchill Brothers0–1Kerala BlastersGoa
Report
9 October 2014 (2014-10-09) FriendlySalgaocar1–2Kerala BlastersGoa
Report

Indian Super League
Main article: 2014 Indian Super League season

The Kerala Blasters began their first ever season away from home against NorthEast United on 13 October. A goal from Koke lead to the Blasters losing that match 1–0 to open the season.[17] Their second match was no better as the Kerala Blasters lost their second match of the season to Chennaiyin 2–1. Despite Canadian international Iain Hume scoring the first goal in Blasters history, Chennaiyin managed to grab the victory through goals from Elano and Bernard Mendy.[18] The winless streak continued for the Kerala Blasters as they headed into their third match against Atlético de Kolkata. An equalizer from Iain Hume meant that the Blasters managed to draw the match 1–1 and thus earn their first ever point.[19] The draw helped propel the momentum for the Kerala Blasters as they ended their first month of competitive football with their first ever victory against Pune City. The Blasters fell behind in the match early through a David Trezeguet goal in the 15th minute but Chinadorai Sabeeth managed to level the score in the 41st minute, becoming the first Indian player to score for the team ever. It was then Penn Orji who scored the winning goal in the 65th minute as the Kerala Blasters won 2–1.[20]

The team then began what would be a long month of November for the team as they would have to play eight matches. Their first match came on 2 November against Mumbai City in Mumbai. The Blasters fell in the match 1–0 after Nicolas Anelka scored for Mumbai City from a free-kick.[21] The team then returned to Kerala to play their first home game of the season of a three-game home stand against FC Goa on 6 November. After a goalless first half, it was Milagres Gonsalves who came up with the winning goal for the Kerala Blasters in the 64th minute as the Blasters won 1–0.[22] Despite the opening home victory, the Kerala Blasters were unable to do more than achieve 0–0 in their next two matches against the Delhi Dynamos and Mumbai City respectively.[23][24]

After their three-match home stand, the Kerala Blasters returned to the road as the took on the Delhi Dynamos in Delhi. A 61st-minute goal from Penn Orji was enough as the Blasters won the away tie 1–0.[25] Five days later, the Blasters returned home to take on Atlético de Kolkata. Early goals from Iain Hume and Pedro Gusmão helped lead the Kerala Blasters to a 2–1 victory of the Kolkata side.[26] The joy from the victory was short-lived though as the Kerala Blasters ended the month losing two matches in a row. Their first defeat occurred away from home to FC Goa on 26 November. A brace from Miroslav Slepička and another goal from André Santos lead to the Blasters losing 3–0.[27] That defeat was followed with a 1–0 defeat at home to Chennaiyin.[28]

With just two matches left before the finals entering December, the Kerala Blasters knew the two matches would be crucial for their season.[29] Their first match occurred on 4 December against NorthEast United. Despite creating many chances upfront, the Blasters were held to a 0–0 result.[30] That result meant that the final match of the regular season, at home to Pune City, would prove to be the decider between the two sides to see who qualifies for the finals.[31] Due to a free-kick goal from Iain Hume and a fantastic performance from Sandip Nandy in goal, the Kerala Blasters came out victorious 1–0 and thus qualified for the finals.[32]

13 October 2014 (2014-10-13) 1NorthEast United1–0Kerala BlastersGuwahati
19:00 IST Koke  45' Report Stadium: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
Attendance: 29,500
Referee: Pratap Singh
21 October 2014 (2014-10-21) 2Chennaiyin2–1Kerala BlastersChennai
19:00 IST Elano  14' (pen)
Mendy  63'		 Report Hume  50' Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 19,430
Referee: Rahul Dsa
26 October 2014 (2014-10-26) 3Atlético de Kolkata1–1Kerala BlastersKolkata
16:30 IST Sahni  22' Report Hume  41' Stadium: Salt Lake Stadium
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Arumughan Rowan
30 October 2014 (2014-10-30) 4Pune City1–2Kerala BlastersPune
19:00 IST Trezeguet  15' Report Sabeeth  41'
Orji  65'		 Stadium: Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex
Attendance: 8,227
Referee: Tejas Nagvenkar
2 November 2014 (2014-11-02) 5Mumbai City1–0Kerala BlastersMumbai
19:00 IST Anelka  45' Report Stadium: DY Patil Stadium
Attendance: 20,439
Referee: Jarred Gillett
6 November 2014 (2014-11-06) 6Kerala Blasters1–0GoaKochi
19:00 IST Gonsalves  64' Report Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 49,517
Referee: Jarred Gillet
9 November 2014 (2014-11-09) 7Kerala Blasters0–0Delhi DynamosKochi
19:00 IST Report Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 34,657
Referee: Pranjal Banerjee
12 November 2014 (2014-11-12) 8Kerala Blasters0–0Mumbai CityKochi
19:00 IST Report Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 41,362
Referee: Pranjal Banerjee
16 November 2014 (2014-11-16) 9Delhi Dynamos0–1Kerala BlastersDelhi
19:00 IST Report Orji  61' Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 17,853
Referee: Jarred Gillet
21 November 2014 (2014-11-21) 10Kerala Blasters2–1Atlético de KolkataKochi
19:00 IST Hume  4'
Gusmão  42'		 Report Teferra  55' Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 57,296
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov
26 November 2014 (2014-11-26) 11FC Goa3–0Kerala BlastersMargao
19:00 IST Slepička  63', 79'
Santos  69'		 Report Stadium: Fatorda Stadium
Attendance: 19,752
Referee: Ranjit Bakshi
30 November 2014 (2014-11-30) 12Kerala Blasters0–1ChennaiyinKochi
19:00 IST Report Pelissari Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 61,323
Referee: Magho Singh
4 December 2014 (2014-12-04) 13Kerala Blasters0–0NorthEast UnitedKochi
19:00 IST Report Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 43,299
Referee: Anthony Simoes
9 December 2014 (2014-12-09) 14Kerala Blasters1–0Pune CityKochi
19:00 IST Hume  23' Report Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 44,532
Referee: Samchista Doss

Table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
2 Goa 14 6 4 4 21 12 +9 22 2014 Indian Super League Semi-finals
3 Atlético de Kolkata 14 4 7 3 16 13 +3 19
4 Kerala Blasters 14 5 4 5 9 11 −2 19
5 Delhi Dynamos 14 4 6 4 16 14 +2 18
6 Pune City 14 4 4 6 12 17 −5 16
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) play-off match

Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
14 5 4 5 9 11  −2 19 3 3 1 4 2  +2 2 1 4 5 9  −4

Indian Super League finals

Semi-finals

The Kerala Blasters entered the finals as the fourth seed from the regular season and thus had to face the first seed, Chennaiyin in the semi-finals.[33] The first leg of the semi-final turned out to be the Blasters' best offensive performance of the season as they came away with the 3–0 advantage. Ishfaq Ahmed scored the first goal for Kerala in the 27th minute before Iain Hume doubled the lead in the 29th minute. The match was set to finish 2–0 before Sushanth Mathew fired home the third goal for the Kerala Blasters.[34] Despite having the advantage, the Blasters found themselves giving it away in Chennai. Strikes from Mikaël Silvestre and Jeje Lalpekhlua, as well as an own goal from Sandesh Jhingan saw the match end 3–0 to Chennaiyin and thus require extra-time to decide the tie. The match looked set to be going to penalties but it was Stephen Pearson who broke the deadlock in the 117th minute and send the Kerala Blasters into the final.[35]

13 December 2014 (2014-12-13) Leg 1Kerala Blasters3–0ChennaiyinKochi
19:00 IST Ahmed  27'
Hume  29'
Mathew  90+4'		 Report Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 60,900
Referee: Pranjal Banerjee
16 December 2014 (2014-12-16) Leg 2Chennaiyin3–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 agg.)		Kerala BlastersChennai
19:00 IST Silvestre  42'
Jhingan (o.g.)
Lalpekhlua  90'		 Report Pearson  117' Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 25,327
Referee: Tejas Nagvenkar

Final
Main article: 2014 Indian Super League Final

The final of the Indian Super League took place at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai against Atlético de Kolkata. The match remained at 0–0 until the very final minute of second stoppage time when Mohammed Rafique scored for Kolkata and thus take the title away from the Kerala Blasters.[36]

20 December 2014 (2014-12-20) FinalKerala Blasters0–1Atlético de KolkataMumbai
18:00 IST Report Rafique  90+5' Stadium: DY Patil Stadium
Attendance: 36,484
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov

Player statistics
Season stats
# Position Player GP G
2DF Cédric Hengbart130
3DF Jamie McAllister60
4DF Ramandeep Singh00
5DF Nirmal Chettri120
6MF Renedy Singh20
7MF Sushanth Mathew51
8FW Michael Chopra90
9FW Pedro Gusmão71
10FW Iain Hume165
11MF Ishfaq Ahmed91
12FW Chinadorai Sabeeth81
13MF Duleep Menon00
14MF Mehtab Hossain90
15DF Sandesh Jhingan140
16DF Gurwinder Singh110
18MF Penn Orji132
21MF Godwin Franco40
22DF Raphaël Romey80
23DF Avinabo Bag50
24GK Sandip Nandy60
25MF Stephen Pearson171
27FW Andrew Barisic110
29DF Saumik Dey100
30GK Luis Barreto10
32DF Colin Falvey90
44DF Erwin Spitzner00
70GK David James120
85MF Pulga60
88FW Milagres Gonsalves131

See also

References
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  15. "Kerala Blasters sign defenders McAllister, Falvey, Saumik for ISL". IBN Live. 7 September 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  16. KH, Krishnakumar (30 September 2014). "Blasters' Talent Spotters Unearth a Local Gem". New Indian Express. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
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