Dempo SC registered a 3-0 victory over Pune FC to finish fourth at the conclusion of the 2013-14 I-League. Coach Arthur Papas was pleased that his side recovered well in the second half of the season after being in the bottom half of the table at the end of the first phase of the I-League.

“I thought it was going to be a difficult match. We fielded our youngest team all season. We were missing our both full-backs (Debabrata Roy and Narayan Das), we had Beto out as well. But the second half of the season has been fantastic for the group.

“At the half-way point, we were third last. In the second half of the season (we did well) once we got a lot of continuity with me being present, the players from Arrows and the younger players in our group that are developing and developing very well,” said Papas.

He highlighted that his despite his side being in transition this term, they managed to better Dempo’s performance from last season.

“3-0 maybe not a fair reflection but in football, we have had many games this year where we dominated and weren’t getting results. I think that’s what you see as you mature as a team that sometimes you have to win and win in certain ways. Today it was still a deserved victory for us because we soaked up a lot of pressure; we were very good on the transition.

“Set-pieces we were worried about from their side because in the last game against Kitchee, they scored both their goals from set-pieces and in the end, we go and score two goals from set-pieces. I am really proud of the players. I think they have come a long way. As a club, we have finished higher than what we finished last year and that’s after turning 50-to-60% of the squad. We have got a lot to look forward to. It’s good to finish the season this way and look forward to the next season already.”

On being asked to share his plans for the next season and whether he would retain most of the squad from the just concluded campaign, Papas said, “We are holding on to all the players because part of our plan from the start was to attract the best young players in the country and to make sure that we are secure. So even when things weren’t going well early on in the season, we had a vision of the way we want to go with this team. Ninety percent of those who you see on the field will be there next year.  They will be a year older and a year better.”

Papas also praised Pune FC’s for their efforts to promote the game and stated that they must be ‘emulated for their off the field work’.

“It’s always nice to come to Pune because the way you put on the event in itself. It’s not just a game, it’s an event. The pre-match stuff what you do for your supporters and also after the match. And we had our support as well because it’s really good to see some of our supporters travelling along. I think they are really starting to enjoy the way we are playing and what we are trying to do. Pune is a club that off-the field you want to emulate. Congratulations for everything you do."