“DURAND Cup title win is in the past now. I am concentrating on the Indian Super League (ISL),” said Asheer Akhtar, the star defender of North East United that won the oldest football tournament of Asia a fortnight ago. Asheer, the talismanic footballer from Kamptee, has put the glory days to bed and is now determined to take his side to much greater heights in Indian football. NorthEast United stunned all by clinching their maiden Durand Cup title defeating football giants Mohun Bagan in their own den in Kolkata late last month. Asheer was part of that history making NE United team which came from a two -goal deficit to score two in three minutes of the second half and take the match into shoot-out where they emerged winners with a 3-2 verdict. “It was a dream match.We came back strongly. We played as a unit and supported each other till the final whistle,” recalled Asheer while talking with ‘The Hitavada’ on Friday. “But that’s past now.We celebrated the win and enjoyed it a lot. Now, the expectations are high. We have moved forward and are looking for a much better show in the Indian Super League,” Asheer said.

 

“Now we have a much bigger responsibility. Earlier, with no title in our bag we were not taken seriously by other teams. But now, all the teams are wary of our potential. They are aware of what we have done and what we can do,” added the robust North East United defender. When taken back to that memorable final and post match celebrations, Asheer said, “that moment will remain etched in my memories forever. My parents, my wife, my son, and other family members were there in the Stadium watching the final. That was a once in a lifetime moment,” recalled Asheer, who grew up in the bylanes of Kamptee, the nursery of football in Nagpur. The icing on the cake was celebrating with team owner and Bollywood star John Abraham. “It was unbelievable. He ( John Abraham) is the sole owner of our team and takes all decisions. But at the same time he is a very down to earth person despite being such a big celebrity. He treated us like a family and always backed us. After the final, he was elated and celebrated with the whole team.

 

It was a huge moment for him as well because after 10 years his team has won a trophy,” added Asheer, son of Mehfooz Akhtar, a former Police goalkeeper. Asheer is aware of the increased expectations from fans and supporters and said that the team will work hard. “We now have a new season in front of us. The expectations are high and the fans want us to keep going in the same vein. Our responsibilities have increased and we will have to double our efforts. We will be playing our first match of ISL against Mohammedan Sporting on coming Monday in Kolkata. Last year we missed the playoffs by a point. We want to start well and will take one game at a time. Definitely, our target will be the play-off berth first,” Asheer signed off.