For coach Samir Naik, this win has the echoes of his last promotion to the I league back in 2016. A veteran of the Dempo SC football pitch, he served 16 years as a player and ten as a coach.

Speaking on the contrast between his last promotion to the I-League back in the 2016 season as a player and now as a coach he said “The feeling is the same, but now I have to think in thirty different ways, to motivate (the players).

“This moment is very special to me, because a club like Dempo belongs to the I-league and ISL. The journey had its ups and downs, all the teams were equal. The credit goes to my boys, that’s it. There’s no one else.”

Speaking about the pool of talent he had to draw from, the I-league coach said “It’s a good opportunity for the academy boys and the development program as well. About 80 percent of our players are from the development program and academy. Kapil, Nestor, Saieesh, Rane, just see them and they’re there. Credit to Dempo for pushing this and spending the money to make this happen,”

“You can see the fruits of that labour now, which is the I-League, but our destination is not the I-League, it is the ISL and Champions League,” Samir was quick to add, making it clear of the lofty goals he has his eyes set on.

Addressing his vison with the team, given their promotion, the high-spirited coach said “I-League is a different ball game altogether, but hopefully you can see us winning the I-League in two to three years’ time. But who knows, we may even be in the ISL by next year with the same team.” However, Coach Samir was a bit more severe when he recounted the journey and the internal and external challenges they faced on the way.

“In the beginning when we started the league, we had four points from four games. Everyone, everyone had written us off. We, the boys proved everyone wrong. We have achieved our goal which is an excellent job by the players, no one else, I’m just trying to guide them.”