Football fans will be making their way to Polo here tomorrow to see who will be crowned champions of the Shillong Premier League 2024, as the race for the title goes down to the very last match. Kick-off between Mawlai SC and Shillong Lajong FC will be at 5:30pm under the floodlights of the SSA Stadium at First Ground.
The marquee tournament of the Shillong Sports Association, the pinnacle of its five division pyramid of men’s football, has been bigger than ever this year, with 10 clubs vying for the coveted trophy across 89 league matches, with the 90th and last to be played tomorrow.
Mawlai are the reigning champions – they are looking for a hat-trick of trophies after having won the 2022 and 2023 editions. On the other side are Lajong, who are the most successful club in the SPL – they have four crowns, the last coming in 2019. The champions will also receive a payout of Rs 6 lakh, with the runners-up taking home Rs 3 lakh – this is double the prize money from past seasons and demonstrates the level of importance the SPL has in the local football arena.
After 2019 came the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic and two SPL editions were lost. Mawlai, who secured promotion from the First Division after the conclusion of the 2019 season, thus had to wait longer to return to the SPL but since doing so they have proven to be utterly dominant – in 38 SPL matches across 2022, 2023 and 2024 they have lost just two times and they have yet to be defeated this season.
With just one game to go, Mawlai are sitting on 45 points at the top of the table, while Lajong have 42 in second spot. That means that Mawlai just need to avoid defeat on Saturday to claim a third consecutive title, while Lajong must win if they are to be champions.
To do that, SLFC have to overturn recent history – in their last four SPL meetings Lajong have not been able to beat Mawlai. The two sides had also met in the final of the Meghalaya State League in February and here too Mawlai proved victorious, though it went to penalties.
Even if they do not win, second place will be Lajong’s best SPL finish in the last three seasons but coach Bobby L Nongbet will certainly be aiming for nothing less than the title. On the other side he is up against one of the most highly regarded and experienced coaches – Hering Shangpliang, who guided Mawlai to the SPL 2023 and MSL 2024 titles. (Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh led the team to the SPL 2022 trophy.)
Although they have not lost a single match this season, it has not all gone Mawlai’s way. They could have wrapped up the title by beating Laitkor SC in their previous fixture but instead they were put under intense pressure by the SPL newcomers and the brilliant game ended in a draw. Feisty Laitkor thus ensured that the title would go down to the wire.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference today, SSA General Secretary Dipshon L Nongbri informed that the Indian men’s national football team have been invited to attend the match – the Blue Tigers are in town ahead of two international matches to be held in Shillong. He also thanked the state government, especially the Honourable Chief Minister, for the huge investment in sports infrastructure over the years, while adding that more football grounds are needed in Shillong and elsewhere to accommodate the ever increasing popularity of the sport among Meghalaya’s youth.
Also present at the press conference were Mawlai official Teibor Dohling and player Damanbhalang Chyne. “We hope that every one of our fans comes and supports us,” Dohling said. “If we had beaten Laitkor we would have been champions already but that is in the past. Everyone in the team has been preparing for this match now, which is like a final.” Damanbhalang chimed in, saying that the Laitkor match was a “wake-up call” but also a motivator for the players.
Lajong were represented by team official Milan Nongkhlaw and goalkeeper Siwel Rymbai. Nongkhlaw informed that SLFC had been involved in the Bordoloi Trophy in Assam recently (where they exited in the semifinals), so the players have not had much time to rest and prepare. “We have to thank the players for getting us to this point. There were a few matches where we dropped points but they have done well overall,” he added. Siwel, who played for Mawlai in SPL 2023, said that there is great excitement in the ranks to face the defending champions for the title.
Both teams are definitely feeling the pressure. Mawlai know that they do not have to win but a defensive strategy might not work for them – they have only managed six clean sheets in 17 matches. On the other hand, no team has scored more this season than Lajong (they have 59 goals to Mawlai’s 54) and have conceded the fewest (9 compared to Mawlai’s 13). They have nothing to lose and will be going all out for victory. The stage is set for what promises to be another epic clash between these two hugely successful clubs.
