New Youngs FC has been playing in the Sri Lankan top division for a while now, and despite failing to win much silverware on the big stage, they are still a very competitive team at this level.
The team based out of Wennappuwa possesses a strong core of players from around the area and have brought in several foreign players to make up a formidable outfit.
Quick Facts
Home Ground – Albert F. Peiris Stadium, Wennappuwa
Club Captain – Shohan Harsha Tissera
Coach – Rohitha Fernando
2015 Campaign
New Youngs SC suffered a cruel fate in the DCL 2015 after missing out on the Super 8 stage by a solitary point.
They lost only one of their games in the group stages, but had a win over Thihariya Youth annulled and 3 points taken away from them to end up on 15 points with 4 wins and 3 draws.
They beat Navy SC, who qualified above them, 5-0 in their final game of the season, to go out of the competition with a bang.
They beat Navy yet again when they met in the FA Cup, on penalties, only to lose out to Renown 3-1 in the Round of 16.
“Last season we played really well, losing only one game, but unfortunately we were not allowed to qualify for the Super 8s due to point deductions. We lost to Renown in the FA Cup despite leading 1-0 at half time, and we have learned from these experiences to improve our performances for this season.” said Coach Rohitha Fernando whilst speaking to ThePapare.com.
2016 Campaign
New Youngs FC had a superb showing in the group stages of the DCL 2016, losing just 2 games in a tough group.
They went on to register 16 points with 5 wins and a draw beating Navy 3-1, Super Sun 3-2 and Saunders 2-1 in standout performances. They were able to achieve all this despite injuries plaguing their team throughout the campaign.
“We have prepared since our FA Cup campaign and players took the initiative to do beach training sessions by themselves. The results can be seen and our foreign players have contributed immensely towards our success as we qualified for the Super 8s,” commented skipper Harsha Tissera on the journey so far.
Key Players
Kaveesh Fernando – Mohamed Mushikan – Hasitha Priyankara – Ankamah George
New signing Kaveesh Fernando is one of the best young goalkeeping talents in the league and the former Kalutara Park man has built on his reputation with a series of stunning performances that have allowed players further up the field the freedom to go forward.
Mohamed Mushikan has been a real threat for New Youngs from the wings, cutting inside to score goals whilst also comfortable with taking on defenders down the line and getting a good cross in.
Up front New Youngs have Hasitha Priyankara and Ankamah George in good form, scoring goals at crucial points throughout the campaign. George has been good with his hold up play whilst Priyankara has done well to feed off him and use his pace and trickery to get past defenders.
Super 8 expectations
“We had many injuries during the group stages and after we won 5 games I took care to rest most of our key players in order to keep them fit for the Super 8s. Our team is in good shape for the Super 8s, and we have brought in several young players who can impact the game in our favour for this Super 8 stage. We look forward to winning our games in this stage, especially the one against Renown to whom we lost to in the group stages,” shared Coach Rohitha Fernando when talking about his Super 8ambitions.
New Youngs SC are a well balanced side that look to play on the counter and it is no surprise that they have made it to the Super 8s this year.
However as they struggled against Renown in the group stages they may find it difficult against teams that are good in possession like Colombo FC and Solid SC in the Super 8 stage and they will need to stay organized in defence to allow the likes of Priyankara, George and Mushikan to create chances and score at the other end.
New Youngs are by no means favourites to win the DCL 2016, however they will have a big say on who wins the title given they will prove to be a very tricky proposition for any team that wants to pick up 3 points against them. Their matches will be entertaining as always and one can expect great action whenever they take the field.
Squad 2016/17
