Dipanda wants Lajong to finish the league in a good position

I-LEAGUE ENTERS INTO its final four rounds as Shillong Lajong are aiming to win all of the four games to finish the season strongly.

Striker Dipanda Dika shares his view of his team's performance so far and the vision for the season end. 

“All the matches we have played have not been easy. We have worked very hard in all the games and we have earned points from many matches. I think the remaining games will be tougher and our only wish is to win them all. We need to end the season on a good note and good position.” 

Before coming to India, the Cameroonian played much of his professional football in Spain. He joined DSK Shivajians for the 2015-16 season and was the club’s top scorer that year with seven goals, a feat he has already surpassed at Lajong. Dipanda has scored nine goal and leads the tournament scoring charts. He recalls the time he and his club took to get going in this season saying, 

“I was not fully fit in the first three matches. I finally got my scoring rhythm in the games we played at home and then I started to score in almost every match,” he explained. “There are five matches left and I want to score as many goals possible and for that I am going to give my best. It’s not just about being the top scorer. What matters the most is we finish the league in a good position,” 

In his first season, Dipanda has already become a fan favourite.
On the success he has received, he says, derives from the support and love from his team and the supporters to perform well,

“Credit has to go to my team mates and the fans. They have given me a lot of motivation to do better,” Dicka, who is one of seven Reds this season to have registered more than 1,000 minutes on the pitch"

Speaking more about his younger team mates, he added,

“I believe that the Shillong Lajong Academy is one of the best in India and they promote many young talents in the first team. Currently we have around seven to eight U-22 players featuring in the Starting XI and it is very good to see these youngsters getting the opportunity to play in the top league in the country.” 

On the young squad that coach Singto believes in and often fields, Dipanda spoke high about them and added,

“I enjoy playing with them a lot and they are very good on and off the field. We are like a happy family who have bonded and gotten along so well. We work hard together, combine and understand each other on the pitch and together produce brilliant results,” 

 Dipanda spoke about the climate change he had to adjust to and how he started to enjoy it later shared,

“After some time I got used to the cold and I love it out here. Shillong, Meghalaya, is stunning. It is so beautiful and I have fallen madly in love with this place. I also love the people here, they are all very kind and humble,”

Looking ahead, Dicka knows that the encounter with his former club this Saturday won't be an easy one. The last meeting between the two teams in February ended in Shivajians winning,

“We will have to fight hard until the final whistle. Our target is to collect three points from this game and come back home ready to face two big opponents in Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru,”

 DSK Shivajians host Shillong Lajong on April 08 at 7 p.m.

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