MFL Division Five 2009-10              Gatofield v Shanti Niketan Rock FC   Match Report by Shailesh Karkera With the final score line reading 1-1, it was all square at the end of an evenly balanced contest between Gatofield and Shantiniketan Rock FC in an MFL Division Five fixture at the St. Xavier’s ground in Parel.  After two rounds of games, both teams came into this match looking to register their first win in the league to move up the Group D standings and hopefully gain ground with the runaway leaders – Colaba No Fear and Guru Nanak FC   Evenly Balanced    There was no difference between the two teams after analyzing the initial exchanges in the first ten minutes. As is usually the case with lower division games, it was a spirited affair with both sets of players working hard to create opportunities to score. Both sets of midfields had a fair share of the ball possession throughout the game but were finding it difficult to make inroads into the final third on their respective ends.  First Attempt It took twelve minutes for Shantiniketan to create the first clear-cut opportunity of the game. Ryan Fernandes, with space on the ball, let rip from inside the penalty area forcing a full stretch save by the Gatofield custodian, Sumeet Dawakar. Eventually, Gatofield took the lead thanks to an intuitive piece of play by Amol Sawant. The forward benefited from a defensive lapse inside the box and was quick to tap-in from close range to open the scoring. Goal! 1-0 to Gatofield.   Gatofield pressurise Fast forward to the second half and Gatofield - with their precious goal in tow - piled on the pressure and pushed forward in search of their second of the game. The men in the black and yellow strips came close on two separate occasions but their final attempts on goal zipped wide of the woodwork.  Just when it seemed that Gatofield’s search for their elusive first win of the season was over, Shanti Niketan mounted a comeback in the dying minutes of the game.  Late Equaliser Following a corner played into a crowded penalty box, the ball fell at the feet of midfielder Siddharth Jain – who, from close range, scored with relative ease before wheeling away in celebration. Goal!  1-1. The goal would prove to be the last piece of action as the referee brought the game to a close. The draw leaves both teams perched mid-table in Group D with a daunting challenge ahead in their remaining five games to qualify for the post-season play-offs.