Himal Press 
Players and officials of Friends Club celebrate after the final whistle.
KATHMANDU: Friends Club confirmed it will stay in the top flight in the next season, defeating fellow relegation contender Nepal APF Club 4-0 in its final match of the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League at the Dasharan Stadium on Friday.
Surprisingly, Friends Club is the top scorer in the league thus far which is a remarkable achievement for a relegation contender. The Kupondole-based side has netted an impressive 42 goals in 26 matches, surpassing even the league champions, Church Boys United, by eight goals. However, it is noteworthy that Friends Club has also conceded the highest number of goals in the league, with a total of 37 goals against them.
In terms of defense, Friends Club had the weakest record in the league conceding 37 goals in 26 matches. It managed to keep clean sheets in only five out of their 26 matches. The team managed to win three of these five matches, scoring a total of 14 goals.
Friends Club began its league campaign with a disappointing loss against newcomers Khumaltar. Its second match against Three Star Club ended in a draw, while it lost to Satdobato Youth Club in the third match. Friends Club got its first victory in the fourth round when it defeated Jawalakhel Youth Club. It, however, faced defeats in its next three matches.
After a draw against Church Boys in their eighth match of the league, Friends Club thrashed Himalayan Sherpa Club 6-0 and continued its winning streak by defeating Sankata Club in its next match. These two victories helped Friends Club to climb up to 10th position with a total of 11 points – one point above safety.
At the halfway mark of the league, Friends Club occupied the 11th position and was seen as the relegation contender for the first time. From the 14th round until the 26th round of the league, Friends Club managed to finish outside the relegation zone only twice including on Friday.
In the previous season, Friends Club managed to secure safety with just one match left to play.
‘We will win the title next season’
Mrigenda Mishra, who served as the Head Coach of the team in the previous season, currently holds the position of Technical Director. Urjan Shrestha, who was with Three Star Club last season, is the current Head Coach of the team. Despite his new role as technical director, Mrigenda Mishra has been a constant presence on the touchline, actively involved in the team’s matches throughout the season.
After the final match of the season, Mishra took on press duties instead of Head Coach Shrestha. “We were confident of avoiding relegation by winning our last match,” a content Mishra shared. “I said the same in my television interview on Thursday.”
Mishra said the team will fight for the title next season. “I had planned to bring four national players for this season. But it didn’t materialize,” Mishra said. “Next season, we will build a team capable of winning the league. Our annual revenue is 5-6 million which is sufficient to build a winning team.”
