I-League: Profiling Real Kashmir's incredible topsy-turvy journey from the valley
What's the story
Real Kashmir FC started the 2023-24 I-League season on a high with a 2-0 win over Rajasthan United at the TRC Turf ground in Srinagar.
Two second-half strikes from defenders Wayne Vaz and Shaher Shaheen saw RKFC get the better of their opponents.
The Snow Leopards will be aiming to win the league this season and get promoted to the Indian Super League.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Real Kashmir is the first-ever football club to represent Jammu and Kashmir at the national level.
They won the Second Division League in 2018 after beating Hindustan FC 3-2 in the final game.
Subsequently, they were promoted to the I-League in the 2018-19 season.
RKFC finished third in their debut I-League season and it is still their best-ever finish in the league.
2022-23
What happened in the 2022-23 I-League season?
Real Kashmir finished fifth in the 2022-23 I-League season. They won nine matches and registered seven draws and six defeats while accumulating 34 points.
They also scored 27 goals and conceded 25 and only had a goal difference of two.
RKFC's former coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo stepped down mid-season courtesy of the team's poor performances
Later, they appointed former Watford star Gifton Noel-Williams.
Stats
A look at their stats in I-League
In the 2018-19 season, they won 10 matches and suffered three defeats while Mason Robertson, Gnohore Krizo and Abednego Tetteh were the joint-highest goal-scorers with 4 goals each.
In 2019-20, they finished fourth with six wins while Robertson (6) was the leading goal-scorer.
In 2020-21, RKFC finished fifth with five wins as Roberton and Lukman Adefemi (6) were the joint-highest goal-scorers.
Stats
A look at their stats in I-League (2)
It was a disappointing 2021-22 season for the Snow Leopards as they finished 12th and registered only two wins suffering eight defeats. Robertson with nine goals was the top goal-scorer.
In the 2022-23 season, RKFC registered nine wins while finishing fifth. Samuel James Kynshi was the leading goal-scorer for the Snow Leopards with six goals.
Notably, Kynshi was the highest Indian goal-scorer.
Coaches
An overview of the coaches and their stats
Since 2016, David Robertson has managed the club in 70 matches with a win% of 48.57 (34 wins).
Wadoo was appointed after Robertson and he led the team in 14 matches guiding them to four wins (Win%: 28.57).
Noel-Williams managed the club in eight matches after Wadoo's departure and won five games (win%: 62.50.)
New coach Ishfaq Ahmed has started with a win.
Expectations
Real Kashmir will look to win the I-League
Having appointed Ishfaq as their new coach, the Snow Leopards will be looking to lift the I-League trophy this season.
They have a good mix of local young talent and experienced foreigners like Gnohore Krizo and Shaheen.
It will also be a big challenge for Ishfaq but being a Kashmiri will work in his favor as RKFC aim to scale new heights.
Key performers
Here are the players to watch out for
Ivorian forward Krizo has returned for his second stint at the club. He has netted seven goals in 26 I-League appearances for RKFC. Krizo also scored twice in nine matches for Churchill Brothers.
Syrian defender Shaheen has previously played for Mohammedan SC in 44 matches across all competitions.
Muhammad Hammad and Vaz are good defenders will plenty of I-League and ISL experience.
IFA Shield
Real Kashmir won consecutive IFA Shield honors
In 2021, RKFC topped their group by beating Peerless and Aryan. They defeated Southern Samity in the quarter-finals before hammering Mohammedan 4-0 in the semi-finals.
They defeated George Telegraph to win the IFA Shield.
In 2021, they started with a defeat against Customs but defeated Bhawanipore, Mohammedan, and Gokulam Kerala to reach the finals.
RKFC defended their title by beating Sreenidi Deccan 2-1.