MUMBAI, NOV 25: JCT Mills, Phagwara, were popular victors as they destroyed Mohun Bagan, Calcutta 3-0 (half-time 2-0) to make the final of Bristol Rovers Cup football tournament at the Cooperage, here today.

Harjinder Singh, Seriki Abdul Lateef and Emeka Achilefu scored in the millmen's resounding win that restricted the Calcutta league champions to only a brief spell of domination nearing half-time.

Mohun Bagan looked scarcely comfortable today amid raucous comments from fans still enraged from a widely believed fixed match between the Calcutta side and Churchill Brothers on Sunday.

For all the early running by JCT, who now await the winners of tomorrow's semifinal between East Bengal and Churchill Brothers, coach Sukhwinder Singh did not find the pace much to his liking.

The heat, he felt, impeded his team and after taking a 2-0 lead, Sukhwinder instructed his players to slow the game down at the outset of the second half.

Coach Amal Dutta attributed his side's dismal show to fatigue. ``I could not motivate my players after a tiresome programme all over the country,'' Dutta said. `Diamond Dutta', however, defended his five-man mid-field despite its fiasco today. JCT's victory, tinged with sadness caused by the demise of manager Inder Singh's father, once again owed much to the mid-field, goalkeeper Arvind Kumar, the majestic Musa Aliv in defence along with their Nigerean colleagues upfield -- Seriki and Emeka.

But the star of the day was midfielder Hardip Singh. The hard-running teenager, a revelation here, paved way for an early lead.

Hardip later capped a glorious day by making the third goal for Seriki that broke the back of Bagan's resistance.

The young Sikh found Jaspreet who laid forward for Harjinder to roof his shot over a helpless Bagan 'keeper Bivash Ghosh to snatch the lead for JCT in the seventh minute.

The National League champions extended the lead in the 32nd minute. Manjinder Singh's overlapping run from Harjinder's pass ended in a cross from the right that Emeka headed home.

As Bagan struggled, Arvind Kumar, JCT's agile custodian, thwarted Dipendu Biswas twice before effecting what Dutta termed ``the turning point of the match.''

Arvind rose himself to a great save in a quick burst of action in front of goal, palming a sharp deflection from Biswas over the bar.

When it appeared JCT were playing for time, Seriki's strike broke Bagan's already flagging spirit. Hardip, inevitably, passed to Seriki who found the far right of Ghosh's goal in the 70th minute.

Dutta sacked

Mohun Bagan today sacked its football coach Amal Dutta. ``Your services as coach shall not be required for the remaining period of the present football season,'' club secretary Anjan Mitra said in a letter to Dutta.

Mitra did not give any reason for sacking. Dutta created a sensation this year by inventing the much talked about Diamond system that met with fair success this season.

Club authorities were reportedly unhappy with Dutta following allegations of match fixing with Churchil Brothers in the Rovers Cup quarter-final league.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.