The Ba football team will give its youth players bigger roles in the senior squad this season after recent success in the Champion versus Champion series.

Ba beat Lautoka 1-0 and 2-1 to claim the 2018  CvC series.

The Men In Black started preparations for next month’s OFC Champions League on Wednesday, and team manager Arvind Singh says they want to build on the win against Lautoka.

Ba is in Pool C of Oceania’s top competition alongside New Zealand’s Team Wellington and Vanuatu’s Erakor Golden Star.

A fourth team will be confirmed after the qualifying rounds between clubs from Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga early next month.

“The fans can expect a more youthful side this season. We saw the quality of our young players against Lautoka and we want to stick to that,” Singh said.

Solomon Islander Darold Kakasi has been an inspiration since joining the team last year, scoring two goals in the CvC games.

He was also Ba’s top scorer with two goals at last October’s Inter-District Championship.

The 19-year-old joined the squad after impressing at a trial last season and has complemented Coach Ronil Kumar’s newfound attacking strategy with lightning pace and good finishing.

“He has had a big impact on the team since joining and will be a big part of our plans this season when he returns from the Solomon Islands,” Singh said.

There were mixed reactions to Ba’s achievements last season.

The team cruised to a Battle of the Giants win last August, and finished second in the Vodafone Premier League with 26 points, five behind winners Lautoka.

But the team collapsed at the I.D.C, lacking a clear attacking edge and winning just once against a fledgling Nasinu side.

Singh, however, was happy with what was achieved in 2018.

“Winning the first trophy of the new season has given us an ideal foundation to build on and the management are confident of a good outing in 2019,” he said.

“Our main objective is the national league because OFC qualification is crucial.”

Singh does not know if Ba is looking to sign new players during the transfer widow that opened on January 1.

“I can reveal more after our board meeting,” he said.

The manager was upset last season when some of the team’s senior players joined rival districts, including Meli Codro and Laisenia Raura to Suva and Samuela Nabenia to Lautoka.

“This time we won’t stop anybody,” he said.

“We will give top priority to players who have the heart to play for Ba and they will be the focal point of the team.”

Edited by Osea Bola

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