Catches win matches, so do penalty corners in hockey: Coach

Chennai, Aug 21 (UNI) Chief coach of Indian hockey team, Joaquim Carvalho today borrowed a cricketing adage to drive home the importance of the squad improving the ability to convert penalty corners, often cited as the reason for failure to win matches.

'' Like catches win matches'', converting penalty corners makes a difference in hockey, the former Olympian, who arrived here along with the squad for the Asia Cup tournament beginning on August 31, said.

If you don't convert a penalty corner, you cannot win'', he added to drive home his point.

He also said he was not averse to the idea of engaging a foreign penaty corner expert to improve the team's performance in this aspect.

Answering a question on the continued failure of the team in this aspect as seen in the Champions Challenge tournament last time, he also observed that however, one cannot concentrate only on this aspect. ''We have to focus on field goals also. That is our strength'', he added.

He said the shortcoming of converting penalty corners cannot be set right in a short time- a month or a year. ''It's a long drawn out process'', he pointed out.

UNI