Being away from Srinagar balanced by no need for travel: Robertson

New Delhi, Dec 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Real Kashmir will not have their unique climatic conditions and raucuous stadium atmosphere to back them up when playing in the I-League this season but coach David Robertson said that the disadvantages of playing in a bio-bubble in Kolkata is balanced off by the advantages of not having to go through the gruelling process of travelling from Srinagar to different parts of the country.

"Obviously we would like to play at home. The altitude, the harsh winter, the tight field and, when it is a full house, the crowd is right on top of us. So, obviously it is a bit of a disadvantage (to not be playing at home)," said Robertson in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

Conversly, Robertson said that it also meant that the time wasted in travelling during a normal season is done away with, as is also the need to acclimatise to drastically different climatic conditions for away matches.

"We were going from negative temperatures (in Srinagar) to warm places like Goa, Kolkata and we had to adapt. We had to travel from Srinagar to Delhi and, more often than not, we would spend the night there and then get on a flight. So, we would be going on two flights to play a game. So I think it evens itself out this season. There will be no travelling and we will be in the same climate as everyone else all the time so it works both ways," said Robertson.

The 2020/21 season of the I-League will be played in three bio-secure venues in Kolkata from January 9. Real Kashmir start their campaign with a match against TRAU FC on January 10.

Source: IANS