Fans chant ex-Leeds United manager's name as amazing run puts new foreign club on brink of glory

Promotion-winning former Whites boss Simon Grayson took charge of Indian Super League side Bengaluru in June and the Banagalore club are now just one game away from securing their first league title since 2019.

After a rough start to the season, Grayson’s side finished the regular campaign with eight-straight league wins that steered Bengaluru to a fourth-placed finish and the Indian Super League knock-out play-offs.

Bengaluru then sealed a 1-0 victory against fifth-placed finishers Kerala Blasters after extra time to set up a two-legged play-offs semi-final against Mumbai City who finished top of the league. After a 2-2 draw on aggregate, the contest went to penalties and Grayson’s side held their nerve to seal a 9-8 victory on spot kicks to set up a play-off final against third-placed finishers ATK Mohun Bagan.

The final takes place this weekend on Saturday afternoon in Goa and victory for Bengaluru would make Grayson the first Englishman to manage a team to an Indian Super League title. Following Sunday’s shoot out success, Bengaluru’s fans chanted Grayson’s name from the stands in a video that has gone viral on social media.

"I'm delighted, pleased for the players who gave everything tonight," said Grayson, as quoted by The Express. "The supporters who have not had nights like these for a very long time. We put them through the mill with penalties. I’m so proud of the club. To achieve what we’ve achieved from where we were took a lot of mental strength, spirit and we had that amongst everybody connected with the club. We’ve now got to go to Goa and get the job done.”