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New kids on the block
Many top footballers, may have opted not to take Santosh Trophy too seriously, but there are many unknown players who have shown quality, reports Jaydeep Basu.
Many footballers who have already earned name, fame and money for top NFL clubs, may have opted not to take the ongoing Santosh Trophy too seriously, but there are quite a few unknown players who have shown enough quality to become future stars.
Most of them are from relatively smaller states, which couldn't go beyond the quarter-finals stage. Yet, some of their players displayed good skills and can be groomed to play in bigger league.
One such player is Delhi goalkeeper Viney Singh, who got a chance to play only at the last hour, but immediately caught the eye with his good technique, anticipation and level of concentration. There is a feeling in the Delhi camp that had Viney been in the starting line-up, the hosts could have avoided defeat against Kerala in the crucial tie.
There was no such hope left for Orissa, who were edged out by Sikkim in Cluster VII. But the man who stood out more than their hat-trick man Saroj Das was their stopper back Durgacharan Hembrem. A man of good height and cool temperament, Hembrem made his case stronger with his heading ability and first touch game. Chandigarh stopper Gurpreet Singh also proved to be an ideal defender because of his marking ability, but his temperament might be a hindrance towards his gaining maturity. All he needs is a coach who can extract the best out of him.