‘I’m amazed at the reception’
Warm welcome for Xavier
The I-League match between local side Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club and Churchill Brothers will be fondly remembered for the return of home boy -- Xavier Vijay Kumar.
The former HASC man was given a once-in-a-lifetime ovation by the packed-to-the-seams crowd at the Bangalore Football stadium, when the midfielder came in for Lalrindika Ralte in the 56th minute.
“I’m amazed at the reaction. It was not something I expected, it was just really great,” an overwhelmed Xavier said. “I thank everyone who supported me and cheered for me from the bottom of my heart, it is something I will never forget,” he added.
The first taste of the kind of reception that Xavier might get was seen by the amount of welcome posters pasted all around the ground. The midfielder then received a round of applause when he came onto the ground during half-time. The cheers intensified when Xavier was asked by Churchill coach Manuel Gomes to warm up, and the noise levels hit an all-time high in the 56th minute, making some even wonder if Churchill were the away side or the home side!
“The reaction that Xavier received was great. It is beautiful for the game of football to see such a reaction,” Gomes told reporters after the game.
“Xavier is a very important player for us. Only now has he reached good fitness levels, and I thought his experience and ability will be really useful for us to protect our lead against a very good side. I congratulate HASC for playing good football. In fact, I think we are lucky to go home with three points, I think a draw would have been a fair result,” he added.
HASC manager, M Muralidharan also felt they were unlucky to leave without a point, but saw Sunday’s match as an encouraging sign. “We played really well today, and I thought the new 4-5-1 formation really worked. We just have to take our chances when they come, and I’m sure we will do better against Prayag United on Thursday,” he said.
