Only a few hours left for the Final match day, with TRAU FC gearing up to face Gokulam Kerala FC in a match which can be termed as a Final, given that the winner of that very match, takes the Hero I-League Title home.
A few weeks ago we had the good fortune to have a conversation with TRAU FC’s goal scoring wonder, Bidyashagar Singh, who is leading the I League’s Golden boot race at the moment and just before the Final match day, we had the opportunity to hear from the Captain of TRAU FC, Phalguni Konsam Singh as he tells us in his exclusive interview about his footballing journey, TRAU FC’s dream run in the I-League, and much more.
While talking about results we often talk about Strikers, or even sometimes of defenders who protect them at the back. But what we often focus less on, is the driving force of a team or as we say, the heart of a team, it’s midfield. From players like Iniesta, Xavi or even to take a closer example, a certain Mehtab Hossain, we have often termed them as Midfield Magicians or Midfield Maestros. Phalguni Singh this season for TRAU has been no less than a midfield magician.
Not much of a surprise when we see kids at a very early age in North East India, in almost every street playing football. So was the story of Phalguni Singh who fell in love with football at a pretty young age. “Football was always my passion. I started playing since my childhood. At first, I played for my local club from where I got selected for few months training in AMFA (All Manipur Football Association) and from there my footballing journey started”, said Phalguni.
Like every child growing up, Phalguni also had his own inspiration and when asked about it he said, “My footballing inspiration has been, Wangkheirakpam Tomba Singh who is a former Indian footballer who played as a midfielder” Currently, Tomba Singh is the Assistant Coach of I-League club NEROCA FC. Phalguni has been an asset for TRAU and we all would love to know about his journey, before he joined TRAU. “Before TRAU FC, I have played for local Clubs like NESU, USA, NISA, and Sagolband United after that I got selected for TRAU FC”, said Phalguni.
TRAU is having a dream run in the I-League and Phalguni Singh has been at the focal point of things as he’s been captaining the side from Manipur and along with sensational footballing skills in midfield, he has also helped his team upfront with 3 important goals already. Phalguni said that it is a great feeling and a great experience to represent his home team in the I-League, Captaining the team and also scoring important goals for the team. He also said, “It is an honour” for him when he was asked about the same.
Phalguni has been doing great at his place in midfield, but over time, we have seen players moving to different positions or undergo a shift of positions along with changes in their club. Some click, some don’t but we would surely like to know what the player prefers and Phalguni, when asked about him playing in the Central Midfield region and if that is his favourite position on the pitch or if he does fancy some other places in training, he clearly said, “Yes, it’s my favorite position to play at”.
On asking about his next step, basically his future plans or goals in his career, he said, “Well, my next step is to improve more so that I can get a chance to play ISL and become a well known and great Indian player”.
We also know that there are chances of ISL having a system of relegation and promotion which might start from a season later, we wanted to know from Phalguni if in that case he would prefer to join an ISL Club directly, or stay with his team and take them through to the Indian Super League, via promotion, by winning the ILeague title. Captain as expected, he answered by saying “I would like to stick with TRAU FC and take them to ISL”.
Key to success of a team includes many factors including the atmosphere of their dressing room, which according to Phalguni is very friendly in TRAU FC. He also added, “Resilience, hardwork, patience and the support of our Coach has been the key to our success this season”.
The Final game is coming close as we speak, and Phalguni surely was more keen to talk on the pitch, but before ending the conversation we wanted to know about TRAU FC’s preparation ahead of the crucial game and how confident they were. “I am pretty confident about the match, but the opponents are also prepared, as we are. It will be a tough match, but we are ready for it”.
When asked about his teammates, Phalguni praised them by saying about their good personality and the talent they have, along with wishing them all the very best for their future.
Finally, before signing off, Phalguni Singh who is also a Real Madrid fan, had a small message for the fans and the budding footballers. “Keep loving and supporting me”, he said for the fans, and as you would expect from a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, Phalguni had a few words of wisdom for the young footballers, as he said “There is no shortcut to success and that’s how one can be focused and keep working hard, to live their dreams one day”.
Wishing Phalguni Singh and TRAU FC, all the very best for their Final League game of the season and hope they can hold on to their wonderful season performance, and put a happy ending to a wonderful fairytale, that’s being written.
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