#TFGinterview- "Great to score against giants; want to grow with Lajong," says defender Sana

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY that a defender gets to score.

And it's extra special if you're a teenager working your way through your very first season as a top division professional footballer. 

Chinglensana Konsham Singh, who scored his first senior club goal against Mohun Bagan in the I-League, added to his already distinguishing season when he scored against East Bengal at the first leg of their Federation Cup quarter final encounter. Lajong won the match 2-1, grabbing a sizeable advantage over the Kolkata heavyweights.

Known as 'Sana' to his friends and teammates, Singh is cherishing every second of that night's performance, 

"It's a great feeling... it was a very important goal for the team, and that too against a team like East Bengal... scoring against some of the big giants of Indian football like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal has been great."

Although the battle was won, the second half of the war is still to be played out at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata, where the intimidating home support always makes playing there a daunting task for opponents. Speaking to TFG from the Guwahati airport en route to Kolkata, Sana sounded cautiously optimistic about his club's chances on Wednesday,

"We're confident, we're taking things lightly at the moment. Of course we have not done well away from home this season so we're looking forward to this one... this is the Federation Cup, different tournament and circumstances, so we want to play a positive game."

As far as debut seasons go, it has certainly been educational for Sana. His club Shillong Lajong went through a dogged relegation battle that lasted till the final day of the season, when they walked in to play a match against East Bengal where a defeat would mean a certain drop to 2nd Division. Sana spoke about the mood in the dressing room that day, 

"The coach (Thangboi Singto) was very calm and relaxed. He was saying, stay positive and give your best; don't let the pressure get to you, and everything else will follow. He always motivates us, never puts pressure, which is great for us. So that's what we did, we gave our best, and the rest was up to the Almighty."

The Manipuri lad also thought much of the success of that night and the rest of the season was due to the loud support provided by the fans every matchday,

"I'm thankful to our fans, the Lajong faithful, they have been incredible, especially in the last few games at the I-League. Ten thousand fans turned up in the game against East Bengal. It's great for us to play for them and for the team as well, their presence really helped us play our best and showcase our own Shillong brand of football."

Playing at a time when one of Lajong's most experienced defenders and Indian international Aiborlang Khongjee was out with an injury, Sana acknowledged that it was a challenge to make up for his absence in the squad,

"Aibor bhai is always motivating us and sharing his knowledge with us, telling us how to do things right and react to certain situations. It's always helpful... it was tough for the team with him being out injured, I wish him the very best with the recovery. We had to step up during his absence and I'm glad we did."

Fresh out of Tata Football Academy, Sana's quick adaptation into senior club football is remarkable; it speaks volumes about Shillong Lajong's policy of promoting youngsters into the first team, but part of it is due to the international exposure Sana got in his youth career. While with TFA he got a chance to train at the Sheffield United Football Club, and he also went to China to play their U-17 and U-19 teams while he was playing for India U-19. Sana recalled those days with fondness,

"It was a great learning experience. Over there in Europe, the football standards are much different and much higher. So it was good to train with the Sheffield United U-18 team, picking up a lot of knowledge from the coaches as well as the players. Touring China with the India U-19 squad was incredible as well. I scored a goal there, which was special because it was my first goal at a major level... I'm working hard towards making myself a viable candidate for a senior national team spot."

Asked what were his future plans, he said he was happy at Shillong Lajong and wanted to remain there for now,

"At the moment I'm really happy playing here at Lajong. Everyone is very helpful, the fellow players, the coaches and the staff. This is just the start of my career and I think I'm in the right place... I'd love to have a few more seasons here and learn the game better."

An avid Real Madrid fan, Sana is a big-time fan of the club's skipper, Sergio Ramos. Confessing that he sought to channel not just the Spanish defender's playing style but also his attitude at times, 

"I look up to Sergio Ramos as a role model, with his aggression and so on... I'm a different player, I like to be cool and calm, but sometimes you have to be aggressive so I kind of copy him."

Seeing that he is about to take on East Bengal at their own backyard in a high-stakes knockout game, that aggressiveness might just come handy.