Emotional scenes at Barasat as Balwant Singh makes a scoring return after long injury spell
AT ONE POINT, he was being considered as one of the topmost strikers in the country. But things turned south for him time and again, making him start again from the scratch.
But Balwant Singh is a struggler. In a career with so much promise, he has been brought down by injuries more than once, but he's still going on.
After his strong debut in the top division circuit for JCT, he had to sit out for almost two seasons at Salgaocar. He came back again, established himself at Chuchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan, but an injury last season took him out again.
In the star striker's long absence from the limelight, he was quietly worling his way through rehab. And in this, he had the guidance and friendship of the Mohun Bagan physical trainer Djair Miranda Garcia.
So it was an emotional occasion for both of them last night when Balwant Singh started for Mohun Bagan against his former club Churchill Brothers. And all the hard work over the past year paid off when he scored the only goal of the game.
Yesterday's solitary goal by @Balwant_Singh17 ! Breathtaking move this was ! pic.twitter.com/Qid4W9yYLT
— Mohun Bagan A.C. (@MohunBagan) January 9, 2017
After the match Balwant got a standing ovation from the packed stands. And then he met his trainer Garcia. Garcia hugged him, and could not suppress his tears.
Moment of the Day !
— Mohun Bagan A.C. (@MohunBagan) January 8, 2017
Frame by Frame !
This is the reason why we love @djairgarcia so much ! #respect pic.twitter.com/vTC6vHMYRR
On his way out, he told the reporters,
"I was out for a year with the injury... I'm grateful to the coach and the club officials for having faith in me. But the biggest credit behind me recovery goes to our Mr Garcia, he was with me every step of the way."
Head coach Sanjoy Sen was also approving of his player's performance,
"It's tough to overcome such a long bout of injury for any player. Same goes for Balwant. So he needed this goal, to get his confidence back. I'm very glad for him."
The fans are already calling for the club to go with an all-Indian striking force at the top with Blawant and Jeje, instead of using Scottish striker Darryl Duffy. Although this is just one game and there's a whole season left to play out, Balwant seems to have overcome yet another major roadblock in his journey as a footballer.
