Chandigarh goalie confident ahead of Asian Games camp

Before the camp for the Asian Games kick start on July 1,Gurpreet Singh Sandhu wants to make the most of the time before hectic schedule refrains him from coming back home for a long time. “After joining Eat Bengal,I came to Chandigarh just once,that too to appear in my exams. Naturally,I could not spend time with my family. Now as the season is over,I am enjoying every moment with my family,” shared the Mohali lad,who is one of the 24-probables for the Asian Games to be held in China in November.

Happy with the way his happy has shaped up in the last couple of months,Gurpreet knows the moment has finally arrived. “Selection for the South Asian Games held in Bangladesh was a big welcome and we got lots of new things to learn from the players who had played for the country before. The exposure helped us alot as after the tournament we came to know what our shortcomings were and where we needed to improve. Moreover,we gave some good performances and reached the semi-finals. Now the news of selection for the Asian Games camp is even better,” quipped the 18-year-old.

Back in Bengal,the last season had been wonderful for Gurpreet. He not only made his I-league debut against Sporting Clube de Goa but also figured among coach Philip de Rider’s big plans. “He was very supportive and never made me feel like a newcomer. Being the junior most player,I was apprehensive in the beginning but everybody made me feel at home. I started nine matches for east Bengal in I-League and Kolkata League and out of those nine we lost only one match,that too against Mohun Bagan. Everybody appreciated my goalkeeping skills. It made me very confident,” said Sandhu. “I am glad to Abra Mandal and coach Philip for providing me constant support. Mandal would help me correct flaws while keeping and coach Philip gave chance to me to prov myself,” he added.

Now with the football World Cup just around the corner,Gurpreet wants to unwind before a hectic schedule. “I will watch matches with my family and hopefully the team that we are supporting will win the cup,” said the big Spanish team fan.