Warming the bench, Manish Maithani’s Mohun Bagan days were slipping away, a fate which befalls every small player at a big club. But when coach Karim Bencherifa ended his wait, seeking a reversal of fortunes (Bagan had two losses from their first two games of the season) against Viva Kerala at the floodlit Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Monday, Maithani joined a small list of players from the club to score on debut.

The former Indian Nationals midfielder got 10-odd minutes as a support cast to Chidi Edeh upfront, but playing in his “natural attacking midfielder” position, he made the most of it, netting in a cross from the Nigerian in the last minute of added time. The goal left him ecstatic, and the moment was worth the wait.

“The way things were going, playing was not even a distant possibility. With the team struggling with two losses in the I-League after the two lost finals, the coach was eager to play the big players. Honestly, I couldn’t find a place for myself in this squad,” Maithani said, speaking to Sportline, adding, “But last week, he suddenly played me for the full 90 minutes in a practice match. I scored, besides creating a few chances. The management was so impressed that they got me registered for the I-League on Saturday. From that moment on, I realised I would get a chance soon. It’s good that I scored. People were always apprehensive about my performance on the big stage because they had never seen me playing there.”

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