Guardians of our post

"As the first competitive game of the season gets closer, we take a look at our custodians who will guard our goal with the sole objective of maintaining a clean sheet.

The squad includes four goalkeepers, three of whom are new faces. Old guard Shilton Paul, Arindam Bhattacharya, Milton Bhowmick and Naveen Kumar constitute goalkeeping coach Hemanta Dora’s Arsenal.

We take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the four goalkeepers.

Shilton, who has been with the club since 2006, was mostly the second choice goalkeeper last season. He had his share of opportunities towards the end of the season and did reasonably well. Shilton, though consistent, looks very unsure while dealing with aerial balls. This could be a worry for the Mariners when the opposition has set piece opportunities in the danger zone.

Arindam, who is currently at the national team camp in Bangalore, will most likely be Santosh Kashyap’s number one pick. A bundle of talent, he was adjudged the best goalkeeper in I-League 2008-09 as he played a big hand in helping Churchill Brothers to the title. In the six seasons he spent at Churchill brothers, Arindam matured into one of the best keepers in the country with many remarkable performances under the crossbar. Arindam is technically sound and communicates well with his teammates during the game. He is also a good bet in a one on one situation. His only pitfall is that he is slightly bulky for a goalkeeper.

Naveen Kumar joined Pailan Arrows from Churchill Brothers in 2011-12 in search of playing time. He was one of the better performers in the Pailan squad that finished 13th in last season’s I-League. Though Naveen’s record in the I-League is not noteworthy, his talent has been a talking point. But, like Shilton, Naveen too looks uncertain when it comes to aerial clearances.

Milton joined the Mariners this year from the IFA Academy. He is perhaps the first players for whom a club has paid a transfer fee to the concerned academy. While Milton lacks top flight experience, the youngster built a reputation as a specialist at saving penalties during his time at the IFA Academy. While Milton may not see much playing time in the I-League, he may be used against the weaker CFL sides and in other competitions. The selectors have certainly picked up the youngster as a future prospect.Goalkeeping coach Hemanta Dora has a pool of talent at his disposal and will have to work with each of them to ensure that we concede the fewest. The Main task will be Coach Santosh Kashyap’s as he will have think hard while naming his starting 11. In all, the goalkeepers look dependable as we all out in our quest for all the titles."