Santosh throws up many young stars

The goalkeeper never looked back. He improved with every match and Ghosh, even after serving his suspension, had to take Prasanta8217;s place on thebench. The younger Dora managed to impress the judges, Sahu Mewalal and Abdul Latif, enough to be named the best goalkeeper of the Santosh Trophy. Prasanta, who on earlier occasions, has been ignored for being too short, proved that height is not necessarily a disadvantage. The goalkeeper played for Port Trust in the previous season.

Dutta, on the other hand, is a more known face in Calcutta football. He was on the Mohun Bagan bench last year, but has shifted to East Bengal this time. The 22-year old did not get to play many matches in the past season. His performance in the Santosh Trophy might just see him play more often this year.

There were other youngsters too, who made their mark in the Santosh Trophy at Guwahati. Railways managed to hold Bengal and Kerala, but failed to win any of the matches in the quarter-finals. If they can be called marginally successful, S. Tigga can surely take a big credit for that. The mid-fielder with just one hand, the other being a stump, played an excellent game forhis side. Tigga will don the Air India jerseys next season. In spite of his handicap, he maintained his balance and exhibited good speed. He held the mid-field well for his team, even making some noteworthy moves.

Punjab right-back Swaran Singh came to the limelight during the Asian Youth Meet in Delhi in 1996. He was a steady defender then, with speedy overlaps on the right. This time in Guwahati, the boy from Punjab Police also displayed a lethal long-ranger. In fact, Singh attempted a number of them, most landing on target. It should not be long before he finds a place in the bigger leagues.

Even Denis Cabral should be heard of quite often in the next year. The striker was included in Goa8217;s starting XI against Services and helped Francis Silviera score the only goal. In later matches, he came in as substitute. Cabral8217;s teammates Cyril Barreto, Levino Pereira and Anthony Mathews too made their contributions in taking Goa to the title round.

Pereira and Mathews, who were in and out of the Goa defencethroughout the tournament, were with the disbanded Sesa last year. They will play for Churchill Brothers this time. Pereira also became Goa8217;s third goalkeeper in the tournament, putting on the gloves for a few minutes after Juje Siddi was given the marching orders.

Another young goalkeeper had his first feel of the National Football Championships. Dinesh Nair hails from Mumbai, but has never played there. He was FC Kochin8217;s reserve custodian last season. This time, he will on the Mohun Bagan benches. He came in as a replacement for Kerala8217;s Firoze Sherief in their match against Maharashtra, and did a commendable job. So did Assam strikers Bhupen Gogoi and Dipen Teron. Satish Minz too did his bit for Maharashtra, coming in as a substitute most of the time. The Tata Football Academy boy was also in the youth team that defeated Sri Lanka and Pakistan by big margins in Delhi in 1996. After a year in Calcutta, he had shifted to Mumbai and plans to be there for the next season also.