Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], April 13 : Jamshedpur FC defender Pratik Chaudhari could hardly hide his happiness after bagging his first-ever goal for the club in the recent 5-3 win over FC Goa in the Super Cup.
The 33-year-old put in another solid performance in central defence for the Red Miners as he continues to prove his worth and reliability under their English manager Aidy Boothroyd. Chaudhari reflected on the win against FC Goa while speaking to the AIFF media after the game.
"I'm very happy that we won (against FC Goa) by a big margin. It was much-needed to have a good start to the Super Cup, especially after the (ISL) season we just had, which wasn't the best," Pratik told AIFF.com.
The centre-back broke his duck to score the all-important equalizer for Jamshedpur FC after the Gaurs went ahead through Noah Sadaoui early in the fifth minute. Ten minutes into the clock, Rafael Crivellaro swings over a corner from the right, then Chaudhari leaps above everyone else to thunder a header that went past Arshdeep Singh and finds the bottom corner.
The defender looked delighted as he described his goal-scoring moment to the media.
"I'm happy to score after a long time. I've been working on it. It was a very good ball from Rafa. I just had to get in and put my head there," he said.
Chaudhari is currently in his second stint with the club after donning the club jersey back in the 2018-19 season. He was full of praise for the club management and asserts that they have maintained their high standard over the years.
"There's not much difference in the Jamshedpur FC setup five years ago and now. It was a top professional club back then and still is now. They have maintained their standards well in terms of facilities, pitches, accommodation and basically everything like how it's supposed to be," explained Chaudhari.
The Mumbai-born defender has huge experience, having plied his trade in many top clubs over the course of a 12-year career in professional football. He shares his footballing journey and desires to win the trophy.
"Every club has given me a good experience. I've learned a lot from the players I've played with and the coaches I've played under. I try to use all my experience for my current club, do my best and try and get some silverware for the club," he said.
After enduring an underwhelming ISL campaign, the Red Miners are now aiming to end the season on a positive note by adding another silverware to their trophy cabinet. The defender says they need to be strong and focused on the next game against ISL Champions, ATK Mohun Bagan.
"The target is to win the Super Cup. Simple. We take one game at a time. Now our focus shifts to the next one against ATK Mohun Bagan. We'll recover for a couple of days and then do it all over again," Chaudhari concluded.
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