ST Joseph’s-CFA senior division league: Grand show by Customs

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Chennai Customs are the undisputed champions of Tamil Nadu football. S. Grand Duraipandian’s team richly deserve the accolades after reclaiming the coveted St. Joseph’s-CFA senior division league.

After losing the crown to AGORC last year, the 2010 champions started precariously but were back in their elements to sign off a fine season.

Barring the draws against AGORC and SAI, the champions won their remaining matches with aplomb.

Grand’s preparation received a jolt when his talismanic striker M. Ramesh was ruled out of the first four games after undergoing a back operation.

Ramesh’s absence made Grand reshuffle some of his positions and the players manning unfamiliar territories were clearly struggling.

But then, the diminutive player’s return settled things down and Customs never looked back.

Striker U. Jayakumar was a revelation. Efficient midfielder P. Sudhakar was all too happy to get back to his original playmaking position.

Their defence line was impermeable even as goalkeeper A. Arun Pradeep deserves praise for his steady performance. Centre-back Karthik was outstanding.

But the duo who stood out in this campaign were utility players R. Nirmal Kumar and K. Sathish.

Nirmal has the pace to burn. A natural dribbler that he is, Nirmal time and again makes lightning runs near the touchline before whipping in delightful assists into the box.

Defensive midfielder Sathish, on the other hand, never hesitates to surge ahead whenever an opportunity is presented. Sathish’s forays usually catch the opponents unawares.

Now that Customs have won the title, they should be making at least half-a-dozen appointments to reward their players. Sathish, Nirmal and Jayakumar must be absorbed at once because the trio are talented and committed.

“Our coach is solely responsible for this victory. The draw against Southern Railway denied us the title last year. We were disappointed to have missed out. However, we believed that our team was the best in the fray and the title was ours for the taking. Mr Grand is a passionate man. He was instrumental in making each and every player in the team think that nothing was going to stop us from winning the title,” said Ramesh. Grand’s determination rubbed off on his team.

The coach who does not shy away from expressing his emotions was a crestfallen man around this time last year. Not being able to retain the title jolted Grand no ends. The former Customs player vowed to bounce back and he has accomplished his mission.

Beating AGORC in a title playoff would have been the icing on the cake. “We thought AGORC would beat Chennai FC and meet us in a playoff. We were gearing up for the match,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh, Riju and Jayakumar get vote

Three Deccan Chronicle reporters covered the CFA senior division league this season. Each one of them picks his favourite player.

M.Z. TANVEER: Customs fans were shocked to find that their favourite player M. Ramesh was missing from the line-up against AGORC in the opening match of the season.

The absence of an injured Ramesh bled Customs as they dropped four points in four matches.

The star returned for Customs’ fifth in regal splendour, scoring the opening goal in a 4-2 win over archrivals ICF. Ramesh collected 10 goals in six outings, a target he had set for himself.

He was also named man of the match three times. No other individual has so much influence on his team as Ramesh does. Customs are a totally different unit when he plays.

It was clearly evident before Ramesh’s comeback and during the TN Police game that he missed through suspension. The pint-sized striker appears a finished article now.

When Ramesh made his debut for Customs in 2009, he was a disaster. His finishing was woeful, even though he had other skills.

There is a newfound maturity and sharpness in his game. “I’m at my peak now,” said Ramesh, who admitted that his recent marriage to V. Kousalya has strengthened his resolve further.

T.N. RAGHU: Even though U. Jayakumar had played for Customs before, not many people were aware of his quality at the start of the league.

Jayakumar has, however, become a household name in Chennai football at the end of the season through his stellar performance and nine goals.

The forward shouldered the burden of leading Customs’ attack in the absence of the redoubtable Ramesh with courage and conviction.

No wonder Customs coach S. Grand Duraipandian has highest regards for the young striker. Forwards are known to only prowl in the box but Jayakumar is an exception. ,

The tireless runner is an epitome of hard work. He doesn’t hesitate to drop back and help his defenders.

He chases balls other forwards wouldn’t contemplate pursuing. Jayakumar has the skill to match his industry.

Simply put, he is an asset to Customs who should give him a job immediately to preclude the risk of losing him to some other team. Jayakumar’s best days are ahead of him.

BHARGAV. N: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Southern Railway would have been teetering on the brink of a precipice had it not been for their dwarf-sized forward P.C. Riju’s heroics. Ironically, Riju towered head and shoulders above every other player in his team by quite some distance.

He left an indelible impression on me and one couldn’t help but feel a tad sorry for him.

For all the talent that this wizard possesses, he had been left in the lurch by his teammates as time after time Riju single-handedly bailed his team out of near hopeless situations, all by himself.

He is a joy to watch. When he has the ball at his feet, the expectant crowd wait with bated breath knowing full well that he can produce a moment of sheer magic.

The effervescent Riju resembles a ravenous tiger on the prowl and there is no better sight in the Chennai league than watching him leave a trail of awestruck defenders.

There is no denying that Riju has been the heartbeat of his team and Railway should consider themselves fortunate for having such a gifted player.