Ahead Of The Clash That Saw Him Become The Only Full-Back To Score For The Blues, We Sat Down With Rino Anto To Talk About His Football Journey, That Goal Against Sporting Clube De Goa And The West Block Blues. Excerpts…
On his football journey…
I had decided to quit football when a string of injuries saw me sidelined. But I always wanted football in my life so I joined a profession that would allow me to play. The Postal department gave me the chance to represent Kerala and we managed to reach the final of the Santosh Trophy.
It was very difficult working a full time job with my passion lying in a sport and my parents saw this. They convinced me to go back to football, and a few months later, I had signed with Bengaluru FC.
On Bengaluru FC’s role in his career…
Joining Bengaluru FC changed everything. I hadn’t played professional football for over a year but my fitness levels went up as I trained under the guidance of Ashley (Westwood), Pradhyum (Reddy) and Malcolm (Purchase). We won the League and then the Federation Cup and I received a call up to the senior national side as well. In many ways, I am indebted to this club for where I am today.
On the Blues’ start to the season…
We’re looking at each game as it comes. Three wins out of four away games and four wins out of five is a good start to the season but we can’t sit back because complacency is a dangerous thing. The idea is to get as many points as possible and put the other sides on the back foot.
On his goal-of-the-season against Sporting Clube de Goa…
To be honest, my intention was to get a good cross into the box. When Sean controlled the pass from Sunil and turned with the ball I had gone so far forward with my run that I decided to take it into the box. The opportunity to get a shot on target on the counter doesn’t always come my way so I decided to go for it and it’s something I’ll always remember.
On the Blues’ defence…
There’s a strong bond in defence at the club. I know what Johno or Curtis will do in a particular situation and if one of them bombs forward on a run, I provide cover. If I commit a mistake up the pitch, someone’s always there to make amends.
There’s a mutual understanding that we’ve developed over the years. I hear about four different languages on the pitch! Ralte and I speak in Hindi, while he speaks to Chhuantea in Mizo. Johno and Curtis communicate in English and my family’s often heard me on TV, shouting in Malayalam when my long diagonal is aimed at Vineeth!
His thoughts on the Blue Army …
The support that we received at the first game, with the banners and chants and everything, was simply phenomenal. I don’t think the fans realize how much they spur us on. Right from season one, they’ve been there at every game and that’s why we are able to play the way we do. They give us the energy and motivation and the job always seems a lot easier when we’re playing in front of them.
