FC Bengaluru United’s Shelton Paul, Srijith R look to make an impact in 75th edition of Santosh Trophy

The
Bengaluru-
based
club
has
garnered
a
reputation
for
bringing
in
and
signing
talents
who
are
touted
to
be
long-term
prospects
from
the
state.

Shelton,
who
is
a
winger,
and
goalkeeper
Srijith
will
be
keen
to
make
an
impact
in
the
Santosh
Trophy,
one
of
the
premier
domestic
tournaments
in
the
country.

In
a
recent
interaction,
the
duo
spoke
on
how
their
time
at
FC
Bengaluru
United
has
helped
them
grow
as
players
and
how
they
are
looking
forward
to
carry
their
learnings
into
the
historically
rich
tournament,
which
traces
its
origins
to
pre-Independence
India.

“I
would
like
to
thank
FC
Bengaluru
United
for
believing
and
showing
faith
in
me
and
signing
me
up,”
Shelton
said.
“Working
with
Richard
Hood
sir
(Head
Coach)
has
been
a
great
opportunity.
He
has
pushed
me
hard
both
on
and
off
the
pitch.
This
has
helped
me
improve
all
around
as
a
player
and
I
am
looking
forward
to
representing
my
state.”

FC
Bengaluru
United,
the
BDFA
Super
Division
League
defending
champions
recently
played
in
the
I-League
qualifiers,
and
were
also
invited
to
participate
in
the
iconic
Durand
Cup.
Competing
these
tournaments
has
helped
the
22-year-old
Shelton
gain
some
vital
experience.

“During
those
tournaments,
I
learned
many
things
from
the
more
senior
and
experienced
players.
They
had
a
very
positive
impact
on
me
and
helped
me
grow
as
a
player.”

For
Srijith,
playing
in
the
tournaments
was
an
“inclusive
learning
experience”.
“I
personally
took
home
immense
tactics
and
game-ways
from
Kunzang
[Bhutia]
–
pressure
management,
the
way
he
was
a
rock
for
our
team
till
the
semis
moved
me
and
sharing
a
position
with
a
player
like
him
has
helped
me
develop
my
skill
set.
When
you
share
a
team
with
numerous
experienced
players
who
have
played
on
an
international
level
too,
you
tend
to
pick
on
their
mindset
and
the
knack
of
reading
every
opponent
which
is
a
huge
requirement
as
a
goalkeeper.”

Karnataka
has
reached
the
semi-finals
of
the
Santosh
Trophy
on
two
occasions
but
has
never
made
it
past
this
hurdle.
But
Shelton
and
Srijith
believe
the
time
is
for
them
to
finally
go
the
distance.
“We
have
reached
the
semi-finals
twice
so
this
time
we
are
hoping
for
gold
and
are
confident
we
will
achieve
it,”
said
Shelton.

Karnataka
opened
their
Santosh
Trophy
campaign
with
a
sparkling
4-0
win
over
traditional
rivals
Tamil
Nadu.
“We
take
one
game
at
a
time
and
hope
the
results
favour
us,”
said
Srijith.

Source:
Media
Release