Goalkeeper Midhun to lead Kerala in Santosh Trophy

KOCHI: "Give me a year with these players and I can even win the I-League," said Bino George, Kerala's Santosh Trophy head coach on the 20-member-squad for the south zone qualifiers that was announced on Wednesday.Ignore the hyperbole as the state team isn't anyhow going to play the I-League, now a tier below the Indian Super League in the Indian football pyramid, but the former Gokulam Kerala coach's words oozes confidence.The reason primarily is down to the extent of preparation time the state has had as the south zone qualifiers were repeatedly postponed while every other zone in the country played out their qualification rounds, the latest by September 30.Almost two months in camps and having played over a dozen friendlies, including against sides that are arguably better such as FC Goa, Kerala Blasters (reserves) and Gokulam Kerala, this Kerala Santosh Trophy side should feel like a well-knit unit.The team that will be captained by State Bank of India goalkeeper V Midhun has an average age of 22."Midhun is an able leader and I'm glad we were able to bring players with varied skill sets to complement the style of football we intend to play," said coach Bino.Midhun and his deputy, midfielder Jijo Joseph, both with four Santosh Trophy finals appearances under their belt along with defender Sreerag VG who has featured in three, are the experienced lot in the squad while for the likes of defenders Alex Saji, Vibin Thomas and Jishnu Balakrishnan and winger Jithin MS a second opportunity beckons.It was Midhun's splendid performance in shootout two seasons ago that helped Kerala lift the Santosh Trophy a sixth time. Besides the 26-year-old, only Sreerag, Vibin and Jithin have survived from the side that triumphed in Kolkata in April, 2018.Then there are 13 newcomers, a number that should raise some eyebrows, but one that instead brings a smile on the face of the leader of the bunch, Midhun."Most of them are new to the Santosh Trophy but they are no way inexperienced, I would say some are even more experienced than us," chuckles Midhun.Among the fresh faces, winger Leon Augustine has represented Bengaluru FC in the AFC Cup and played for Karnataka in the Santosh Trophy, centre-back Ajin Tom is a member of Chennaiyin FC reserves while midfielders Hrishiduth and Akhil Praveen are contracted with the Kerala Blasters and Ozone FC respectively.The south zone qualifiers will be held at Kozhikode and Kerala is in group-A comprising Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Kerala's first match is against Andhra on November 5 and they play Tamil Nadu four days later.Squad:Goalkeepers: Midhun V, Sachin SureshDefenders: Ajin Tom, Alex Saji, Vibin Thomas, Sanju G, Sreerag VG, Jishnu BalakrishnanMidfielders: Hrishidutt, Jijo Joseph, Rishad, Akhil PraveenForwards: Roshan Gigy, Vishnu, Emil Benny, Leon Augustin, Thahir Zaman, Shihadh Nelliparaban, Mousoof Nizan, Jithin MS; Coaches: Bino George (head coach), TG Purushothaman (assistant coach), Saji Joy (goalkeeping coach)