“When you are on the pitch, you have to match the level of the top players,” says Jamshedpur FC’s young custodian Vishal Yadav

There was a lot of hope from last season’s ISL Shield Winners, Jamshedpur FC going into the new season. Although they had a managerial change and few changes in personnel aswell, fans thought they could still aim for the stars this season. However that has not been the case for the Men of the Steel this season as they have struggled till now under Aidy Boothroyd. But one of the surprises of the season has to be young goalkeeper Vishal Yadav who has been impressive in some matches and has shown great potential going forward.

The young custodian has stated that he is not afraid of handling pressure in big matches. He has impressed people at the club and has taken over the first choice goalkeeper spot from TP Rehenesh. The 20-year-old is already optimistic of reaching the levels of some of ISL’s top goalkeepers.

Vishal Yadav hails from Uttar Pradesh and made his debut against ATK Mohun Bagan and instantly made a mark and caught the eye with his saves and confident demeanor under the bar. The young custodian came up with 11 saves out of the 13 shots that he faced. He did leak a goal late on but people praised the young lad for tenacity to keep the Mariners at bay for long long in the game.

Boothroyd has also praised Vishal’s talent and his shot stopping prowess and shared how he is the future of Jamshedpur FC. The 20-year-old young custodian recently spoke about Jamshedpur’s struggles, ability to handle pressure and also the season ahead. He accompanied coach Aidy Boothroyd at the press conference ahead of the FC Goa game.

It’s always easy to do well when the entire team is performing well, winning matches and there’s positivity around the club. But that has not been the case with Jamshedpur FC as they have struggled to secure points this season and it is not easy for a player like Vishal Yadav to keep up with his performances despite all the outside noise and negativity going on. He highlighted how everyone is very upset and is collectively looking to find solutions of their problems.

“Right now everyone is upset due to our team’s performance and this period is tough. Everyone including the players, the coaches, and the coaching staff who are working behind the scenes are going through this phase but the most important thing is to stay together and support each other, to bring out the positives in front of the team and work on the minor details,” Vishal Yadav stated at the press conference.

The young custodian feels that it does not matter if he has played 40-50 matches or is making his debut. He feels that when he is on that pitch, he needs to match the level of the other top goalkeepers. “I’ve just made my debut in Hero ISL, I’ve played two matches and right now the biggest role out as the senior players have to step up. Obviously, it doesn’t matter if I’m a young player or I’ve just made my debut, when you step onto the pitch then you have to match that level. It doesn’t mean if you’re a young player or you’ve played 40-50 matches. So, I think my role will be the same as the goalkeepers from the top two-three teams, my mindset will be the same as theirs and I’ll try to give a positive approach to the team as much as possible,” the 20-year-old goalkeeper added.

Being a product of the Tata Football Academy (TFA), Vishal has a different feeling for Jamshedpur FC and hopefully he can inspire the Men of Steel to get back on track as they are simply struggling to secure points from matches.