Some footballers are born strikers. They just need someone to make them realise that. That's the story of Kailash Patil, who scored four goals for ONGC in their 5-0 win over Companeroes SC in the Elite Division of the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) on Monday.
ONGC needed just nine minutes to open the scoring against the hapless Companeroes. Patil pounced on a loose ball and placed it calmly to the left of the goalkeeper. He then scored two goals in three minutes to complete his hat-trick. The 27-year-old didn't stop there. Patil's fourth goal was nothing less than a gem. After receiving the ball in the centre of the park, Patil played a one-two with teammate Lavino Fernandes and found himself unmarked just yards outside the penalty box. He then curled the ball into the top bracket of the goal, completely beating the outstretched 'keeper.
Watching him play, one would assume that he'd been a striker all his life. But it wasn't the case with Patil.
"I played as a left back in school, then as a left outer (midfield) and finally now as a striker. Though everyone says I have a great eye for the goal, I prefer playing as a left back, because I guess I'm a defender by heart," said Patil, who hails from Kolhapur.
So how did the transition happen? "When I left Kolhapur to join Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF), their coach Austin Coutinho suggested I play as a striker. I tried it out, and it has stuck since then," he said.
Patil has surely come a long way after that. He represented Air India in the I-League and even scored a brace against Kolkata heavyweights Mohun Bagan in 2011. For the past four years, he has been plying his trade with ONGC, and has become a household name as far as football in the city is concerned.
ONGC have won two tournaments this year so far (Gold Cup & Kalinga Football Cup), and have always been among the top echelon of football teams in Mumbai. And Patil believes this is because everyone lives close to each other.
"Most of the players live in ONGC colony in Panvel. I think that helps us bond well, and more importantly, understand each other better. I think that's the difference between us and the other clubs," he said,
Stopwatch: ONGC 5 (Kailash Patil 9, 21, 23, 75, Joel Sequeira 69) bt Companeroes SC 0
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