Nandha Kumar Sekar has been a stalwart for this Odisha FC side for some time now and under Josep Gombau his stature doubles up as the Spaniard’s style suit the winger. Once again he was amongst the goals as he scored the late winner against Chennaiyin FC to help the Kalinga Warriors snatch all three points from the jaws of a draw.
Hailing from Chennai, Tamil Nadu Nandhakumar’s love for the Chennaiyin FC fans is not unknown. He had a very muted celebration after scoring the winner as he cared for the fans. “I have never played for the Chennaiyin FC team despite being a Tamil Nadu footballer. I know almost all of their fans and a few of their players,” Nandhakumar told Deccan Chronicle in an interview.
The Odisha FC winger has returned the favour to the Chennaiyin FC fans for always supporting him despite him being a Odisha FC player. So it was in the sense of gratitude towards the Marina Machans, Nandha decided not to go haywire with his celebrations which one usually would after scoring the last minute winner in an absolutely cracker of a game.
Nandha joined Odisha FC in 2017 and since then he has been exceptional for the Kalinga Warriors. He has been a very valuable asset and especially under Josep Gombau his stature increases. There’s a sense of understanding and trust between the player and the coach and they tend to work together beautifully.
The coach has shown trust in him and he has repaid that trust by performances like this. He is also leading the youngsters and guiding them into the right path. The Spaniard has instilled a sense of belongingness and confidence in him and that is clearly visible on the pitch.
The winger also shared his camaraderie with Michael Soosairaj, who is currently his teammate at Odisha FC but this was not the case during their childhood. The two players from Tamil Nadu often went up against each other in school level and inter college tournaments. While Soosairaj represented the Madras Christian College, Nandha played for the Hindustan University. Nandha said, “When we were on the field, we were proper rivals, but off it, we remained good friends.”
Nandhakumar already has three goals this season and aims to play a more important role for Odisha FC and help them win the ISL trophy. He is looking to keep up his current form and play more important matches for the Kalinga Warriors.
