04 August,2010 08:05 AM IST | | Husain M Zaidi
When Vishal Naik moved from Goregaon to Borivli, he didn't know what was in store for him in terms of his sporting career.
Naik, used to play football for his former school, St Xavier's (Goregaon) but would struggle to make it to the playing XI even as he somehow held on to his place in the squad.
However, when he shifted to Borivli, and was admitted to St Lawrence High School, his footballing fortune changedu00a0 for the better. The Mumbai Schools Sports Association's certificate that he won in a Division III tournament for St Xavier's earned him a place in the team here. And yesterday he thoroughly justified his selection with a timely goal.u00a0
Naik scored his first goal in the MSSA boys U-14 Division I inter-school football tournament as St Lawrence brushed aside Holy Family (Andheri) 4-0 in their third fixture yesterday.
Though Naik did win a certificate with St Xavier's, his stay in the school was not all that pleasant. Besides his failure to make the first team there, he claimed he was also treated quite poorly.
"I was told on my face that I wasn't good enough to play. If I started a match, then I would be substituted in the first half itself. I was put through rigorous training to get to the level my teachers demanded, but yet failed to impress them," revealed Naik.
However, since his switch to St Lawrence, life has been a lot better for this Liverpool fan.
The striker has already helped his team win the Ryan International Tournament in the under-14 category involving 30 teams.
The tournament was held in Borivli and Navi Mumbai. He scored in both, the semi-finals and the final, as his team clinched the title.
Naik now harbours a very strong intention ufffd to beat his former school and better still, score against them.
"I hope when I face St Xavier's, I score as many goals as I can, so that they realise that I was good enough to play for them," he signed off.
