Gurtej Singh: It'll be a nostalgic affair for us in Pune against Odisha FC

The 29-year-old was full of praise for the youngsters in the team saying they deserve a chance this season.

"The feeling of homecoming is always a great one and I am very happy to be back in the city of Hyderabad. This city, the people, they mean a lot to me." The words came from Gurtej Singh - one of the key domestic players of Hyderabad FC, the newcomers of the Indian Super League in an exclusive chat with Khel Now. Rising up from the ranks at Indian Arrows (then Pailan Arrows), Gurtej made a name for himself in the I-League. Although, he didn't spend much time on the pitch during his two distinct stints with Churchill Brothers and Bengaluru FC, his calibre as a defender was known to many. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] In 2016, Gurtej Singh made a move to 2nd division side Fateh Hyderabad, where he quickly made his mark. Within a season and a half, he was a crucial starting XI player at the club, also donning the captain's armband. His progress was tracked by the now defunct ISL outfit FC Pune City. At Pune as well, he was among the important first-team players until he suffered a major injury, keeping him on the sidelines for the majority of the 2017-18 season. "It was a really difficult time for me as I couldn't step onto the pitch and join my teammates. It's always hard to watch your mates from the sidelines," he quoted. "The only contribution I could give to my team was to encourage them from outside. But, that is never a favourable situation for any player and so I kept working hard towards my recovery." Finally in the reign of Phil Brown, Gurtej Singh returned to the team, but struggled to replicate his form from before and until he could get himself back to his best, the campaign came to a conclusion. Needless to say, that was followed by Pune City rebranding themselves as Hyderabad FC and moving to a new city. "I think since we have moved to the new city, its been a positive experience so far." "Our first home game saw thousands of spectators turning up at the stadium to watch us and it was quite a motivation for us," he added. The result of their first home game too came out as a positive one, as Phil Brown's men picked up their first win of the season. Yet, Gurtej admits he is still to perform at his best since recovering from the gruesome injury. "I am trying very hard to attain that level of my game and feel positive as I am getting more time on the pitch." However, Hyderabad couldn't repeat their performance from their first home game and fell to yet another defeat, this time against NorthEast United. The loss meant the Men in Black recorded their third defeat in four games. Since then, Phil Brown naturally came under pressure but to his fortune, the international break came up, giving him some time to get his squad back in shape. And Gurtej Singh, went on to praise his boss' efforts and style of coaching. "I must say Brown is different than the coaches that I've played under previously. With him, we share a very friendly relation, all the players. It's more of a companionship rather than a typical relationship between a coach and a player." "This naturally helps us build confidence, especially for the young players and that reflects on the pitch." Further, Gurtej went on to explain the difficulties of the team in defence and admitted that they need to improve in the upcoming games. After all, conceding a tally of 10 goals in their first four games, is never a good statistic for any team. Unfortunately, the team don't have a good goalscoring record either. Unlike this season, during their days in Pune, the team had an impressive attack with Iain Hume, Diego Carlos and Ashique Kuruniyan in place. Their departures in the summer might have caused a negative impact on the group. However, Gurtej Singh refutes the talk saying, "No, I don't think we miss either of them. Infact, we have such a good squad with some amazingly talented young players." "These players deserve a chance to showcase their skills and they are lucky to have an opportunity to do so this year." Asked about the youngster he was impressed by the most, Gurtej Singh picked Mohammed Yasir. "The player is so fearless and confident, I believe he can possibly even make it to the national team in years to come," he added. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] Moving on, it will be a nostalgic affair at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, where Hyderabad will be hosted by Odisha FC on 11th December. It will be the first time after their move, that Hyderabad will be playing at their former stadium in Pune. Speaking about that, the 29-year-old said, "Yes, it will definitely be a nostalgic game for us and I think we will also receive some good support from the fans as well." Gurtej Singh will be back in action for Hyderabad FC next on 24th November, when his side visit Kerala Blasters in Kochi for what should be an intense fixture.