KOCHI: Kerala Blasters is enjoying one of their best seasons in recent memory. Firmly in contention for a playoff berth, a team that has a brilliant balance in attack and defence with some of the best foreign players currently operating in the league.
Their 2-1 win over NorthEast United on Friday at the Tilak Maidan Vasco took them to second in the table.
However, one noteworthy aspect about the club's season which gets overlooked amidst such a solid campaign is the opportunities that the club is giving to the youth.
A case in point is young Ayush Adhikari who was making only his second start for the club against NorthEast United at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco.
Ivan Vukomanovic and the club have been brave in fielding youngsters and giving them opportunities. While the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad and Jeakson Singh have a few years of experience under their belt despite their relatively young age, the likes of Ayush and Prabhsukhan Gill are coming to the fore and taking their chances.
Ayush put in an impressive shift and underlined the club's new philosophy of putting their faith in the future stars despite their inexperience. The fact that he got sent off just midway through the second half goes to show that the youngster needs to polish his skills, learn to play in the big matches and moments, but there is no denying the fact the midfielder is an example of the things to come from the Kerala outfit in the years to come.
NorthEast gave Blasters a fright but Blasters managed to eke comfortable win.
For a long time, it looked like Blasters lacked a direction, largely due to the constant changing of the head coaches and the players.
Every season, it looked like the club was taking a new direction under a new set of players and a new coach with his own tactics and philosophy.
After the arrival of Karolis Skinkys as the sporting director and with Vukomanovic steering the ship this season, the club looks to be taking a long term approach by creating a strong Indian core of players.
On Friday, it was the foreigners who expectedly stole the limelight with Jorge Pereyra Diaz (62) and Alvaro Vazquez (82) as Blasters continued their march in the league. NorthEast scored an equaliser late in injury time Mohammed Irshad but the night belonged to Blasters and its young guns.
But the undeniable fact remains that the Blasters' young core of players could be the ones driving the club forward as they look to become a force to reckon with.