The team's wait for their most gifted player finally came to an end yesterday. Harold Fernandes, who returned from a 10-day trip to England, took the field and scored for his school Don Bosco (Matunga) in their encounter against Bombay Scottish (Mahim) in the Nike MSSA inter-school football tournament at Azad Maidan. The Matunga outfit emerged 2-0 winners, with Scott Souza scoring the other goal.

Harold was the only footballer from Maharashtra to be picked to represent Tata Tea Arsenal after they held camps across India to pick a team that would represent them in a junior-level club tournament in England.



Exceptional
And during the ten-day tournament, Harold and his team did exceptionally well to reach the semi-finals of a tournament in which teams from across the globe had participated.

"It was a great learning experience," Harold said. "I did not feel like coming back, but it feels good to come back and play for my school," Harold added.u00a0

Expectations are accompanied by pressure and Harold went through that before taking the field.

"There was a lot of pressure to perform as my teammates depended on me. But I am glad I didn't let them down," Harold said after the match.

Though Harold was left overawed by the settings, the high point of his trip was the opportunity to watch Arsenal take on Rangers on August 2.

"I always was an Arsenal fan. So, seeing my favourite player Cesc Fabregas was the best thing that could happen." He said.