30 August,2011 09:44 AM IST | | Rohan Koli
It was a perfect birthday gift for St Mary's SSC (Mazgaon) striker Keegan Crasto as he scored the only and all-important goal to beat St Aloysius (Bandra) 1-0 in a Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school U-16 match for the Ahmed Sailor Trophy at Azad Maidan yesterday.
"It was a nice coincidence and for the first time that I was playing an inter-school match on my birthday, so obviously I wanted to make it special. I'm glad I could make it memorable for my school too," said the 15-year-old Class X student.
Keegan, an above-average student in academics, who was forced to give inter-school football a miss last year due to the mounting pressure of studies in Class IX, wants to make the most of his final year in school. "I've been representing my school from last eight years, but had to miss it last year as I had to concentrate on my studies. However, this being my last year in school, my father has permitted me to participate on the condition that I don't compromise on my studies. So, I began studying in April itself - a good two months before schools reopened. I've already finished nearly 80 per cent of my portion and so it's easier for me to concentrate on football," explained Keegan.
His father, Michael is happy with his decision. "Keegan has been always good in studies and scored 85 per cent marks last year. But I'm glad I've let him play football this year. He can get back to studying once the matches are over," said Michael.
