Against IK Start, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu starts new journey

The Soer Arena in Kristiansand isn’t a venue that pops into your head when you think of European football. It’s a modest 14,000-odd seater stadium in a touristy city, and has been sold out just twice — when home team IK Start played their inaugural match there in 2007 and then again for an Elton John concert a few months later. For Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, however, the stadium will hold special significance. For two years now he warmed benches while travelling with his club, Stabaek, across Norway for league matches.

But it would change on Sunday. During the team meeting an hour before kick-off, Stabaek manager Billy McKinlay broke the news to him that his name was first on the team sheet. It was a moment Sandhu had been waiting for the last two years. After returning from the pre-match warm up, the 24-year-old sat alone in the dressing room, reflecting on his journey from Kolkata, where he began his professional career, to Kristiansand. Sandhu’s thoughts were interrupted by McKinlay, who dropped in for a quick word. “You don’t need to prove me you are the best goalkeeper,” the Scot told Sandhu. “Just be yourself, back yourself up and make good decisions.”