Kerala Blasters FC stunned FC Pune City deep into injury time through CK Vineeth’s wonder strike to hand the hosts a narrow 2-1 defeat at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Friday. The three points lift Kerala to fifth on the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18’s table and in contention for a top-four finish. Post an engaging 90 minutes of play, indiansuperleague.com caught up with the visitor's skipper Sandesh Jhingan to find out his views on the game and more. Here are the excerpts. 

What do you have to say about the game?

Before the game, we spoke amongst each other and discussed that this is like the final for us and we need the three points. The team showed real character, real mental strength and I am really proud of the team. And CK (Vineeth) is always at his best. He loves these last-minute winners. Last season he scored so many and this is a special one for him as well. Now that this is done, we have to focus on the next time. We don’t have the time now to sit back and enjoy this feeling. There’s no time for any for that and we need to get ready for the next game.

What do you think is CK Vineeth’s secret behind scoring late goals?

You probably need to ask him. He waits for the last moment, proper Bollywood-style last moment. But a great goal from him and this shows how focused he is. Sometimes, you tend to lose your focus in the last minutes but he is like a proper striker who is always sharp and tends to score even at the slightest sniff of goal. I hope he keeps going strong and scores more for us.

How does it feel to play beside an iconic player like Wes Brown in defence?

I have said this many times. I have been a great fan of his and I am a Manchester United fan, so at first, it was a fan-moment for me. To learn from him every day on and off the field, it feels incredible. He’s a top professional. Coming here from where he has come from and still being so professional, it just inspires you to keep going. He’s very humble and I have been very lucky to play with such great players.

Kerala are back in the mix after the game. Your views on that?

We are going to be in the top-four, trust me on that. Next game, we are going to keep on performing well and keep the run going. It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it. We are going to be there (in the top-four) without a doubt.

How does it feel to have David James as your coach?

It’s awesome. He’s a strong character and personality. Great to have him back as it brings a lot of positivity and a lot of motivation to the team. After he has joined, the results have started showing. It feels great.