THE PATH from Lettermacaward to Kolkata is less trodden, but Carl McHugh is intent on making the most of his big move to India.
McHugh scored a debut goal on Sunday, but his new club, ATK, lost their Indian Super League opener 2-1 to Kerala Blasters.
The 26-year-old moved to India after leaving Motherwell, where he spent three season.
“We have a lot to look forward to,” McHugh said after the game.
“We have a lot of very good players and we’re a really good team. We’re a very attacking team.
“If we play like that and we take or chances, we have a chance to win a lot of games. We have a lot to look forward to in the season ahead.”
Bartholomew Ogbeche scored twice, one of them a penalty, after McHugh hit a memorable opener for ATK, sweetly volleying home from inside the area. McHugh’s goal was the 100th Indian Super League game scored by the club.
And what a way to mark his debut for the club.
The Donegal man said: “It was just a free kick that we worked on in training. I seen the ball falling from the sky and I just wanted to get a good connection Thankfully, I struck it well and it went in.
“It was a brilliant experience. Obviously, I would preferred if we had won. We deserved to win, but there was a great atmosphere and the fans were brilliant. It was a really good first game for me to play.”
ATK face Hyderabad in their first home game on Friday, at the Salt Lake Stadium.
McHugh believes ATK – a former club of Republic of Ireland legend Robbie Keane – can take plenty of encouraging signs from Sunday’s game.
He said: “I felt there were a lot of positives in the game for us.
“We created a lot of chances. We went 1-0 up and should have had a penalty. It was a clear penalty. The ref gave a penalty at the other end then.
“I feel that we had the better chances. We can take a lot of positives from the game.”
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