Football: Andin Djayady's got the right tools

Two weeks ago, Singapore Under-16 midfielder Andin Djayady earned himself the chance to train at English Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers next year.

He was one of two players who stood out from the 40 who took part in a football clinic organised by the English club at Turf City.

According to QPR skills coach, Daniel Edwards, Andin's "attitude and ability" were what caught the eye.

For those who know the player, it's no surprise.

Robin Chitrakar, his coach at the national U-16 team, nominated Andin for The New Paper Dollah Kassim Award this year, describing the youngster as someone who "always wants to improve".

Take, for instance, what happened after the U-16s' 2-1 defeat by the Arsenal youth team in June's Lion City Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

While some of his teammates were giddy with excitement over playing a side from one of the biggest football institutions, all Andin could think about was how he could improve.

Just hours after the game, Andin caught a repeat telecast of the match to assess how he had played.

"It was only then that I realised I had a very bad game," he said.

"It was my first game in front of a packed stadium, so I was very nervous. It got worse when my coach started shouting at me.

"But, after watching how I played, I told myself that I had to do better. I put even more effort in training and, when the next match came, I told myself to calm down and just play my normal game."

Andin's approach paid dividends.

In the next match against German side Eintracht Frankfurt, the right winger scored to put his team 2-0 up.

The Cubs, however, conceded a late goal and were knocked out of the tournament on goal difference.

Chitrakar, who converted Andin from a forward to a winger to accommodate Irfan Fandi - the son of Singapore legend Fandi Ahmad - in the team, predicts a bright future for Andin.

KEEN LEARNER

"He has good potential and, as a player, he's strong and very fast," said the former Singapore international.

"He shows in every training session and, in every match he plays, that he wants to learn and this is great for a young player.

"Off the pitch, he is very well-behaved and you never get any problems from him. He's one of those players who you can see really loves his football."

Last year, Andin was part of a group of six Singapore Sports School footballers who went on a 10-day training stint at Japanese club Albirex Niigata.

While he has already secured a stint at QPR next year, the Manchester United fan hopes to win this year's Dollah Kassim Award, which will see him secure a Singapore Pools Passport to Excellence for a chance to train at a top European academy.

Said Andin: "I really hope I win because the chance to go to Europe and improve myself as a player doesn't come often.

"I want to get as much exposure as I can and test myself against the best."

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