Michael Soosairaj has surely become the toast of the town, perhaps even overshadowing the presence of local lad Gaurav Mukhi on the greens.

It was Soosairaj all the way after he scored the opening goal and set the tone for JFC’s victory against a strong FC Goa in the ISL tie here on Thursday. The Tata Steel-owned franchise are currently placed third in the Indian Super League standings.

The 24-year-old midfielder from Eraviputhenthurai in Tamil Nadu, who is a crucial weapon in Jamshedpur’s armoury, gave full credit to the spectators who backed him and the home side to an emphatic 4-1 win over Goa.

“The crowd was fantastic. I am very happy and dedicate my goals and team’s victory to the crowd. I have never seen such kind of ambience,” Soosairaj, who struck in the 17th and 50th minute, said.

Soosairaj, who turned 24 on October 30, added that he was happy to have helped JFC achieve three points. “We could have won the last three matches (ATK, Northeast United FC and Kerala Blasters FC) but we managed to get a point, which is not bad either,” said the midfielder.

The young man, who played the I-League for Chennai City FC last season before Jamshedpur picked him for the cash-rich tournament, said he was lucky to be rubbing shoulders with Australian forward Tim Cahill.

“Cahill always encourages me to do well. I am learning a lot under him. Lucky to be playing alongside a legend,” Soosairaj said.

He also appreciated the approach of head coach Cesar Ferrando. “I have a good understanding with him. He is really motivating. I am very happy that he gave me a chance to play against a big side like Bengaluru FC and that too in my debut game,” the player said.

Ferrando said he was happy with the three points that his team earned. “Overall, we played good football and won the match against a strong side. All our men showed great sense of commitment. We would like to repeat this performance against Delhi Dynamos FC on Sunday,” he added. The Jamshedpur contingent left for Delhi via Ranchi on Friday evening.

Soosairaj, who has good shooting skills, dreams of playing for the national side. “I am happy playing the ISL, but would like to don India jersey someday,” he said.