Memorable moments
His friend, Afton da Costa, recollected his matchday routine from over two years ago, when fans were last allowed to watch an ISL game from the stands.
"Whenever my team was playing at Fatorda, I used to leave early from home to the stadium so that I wouldn't get stuck in rush-hour traffic. On the way, I would join other fans in their celebrations, waving flags and singing songs. Almost always, I would arrive at the stadium even before the gates could officially be opened and hence, I would participate in different games and activities that were held outside."
Fortress Fatorda
Come Thursday, it would be 972 days since FC Goa last played a match in front of fans at Fatorda.
Fans have bittersweet memories of that clash - although the Gaurs won 4-2 over Chennaiyin FC in what was the second leg of the semifinals, the Marina Machans advanced to the final on aggregate, having won the first leg 4-1.
"A lot of things have changed since then," reflected Shery Joseph, another fan of the Club, and rightly so. For starters, Carlos Pena, who played for FC Goa at the time, is now the club's head coach.
Promising players
"I was always awed by the trio of Edu Bedia, Hugo Boumous and Ferran Corominas. The last time I was at Fatorda, they ran riot against opposition teams. Sadly now, only Edu remains."
"FC Goa has never been a team that dwells on its weaknesses. They first replaced Coro with Igor Angulo, who finished the 2020-21 season as top-scorer. Among their current set of players, Alvaro Vazquez, Iker Guarrotxena and Noah Sadaoui all look promising," he further explained.
Fine start
And this aspect is what excites Nikitha Fernandes, as she looks forward to greeting her favourite team at the Fatorda Fortress on Thursday.
"It's to be noted they played only away games so far and still did quite well, just imagine how well they would perform with us painting our Fortress in orange!" she hoped.