Barnsley v Luton Town: Vimal Yoganathan on inspiring others, a rollercoaster year, milestones and Oldham
IN his short career to date, Vimal Yoganathan has already achieved several milestones.
He is the first person of Tamil descent to play professionally in England, for instance.
Two weeks ago at Doncaster Rovers, the teenage Barnsley midfielder, who doesn’t turn 20 until January, became the first ever to score in an EFL fixture.
He is busy making his mark in both the red of Barnsley and Wales - after being a regular in the under-19s, he has been elevated to the under-21 ranks this year.
In the early stages of what will hopefully be a long and successful football journey, Yoganathan has plenty to feel pleased about.
His greatest sense of pride is reserved for inspiring the next generation of South Asian players to follow the lead of himself and others.
He is among a small number of such footballers operating in the league, who also include Hamza Choudhury and Brandon Khela - who spent time on loan at Sheffield United and Bradford City respectively last season - Mal Benning and former Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough defender Danny Batth.
Moments like his strike at Doncaster resonate far beyond his club’s fanbase and it’s something that gives him a true sense of satisfaction.
On being a trailblazer, Yoganathan, who hails from the Flintshire village of Trelawnyd, said: "I've had a lot of messages saying that people are proud.
"A big word that a lot of people have used is 'inspired' and that I am being inspirational. It is obviously amazing to hear.
"I've worked hard to get to this moment. The other big thing I am also seeing is that a lot of Tamil people now who are wanting to become footballers, which is unbelievable.
"It is something I've probably dreamed of, making a good impact upon the world, especially for Tamil people. It's good to do.
"You want to do good in the world, but I didn’t expect to do it at this level. Social media is a big platform nowadays and any message can get anywhere and it's good to see that I am able to inspire people."
Yoganathan started playing football in North Wales and rarely saw any other footballers from a South Asian background.
After being part of Connah Quay Nomads and Prestatyn Town academies, he was scouted by Liverpool and officially joined his boyhood idols at the age of eight and so his journey began.
It has been one which has not been straightforward for sure. After being released by Liverpool as a schoolboy, he had a short spell at Burnley, but didn’t get a scholarship. Other trials followed before he secured a cherished deal at Barnsley.
His first professional contract arrived in January 2024 and he signed a new deal 12 months later.
It has not been all plain sailing at Oakwell, that said.
This time last year, he was on the periphery of the Reds’ first-team plans, certainly at league level.
It took a loan spell in the second half of last season at National League outfit Oldham Athletic to see his name in lights again.
That said, by his own admission, he didn’t hit the ground running at Boundary Park either.
It took a cameo in a game at Boston United and a maiden goal - a late equaliser for the Latics’ in their home derby against Rochdale - to transform his time in Lancashire and his season.
It was a campaign which joyously ended in promotion at Wembley and Yoganathan becoming a bit of a cult hero with Latics followers.
He continued: "I look back on the past year and things that have gone past in the last year or so and it's just been so many ups and downs.
"Just over a year ago I was playing at Old Trafford (in an EFL Cup tie for Barnsley) and the next minute I'm playing (under) 21s and I'm like: ‘What's going on here?’. It's such an extreme high to such an extreme low.
"I'm not even in first-team squads and then go out to Oldham on loan and it doesn't start well again.
“I was just sat on the bench, not really getting any minutes and then the next minute I'm playing at Wembley and we get promoted, so it's just so many highs and lows in football.
"In terms of my learning experiences, it's staying consistent and not getting too high or too low."
As for more feats? Well in that regard, Yoganathan is keeping things sensible and not putting much pressure on himself these days. It speaks of a growing maturity from a player who has the potential to be an important one for Barnsley in the next few seasons.
On chasing personal milestones, he commented: "I was a little bit when I made my debut and it was: ‘I want to do this and do that'. But for me now, I kind of want to focus more on the consistency side of it rather than hitting one milestone or the other.
"I want to be getting more goals and assists. Maybe even get another promotion hopefully with Barnsley this year. There’s things that I want to do, but I must stay consistent."