Panaji: This one will hopefully display a safer pair of hands.

FC Goa have moved swiftly to put their goalkeeping woes behind them, for next season, with the capture of Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte .

FC Goa suffered the goalkeeper’s curse this season with Laxmikant Kattimani the butt of many jokes for his below-par goalkeeping and his replacement, Naveen Kumar, not at his best either. Goa’s leaky defence received universal condemnation with scathing criticism of the goalkeepers.

The Goan franchise did not need reminding that reinforcements were needed and coach Sergio Lobera gave the go-ahead to sign Ralte, who featured for Bengaluru FC twice this season when regular goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was serving suspension, ironically for a red card against FC Goa at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.

Ralte kept a clean sheet against NorthEast United FC and conceded one goal against FC Pune City which Bengaluru won 3-1.

Ralte has been with Bengaluru FC since inception and was part of their I-League and Federation Cup winning campaigns. He was picked up from the domestic player draft in 2015 by NorthEast United FC but did not get a game.

“He is not your conventional looking goalkeeper but he has proved that he can be as good as anyone else,” said one club official after Ralte completed the signing formalities in Goa on Wednesday.

According to sources, Goa had considered signing two other goalkeepers – Arindam Bhattacharya (Mumbai City FC) and Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Kerala Blasters) – when Ralte was in two minds; whether to continue with Bengaluru FC, who were keen to retain him, or move to Goa where he was assured of a starting role. Goa eventually managed to convince the goalkeeper who started his career with Shillong Lajong FC.

Arindam has since joined ATK and Subhashish could head to Jamshedpur FC as deputy to Subrata Paul.

Goa’s defensive record this season was embarrassing with the team conceding more goals than bottom-placed NorthEast United. Goa scored the maximum goals, 43, but the 32 goals they conceded in the ISL meant only Delhi Dynamos (37) had conceded more.

Captain and goalkeeper Kattimani had a season to forget, unable to keep a clean sheet in 12 matches, while Naveen Kumar kept two clean sheets in three matches which Goa won in a row. The goalkeeper, however, was comically sent off — for handball — in the concluding league clash against Jamshedpur FC. He returned for the crucial second leg semi-final but conceded three goals against Chennaiyin FC.

Naveen is expected to join Kerala Blasters FC while Kattimani has a three-year contract with Goa.

