ISL: Want to finish at highest possible spot, says Jamshedpur head coach Owen Coyle
Feb 18, 2022
Bambolim (Goa) February 18 : Jamshedpur FC got a dramatic 3-2 victory over Mumbai City FC at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa to keep themselves in contention for the top spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday.
JFC Head Coach Owen Coyle was delighted with his side's performance and character. The Men of Steel scored two goals in the first half to take the lead. However, they were pegged back by two goals by MCFC in the second half. In the end, a dramatic stoppage-time winner by Greg Stewart was the difference between the two sides.
Owen Coyle in the post-match press conference talking about the game said: "Yeah, but there was another massive win against Kerala Blasters FC because you're playing direct rivals for the top four spots. So, those games are proverbial six-pointers, if we lost we would have been three points behind Mumbai. So, that's how crucial the game was."
"First half we were outstanding, it could have been three or four-nil if truth be told. And then we expected that we'd have to suffer a little bit in the second half because Mumbai are champions for a reason. They're a proud team with wonderful players," he added.
This result takes Jamshedpur FC to third in the league table and they are only one point behind first-place Hyderabad FC, with a game in hand.
Talking about the team's ambition for the season, Coyle said: "I mean, I've got to say first and foremost, Jamshedpur FC has never been in the semi-finals. So that was obviously a target at the start of the season. But we've shown that we can stand toe-to-toe with the best teams in the league. So, we want to finish at the highest possible spot."
"If it's first, we don't want to be second, and if it's second we don't want to be third. But we're certainly striving as everyone else is for that top spot, some very good teams in the league teams that we still have to play against. So everything is in our own hands, we will decide our own fate. If we perform to our maximum as we did in the first half, we are a match for anybody," the JFC head coach added.
Jamshedpur will next face Chennaiyin FC on February 20 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
