It was an even game: Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd after goalless draw against ATK Mohun Bagan

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], February 10 : Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd was pleased with the clean sheet and with the continued improvement of his side after they held ATK Mohun Bagan to a goalless draw in the latest fixture of Indian Super League (ISL) at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, in Jamshedpur, on Thursday.
Both teams created plenty lot of chances, but could not apply the decisive touch to break the deadlock. The Mariners were the better of the two sides in the opening half, but couldn't find a way past Jamshedpur FC keeper TP Rehenesh. Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, had two glorious opportunities, but Daniel Chima and Boris Singh missed out on their chances to put their side ahead in the game.
ATK Mohun Bagan moved up to the fourth position with one point, while Jamshedpur FC remained tenth on the Hero ISL standings with 13 points from 18 games. Boothroyd felt the result of the game could've gone either way as he analysed the game at the post-match press conference.
"It was one of the best 0-0 draws I have ever seen. Both teams played very attacking football," Boothroyd said in the official post-match press conference.
"It was an even game, either team could've won it and either team could've lost it. At one period in the game, I thought we were very strong and well organized and I think we pulled out the three best chances in the game, he added.
The Red Miners looked very dangerous in the final third and had seven shots on target, the same as ATK Mohun Bagan. Boothroyd felt Jamshedpur FC were the better side and stated the result could have been different, had they converted their chances.
"At one period in the game, I thought we were very strong, well organised and I think we pulled out the three best chances in the game. If we would have taken our chances at key times, we really should've won the game," he said.
Jamshedpur FC have created 178 chances so far this season, which is the third-highest in the league. Boothroyd stated they are improving gradually, but admit they need to work hard to convert their chances.
"We have started to keep clean sheets which is really good. Statistically, we are creating more chances than many teams in the league. The problem is we're not converting our chances. So we are working on it," he said.
He added: "I'm really pleased that we kept another clean sheet because if you gonna do well in any league, you need to keep a clean sheet."
Jamshedpur FC, the defending League Winners' Shield holders, find themselves at the bottom half of the table. They accumulated a whopping 43 points last season. But cut to this season, they've only managed to get 13 points. Boothroyd mentioned that the departures of Greg Stewart and Pronay Halder before the start of the season had a big impact on the team. Halder, however, returned to Jamshedpur FC on loan during the January transfer window.
"I totally underestimated the loss of Greg Stewart and Pronoy Halder. The team did very, very well last year to win the (League Winners') Shield. You should give them the applause they deserve. But it was a different team. A player who scored ten goals and provided ten assists is very difficult to replace," stated the head coach.
"Pronay (Halder) is one of the best defensive enforces I have ever seen in this league. He is a fantastic player," he added further.
Aidy Boothroyd left out Ishan Pandita on the bench against ATK Mohun Bagan. However, Boothroyd feels he has given him enough opportunities so far this and will give him more chances if he does well in training.
"I've given him six starts this season, which is more than any other managers have given him.. I like him (as a player). I like him as a person as well. If he keeps working the way he does, he will get more game time. He is still young," Boothroyd concluded.