Aidy Boothroyd laments conceding poor goal in defeat to Hyderabad FC

The head coach also spoke on the need to find a new Greg Stewart withing the team.

Jamshedpur FC again fell prey to their inability to be consistent throughout the game. Aidy Boothroyd's men dominated and outplayed the visitors in the first half of the game. But the tables turned as soon as the second half began when Peter Hartley fluffed a clearance. And Mohammed Yasir capitalised on that and scored the opener with a perfect low-placed kick.

Head coach Aidy Boothroyd was pleased with the performance yet unhappy with the result. The loss raised some serious questions for the team in the post-match press conference. Aidy answered the doubters and asked them to be at peace as the team will bounce back.

Thoughts on the game

The coach was asked if he was pleased with the team’s performance.

He answered, “Yeah, part of it. I think today was the game plan to stop them and impose ourselves on them. I can’t believe that we ended up losing the game. There were too many good players on our side. Boris was outstanding in the game. It doesn’t help when you lose your central midfield player within twenty-five minutes and then your right back. So there were pleasing aspects in the performance. There were positives but we want results. We need to convert those draws into wins and those losses into draws and that’s what we're gonna do.”

“I don’t think the injuries helped. We were in a good rhythm and had a good balance of the team. We created chances and couldn’t score at the moment but that will turn,” he continued.

Team switched off too early

Jamshedpur FC lost two home games after being dominant for the most part. In the opening fixture, the team conceded two goals at the end and wasted the lead to eventually lose 3-2 against Odisha FC. And again tonight after a scintillating first half, the players lost focus and conceded within five minutes in the other half. The manager was asked to comment if the players switching off after the break or at the end is a major concern.

He commented, “That’s not unusual in any game to be won at the start or end of the half. When the score is 0-0 and you are on top and you come on the pitch you need to keep that up. I have not seen the goal (Hyderabad scored) again but it could have been avoidable. There are some things that we can work hard to get right.”

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Missing Greg Stewart

Jamshedpur FC were unstoppable in attack when Greg Stewart led the line last season. He was the go-to man in clutch situations. And the team looks to miss him deliberately this term. The manager shared his views on conspiracies regarding former stalwart Stewart after the loss.

Aidy Boothroyd asserted, “Well, Greg is the best player in the Indian Super League. So we are gonna miss him but he isn’t with us anymore. It’s a new era and we have to find a new Greg Stewart. The energy and the willingness to do this in this team is something I can’t complain about. It’s the result that makes and breaks.” 

He continued, “But we need to keep going and mark a new era. Let's consider Hyderabad, they’ve been together for two and half years and that’s what we need to do. We need to build and it takes time.” The coach signed off with the promise of improvement not only in performance but in results too with time.