It's making an exciting end to the season, says Owen Coyle

The Men of Steel are pushing for their first-ever qualification for the Indian Super League playoffs.

Jamshedpur FC have the wind in their sails after their last win against Chennaiyin FC and they will look to continue that winning momentum against ATK Mohun Bagan in their next match in the Indian Super League. Owen Coyle and Co. are still in contention for the playoffs, but they will have to keep winning.

Thoughts on opponents

The head coach of the Men of Steel feels that his players are ready and are looking forward to these last few games to compete against the top teams and players. He also wants to take inspiration from the reverse fixture where the Men of Steel got the better of the Mariners.

"When you get to the business end of the league, these are matches as a player you should look forward to, playing against the best teams and the best players. Tomorrow is our opportunity to play against one of the best teams. They are a team whom we know well and have tremendous respect for. But, it is also a game that we are looking forward to. We have beaten them this season and are looking to do that again. If we do that, then it keeps the pressure on the teams above us and that's what we need," Owen Coyle said at the pre-match press conference.

"Should have been five matches unbeaten"

The Scotsman also reflected on his team's performance in the last few matches and shared how he feels it should be five matches unbeaten for Jamshedpur FC. He added, "The lads have been tremendous this season, with all the character and spirit they have shown to take six points from the last three matches. Probably could have been five matches unbeaten with the penalty against SC East Bengal. So, I think we have shown a lot of character from the little blip that we had after the break. But, what we need to do to keep ourselves alive is pick up points."

Thoughts on previous win

A solitary goal in the dying stages of the match was enough for Jamshedpur FC to seal three points against Chennaiyin FC. While Spanish forward David Grande claimed the winner, at that time it was adjudged as an own-goal by Enes Sipovic. Owen Coyle, however, does not agree with the call and feels that the ball was already on target. He also praised his team for the performance.

"It was great from David (Grande). But, I have to say I found it really unbelievable that it was given as an own-goal. It was a great ball in, David strikes and it is on target, it was deflected off, but it was on target. It was an overall performance from the team, considering the injuries. The boys worked really hard, stuck to their task and limited Chennaiyin to very few opportunities. They had one shot on target, which forced Rehenesh to come up with a fantastic save against (Lallianzuala) Chhangte.

"Apart from that, there were very limited chances and I thought that the lads worked their socks off. It is also four clean-sheets in the last five matches and it tells you how hard everybody is working. When we play against teams like ATK Mohun Bagan, we have to make sure that we are tighter at the back," Owen Coyle opined.

30 points enough for playoffs?

With the league stages coming to an end, there is talk about the points that will be enough for teams to qualify for the playoffs. While some people think that 30 points should be enough, Owen Coyle believes in not putting his team under pressure and going one game at a time.

"It might not be enough or who knows, it might be less than that. All we can do is concentrate on what we have at hand. We have to make sure that we do our business and for that, we have to play very well because every game is tough. So, if we can collect enough points, we'll see where it takes us. But, it is certainly making an exciting end to the season and that's what we want to do.

"The group, the staff and everybody here have sacrificed so much in this bubble. So, we would like to get something tangible at the end of the season and we do that by performing to our very best. We give everything we have and make sure that you have your quality and hard work to leave it out on that pitch," he signed off.

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