Owen Coyle claims defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan was not fair

The Jamshedpur FC boss also said that his team are still hopeful of qualifying for the playoffs.

Jamshedpur FC suffered a major blow to their playoffs hopes after their narrow loss against ATK Mohun Bagan. It was a cagey game between the two sides and Owen Coyle and his boys finished on the wrong side of the result in the Indian Super League (ISL).

Reflecting on game

Owen Coyle, who was evidently disappointed with the result shared how he thought it was not a fair for his team. He also highlighted how his players gave the ball away, which resulted in the solitary goal for the Mariners.

"It is never a fair result. The keeper pulled off a great save, probably the save of the season from (Nerijus) Valskis at 0-0. Had we got that, I was convinced that we would have won the game. We were comfortable in the game and I don't think ATK Mohun Bagan had a shot on target in the second half. We made the mistake of giving the ball away which resulted in the goal. So ,it was certainly far from being a fair result," he said at the post-match press conference.

Playoffs chances still on?

While the defeat might have dampened their hopes of making it to the playoffs, Coyle vowed to fight and win the last two matches of the season. He said, "Yes, there is no doubt about it. But, I certainly feel that we intended to win the remaining three games, as I felt we would need that amount of points. That being said, we are still in it, we are three points behind because obviously, teams have games in hand. We just have to try and win the remaining two matches, six points and see where it takes us."

ATKMB not deserving of win, says Coyle

The Mariners have developed a habit of scoring late goals and winning by close margins. When quizzed whether he was wary of that fact, the Scotsman opined, "They are a good side and they win games, but there is nothing to ATK Mohun Bagan winning a game. We have gifted them the game, we were comfortable in possession and we have given the ball away.

"Prior to that, 5-10 minutes before the keeper came up with an unbelievable save. So, they have won the game and good luck to them. But, nobody should tell me they were deserving of the three points in terms of the performance."

Bringing in fresh legs

Lastly, Coyle started the game with Spanish forward David Grande and William Lalnunfela upfront. However, he turned to Valskis and Isaac Vanmalsawma at the hour mark and the former Wigan manager feels that the duo added more threat in attack.

"We needed some freshness and bringing in both Isaac and Valskis into the game, who are fantastic players. Unfortunately, they missed out last time, as they were not available. It was great to bring them on and you have seen the threat with Isaac putting in the cross and Valskis was there. So, we showed our real attacking threat from that point," he concluded.

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