Owen Coyle sets sights on securing top spot after playoffs qualification

The Men of Steel climbed to the summit with the win over Hyderabad FC.

Jamshedpur FC created history by making it to the playoffs for the first time after a dominating 3-0 victory over direct rivals Hyderabad FC. Alex Lima showed his masterclass and ran the show in absence of their talisman Greg Stewart. Barring the superfluous behaviour from Mobashir to get himself sent off, Men of Steel had a perfect outing. The win not only takes Owen Coyle's men into the semi-finals but also bolster their chances to win the league.

On the historic night, coach Owen Coyle lauded his boys in the post-match press conference and insisted on winning more points to finish as high as possible. Here are the extracts from it.

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Performance in the Match

Jamshedpur FC outplayed and outclassed the Nizams in every department of the game. But at a time 2-0 lead was not looking safe considering the sudden turnaround in the game against NorthEast United. 

On this, the coach said, ”I absolutely liked it. Hyderabad FC have been the table-topper for a long time because they're an outstanding team with good players. Yes, 2-0 was a dangerous scoreline and I am glad we scored the third goal. But even with 10 men, we would’ve scored the fourth goal because we were the team with the best chances. With so many players missing I’m happy for those who stepped in and delivered against a strong Hyderabad side.”

“They already qualified for the playoffs last week and we did it tonight. But we want to fight for that number 1 spot and for that we need to perform well like we did tonight.”

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“Rehnesh has been terrific. It was his fifth clean-sheet, Peter Hartley had his fifth goal as well and now we have five wins in a row. So a lot of 5’s tonight but the important thing was not 5, it’s 3 points,” Owen Coyle concluded with his thoughts on the game.

Alex Lima stepping up

Alex Lima stepped up in absence of the team’s stalwart Greg Stewart to control the game. The coach was asked to comment on this.

“Alex is an outstanding player and I don’t think he needed to step in his (Greg’s) shoes. He was compromised a lot in the previous games because we were playing Eli and the Skipper together. And Jordan Murray has been brilliant too. He is not 100 percent fit but you have seen him tonight. Alex ran the show and he was the best player on the pitch. I’m delighted for him because he worked with me at Houston Dynamo and I know his qualities. He is a true team player.”

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Mobashir’s red card

“Mobashir is a young player, he is terrific and will only get better. I need to see it back, he kicked Akash which he shouldn’t and was wrong. But he is young and he is not much experienced (to know) it harms when emotions come out on the pitch. I will have a word with him and he'll learn from it,” Owen Coyle said about the incident.

Is finishing top the target now?

Last year, Jamshedpur FC missed the playoffs by four points. But this time they’re in with two games in hand. The coach was asked is finishing on top was the prime target now.

“Well, that’s the target now. The first target was to get into the playoffs. When I took over the club had five points in the last ten games the previous season, it shows how much work was needed to be done. But now we are into it (semi-finals) and will continue to win points to finish at the prized position,” the boss answered and signed off.

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