Owen Coyle happy with JFC's progress, Renedy Singh wants first win

The JFC boss also opened up on the injuries in his squad.

SC East Bengal’s resurgent backline will be put to the sword when they take on Jamshedpur FC in Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Tuesday.

SC East Bengal showed a gritty display against heavyweights Mumbai City in a goalless draw. It was the first clean-sheet for the bottom side and despite having only one foreign player, Daniel Chima Chukwu in the starting XI, Renedy Singh made sure his wards never gave up.

Jamshedpur are on the opposite side of the spectrum. They are fourth in the table. A win tomorrow will take them further up the ladder and within touching distance of top spot. They got back to winning ways with a win over NorthEast United and will fancy their chances against the Red and Gold.

Ahead of the clash, both teams' head coaches - Owen Coyle and Renedy Singh - spoke to the media in the pre-match press conference.

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Jamshedpur FC coach Owen Coyle

JFC's performance so far this season

Owen Coyle: I think we did well to a point. I feel we should probably have had even more points, but again we have to be clinical at the right times. I think we’ve had more attempts than any other team in the league through some very good plays; we’re entertaining and exciting to watch and we have to continue doing that.

There are things that we can still get better at, but I think we’ve worked very hard. So, we’ve been pleased with our progress, but we think there’s still more to come from us and that’s what we’ll look to keep striving for. We’ll keep looking to improve, as every game in this league is a tough one. What’s important now is that half of the season is finished and we can't let that affect us. We have to make sure we accumulate more points than we did in the first half of the season.

Thoughts on Jitendra Singh, Mobashir Rahman

Owen Coyle: The development of Jitendra (Singh) from the last season from working with us is that he has taken a lot of new things on board and I still think there’s more to come from him. Mobashir (Rahman) played a lot of games last season, but obviously has been injured this season; him coming back healthy is like adding a new player to your ranks, which has been great. I have no fear of playing the two young lads together in the middle of the park because I know the energy, the drive and the desire they bring to the games and there are some things that can make them even better, which is an ongoing process. But, I love their attitude, their drive and desire to win.

They are both great players and the answer to your question is of course there’s every chance that they both will play together again because they have already shown and have done being a part of the winning team. In respect to the question, I have very high opinion of both Jitendra and Mobashir. I think given their age, they are only going to get better and that's a great thing for Jamshedpur FC.

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Injury Updates

Owen Coyle: Komal Thatal’s injury is taking a bit longer than 1-2 weeks, but he was back on the training pitch yesterday. He has started to move himself with the ball, so we’re hoping that within the next few weeks Komal will be back and available to play.

Rehenesh is injured because of which he missed the last game. He has come back to the training pitch, but again not with the rest of the squad. We’ll give him upto the last minute to recover. Pawan Kumar came in his place and did very well and Vishal (Kaith) was available to go as well. There are 1-2 more niggles in the squad but that being said, we’ll pick the best team available and try and win a very tough game.

Peter Hartley reaching remarkable milestone

Owen Coyle: I think everyone knows my opinion on Peter Hartley and that is why I brought him to this football club because of what he brings. He has played against me many times and I have seen him as an observer watching the games. I was always very impressed by his abilities as well as his leadership qualities.

He is a proper leader and puts his head on the line. He’s brave, commanding, inspiring and he has a real desire and fire which is something about him that I absolutely adore. He has been a very good captain and an excellent player for Jamshedpur FC and it’ll be his 450th (professional) game. There's many more appearances to come because he looks after himself, keeps himself in great shape and has a real desire to play as long as he can.

SC East Bengal coach Renedy Singh

Taking more attacking approach

Renedy Singh: We defended really well in the last two matches. I don't want a cricket score, so the team has to defend and attack together. We act according to the situation, so tomorrow we will see.

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Taking JFC on amidst injuries & absentees

Renedy Singh: We have to give them respect, they are a good team. Chima will be a huge miss and with so many players injured, we will have to keep going."

Lifting morale of team

Renedy Singh: Thanks to the boys for supporting me. Whatever I said they have stuck to it. They are giving their 100% every match. In a game, we may win or lose, but I want that commitment from them. This is the time for those who haven't been playing much to show that they are good.

I have learnt that nothing is impossible in life if we all work together as one and keep our structure throughout the game. We badly need that first win. Do we want to be in this position? No. The boys are playing really well and trying to get out of this position.

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