Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson wants his side to build on their consecutive wins and get a hat-trick of wins as his side kicks-off Matchweek 16 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 against Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, here on Wednesday.
The Blues edged past the Red Miners with an early goal in the reverse fixture. Since then, Bengaluru FC have lost two and won two games. Similarly, Aidy Boothroyd's men also collected five points from the last four matches, including the win against East Bengal FC last week. Grayson expects a tough game on Wednesday as both teams are desperate to win the match to stay in the playoffs race.
"Both teams have progressed since the last meeting and got better. Our results have certainly been better in the last few weeks since that game, and Aidy (Boothroyd) is getting his team off to a good win recently as well.
"Looking at Jamshedpur FC performances over the last few weeks, it's chopped and changed, played different systems to accommodate players or to accommodate the opposition, but it's again that we both (are) desperate to win and build off from our previous results that we've had and both want to (go) higher up in the division and see how high we can both finish," Grayson was quoted as saying by indiansuperleague.com.
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Despite having a poor season on the field, Jamshedpur FC have been receiving unwavering support from their supporters and that has helped them during these tough times, having scored two goals in last two home games, which they failed to do so in the earlier fixtures. The head coach was aware of this late resurgence of his opponent but was not afraid to face them.
"I think this could be a good experience in terms of coming to the Furnace. Obviously, it's going to be quite a big crowd as well, and that's something you have to deal with as an away team. But when you look at their results and performances, they have been better over the last few weeks," he added.
"It just takes time for a new coach, and for the players to understand what (he is) doing. Aidy (Boothroyd) is seemed to getting to know the Hero ISL as well and the players know him a little bit more now, so we fully respect the opposition, but we certainly are not fearful of anybody that we play, because we've got to concentrate on what we can do, to go and win three points, build off the previous two wins and try to make it three out of three possible," he commented.
Rohit Kumar, who got his first goal of the season in the last match, accompanied Grayson at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Jamshedpur FC game.
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The New Delhi born midfielder joined Bengaluru FC last season and is now getting regular game time under Grayson. Besides netting a goal this season, Kumar registered seven clearances and eight interceptions for the team in. The 26-year old midfielder talked about the experience so far in the club and his personal ambition in the near future.
"I learn every day from my seniors like Sunil bhai (Chhetri) and Gurpreet bhai (Gurpreet Sandhu). They guide us and make us better and push us to get better every day. It is a good experience to share a dressing room with them and we will learn a lot of things in everyday life. So it will develop us in our future," Kumar said.
"I haven't played for the national senior team. That is the ultimate dream and it will keep going until I achieve it. As a player, I just have to keep working hard and improve every game as it comes and hopefully, we will get in the playoffs and just keep this momentum going and keep winning games," he added.
ISL: Have seen renewed confidence and maturity in the team, says Jamshedpur FC's Boothroyd
Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd believes his team has been shaping up rightly after their win in the last match and wants his players to push themselves in the upcoming games.
His side locks horns with Bengaluru FC in Matchweek 16 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, here on Wednesday.
Placed tenth in the league standings, the Red Miners are on the lookout for another win as they try to finish the season higher up the table after a poor start to the campaign. Boothroyd highlighted how the team needs to draw inspiration from their 2-1 win against East Bengal FC in the previous match, which put an end to their 10-game winless streak.
"We've been very close on a number of occasions, particularly at home to winning another game, but to score in the way that we did because we scored in the last few minutes of the game just meant that we kept pushing. I think we have to use that digression all the way through to the end of the game which is something we haven't been doing. We've been lacking in confidence but I saw a renewed confidence and a renewed maturity," Boothroyd was quoted as saying by indiansuperleague.com.
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The Men of Steel might have a contrasting scenario as compared to last season, but the change in management and key personnel has impacted their season drastically. However, there has been a promising player who has come to light under the tutelage of Boothroyd in goalkeeper Vishal Yadav.
The custodian, who replaced experienced TP Rehenesh as the first-choice goalkeeper, has been a true guardian in front of the goal. The 20-year-old has made more saves in lesser appearances than Rehenesh, having made 25 saves in six appearances compared to 16 saves of the latter in eight appearances this season.
The Englishman asserted the importance of having the wealth of two great goalkeepers in his team, hailing it as having different yet significant skillsets of the two.
"Well, I'm in a very good position, and a very difficult position because I've got one goalkeeper who's very experienced, being with a club for a long time, done very well and having a good career. And the other one, a goalkeeper who is very young, who's got some exceptional gifts, mostly his mindset, extremely focused mind. So yes, it's a very nice problem to have," he said.
Having won the last match after a spirited comeback by his team, Boothroyd would aim to field an unchanged XI in a bid to secure a berth in the play-offs, as the coach provided injury updates and spoke about the inclusion of new signing Dylan Fox as a starter.
"Thankfully, Germanpreet (Singh) came back through his injury, which was his cross for the goal. Dylan Fox is at a number of niggles, which we're monitoring. We've brought him into play and he hasn't featured yet. So, hopefully we can get him fit in the next few days," he added.
Asked about the declining number of supporters visiting the stadium to watch the matches, Boothroyd urged the supporters to trust his team and revealed that they are trying their level best to win matches.
