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Jamshedpur FC were involved in their second successive 0-0 draw of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 against Kerala Blasters FC at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday. The Hero ISL new-comers are yet to score their first goal in the league after heroics from Kerala goalkeeper Paul Rachubka ensured the Blasters got a point.

Speaking to the media at the post-match press conference Jamshedpur head coach Steve Coppell admitted he was ‘reasonably happy’ considering Kerala is a difficult place to visit. “I have to say yes (I am happy). I know very well that it’s such a difficult place to come to. It’s very hot as well. So, to come away with a point (is good). I thought we played well, we had moments where we could have done better from an attacking point of view. The save their goalkeeper made from (Kervens) Belfort’s header was an exceptional save, but overall I’m reasonably happy with what went on,” he said.

Coppell withdrew Anas Edathodika in the 66th minute and brought on Bikash Jairu as his replacement. When asked about the attacking substitution, Coppell said: “I think (the game) was there for the taking for both teams. In those conditions, the players can tire out very easily, and mistakes can be made. I was very, very conscious that under pressure, somebody could have made a mistake. We had to reorganise a lot, so I was quite happy with the point. I just hope that injuries don’t take a toll on all the teams, leaving the playing squads vulnerable.”

The 62-year-old also lauded the performance of midfield general Mehtab Hossain while explaining how Kerala’s star man Dimitar Berbatov affected their game plan. “When you play Kerala, you have to account for the player that Berbatov has been and the contribution he can make to a game. Before the game we weren’t going to mark him tightly, but I think in the first 15 minutes, he sort of drifted into positions and I wasn’t happy about that. He is capable of ripping a team apart. Mehtab and he had an interesting tussle all night but I felt that we had to harass him as much as possible, so he couldn’t receive the ball and pick passes,” Coppell said.

He added: “We expected Berbatov to play in the floating role; we thought that would be where he could get the ball. Early on, we thought that we would just see what was going to happen, but then it became obvious that he was getting more of the ball so we had to close him down. I thought Mehtab did a pretty good job, without making it a physical contest.”