Jermaine Pennant (R) fights off Joan Capdevila in his first Hero ISL match.FC Pune City played out a goalless draw away against NorthEast United FC on Saturday and remain in the third spot on the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) standings, behind Atlético de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC. Jermaine Pennant started for the visitors for the first time since signing up with the team, and spoke exclusively to indiansuperleague.com after the match.The 31-year-old English winger is a Champions League finalist, and has played for teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Stoke City and Real Zaragoza amongst others. In this new chapter as a part of the ISL, Pennant shared his thoughts on the match, playing in India, the team’s goals, and adapting to a new environment. Here are some excerpts:Jermaine, this was your first taste of the ISL. How did it go for you?It was okay. It’s always difficult coming into a game when you’ve not played for a while – getting used to the tempo and what not. I thought the first game I played was okay, but obviously the more games I play, the better I’ll get adapting to the team, and adapting to the league.What did you make of the atmosphere here as compared to those in the other leagues you’ve played in?It was good. They (the fans) were very loud; they were very supportive of their home team which sometimes gives them an advantage, but all credit to our players, to Pune. We battled well, defended well. We lacked a little bit of excitement going forward, we lacked that creativity, that finesse going forward with some sloppy crosses and some finishes which should have been goals. But all in all, I think it was a fair result, and it’s never easy playing away.Do you think this is a chance missed, considering if you had won, you would have gone to the top of the table today?No, I wouldn’t say that it was a missed chance because the teams yesterday, Chennaiyin FC and Atlético de Kolkata, drew as well. So in all fairness, everything stays the same. I think we’re still third, which is where you want to be, you want to be in the top four, and we are. Every point is vital, and we got a point today.How have you been acclimatising in India, and how about the weather and food?It’s fine. Each day, I’m acclimatising more and more. It’s probably been my eighth day here now, and we’ve got another six or seven games, so the more I play the better I’ll get.How important is it to not drop points at this stage, because any team making a late run can get into the top four?That’s the main thing – not to drop points, and those especially coming away! If you can play away, and get anything – a point or three – it’s a great result. So we’re happy with a point today.
