Jamshedpur FC’s head coach Owen Coyle believes his team is working bit-by-bit and getting better as they take on ATK Mohun Bagan in their fourth match of Hero Indian Super League 2021-22 season at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Monday.

Jamshedpur FC is currently at fifth position in the league, with one win and two draws. Their opponents for tomorrow are ranked just above them in fourth position, with two wins and one loss.

In the last match, JFC played out a 1-1 draw to Hyderabad FC, while ATK Mohun Bagan suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Mumbai City FC in their last match.

Ahead of Jamshedpur FC’s clash with ATK Mohun Bagan, coach Coyle addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

ATKMB suffered a defeat against Mumbai City FC. Does it give JFC a psychological advantage?

It gives you absolutely no edge. ATKMB are a team that’s at the top end of the league every year. It’s a wonderful team with a fantastic coach and great players. They are dangerous opponents and more so with the fire and motivation of trying to get back to winning again. We know we are in for a tough game and we have to make sure we are ready for that challenge.

You had two close games against ATKMB last season. Would your approach be the same?

No every game is different. What happened last year counts for nothing. With all the terrific players they have, we have to be ready and defend with purpose. When we get a chance we have to make sure we are offensive and very dynamic in our

Do you think Jamshedpur FC is finding it difficult to close out the games?

No, I think this is a very tough week. Jamshedpur FC have never qualified for the playoffs so we have to work bit-by-bit to get better. And that’s what we continue to do. We have to concentrate on what we are doing and we are doing well. We have to keep that going.

Jamshedpur FC have conceded the second lowest number of goals but are yet to keep a clean sheet. Your thoughts on that?

I think everybody wants to keep a clean sheet and score goals. That’s a perfect game. We know it’s a tough game so the margins are very little. So, yes ideally we would love to keep a clean sheet and score lots of goals. But it’s not possible in football because of the quality of oppositions. So we have to make sure that we continue to work hard.

What are your thoughts on the unpredictability of this league?

Well the league is very competitive. There are very good teams in the league. Some clubs are spending big money each year. We have to make sure that we are at our best to compete with those teams. Slowly but surely we are building a good team. Everything takes time.

Greg Stewart has been phenomenal in the last two games, how big of an advantage does it give you to have a player like him?

Well, when I was looking at how I could improve the team it was important that I try to find that type of player. Greg’s a player I have known for many years. When he was available to leave Glasgow Rangers, I did everything in my ability to bring him to the club. I believe the more we work together, the better we will be. Greg’s hungry to do well and has a great work ethic. It's never about one or two games, it's about how you perform over the course of the league.

Ishan Pandita hasn’t played much, can we expect him to start in the coming days?

Ishan Pandita is a valued member of the team. At the end of the day for all the strikers we have we can’t play them all at the same time. When the chance arises he will be prepared to take it.