Kerala Basters FC came up with a spirited performance in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 to beat Mumbai City FC 1 – 0 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday. Iain Hume bagged the winner as last year’s finalists secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Post-match, Kerala’s head coach David James addressed the media and discussed the game.

James spoke of his delight with the win, while also admitting the encounter was a tough one. “Of course, winning is a nice habit to get in,” he stated. “It was a tough game. Obviously, there were concerns about a number of players going down for one reason or the other. But today was fantastic, players going down, getting back up, Iain Hume back on the scoresheet which delighted the majority of the fans. So, I’m a very happy coach. Three games are over and two games more to go in quick succession. Hope it won’t be too bad.”

The Englishman maintained that they were aiming for a top-four finish. “That’s what we are going for: finishing in the top four,” James said. “ATK won and we had to maintain that performance. They have a game in hand, so we cannot go back to that position again. We can only do what we can do in every single match.”

He was quick to praise the passionate Kerala fans who came out in large numbers to support the visitors on the night. “The fans have been superb,” the 47-year-old said. “There is a banner that says we make each ground our home, and today was like a home game and it helps. When you’ve got fans supporting you, the players go down and they get back up and fight again. It was tough, and the fans were right behind us.”

The former England international also explained why Dimitar Berbatov did not play the game. “The situation with Berbatov was that you do not want to play every player in every game,” James revealed. “The team is going to rotate, that is the nature of the league. You have quite a lot of games in quick succession. Berbatov has done exactly what I’ve asked from him in the games he has played for me. When he has not played, someone has come in and done exactly the same. As a coach, it’s hard for me to pick a team because every time in training I see top efforts. So, I can’t ask for anything more. So Berbatov, like the other guys who were not involved today, will have to fight for his place in the side.”