Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd said he is keen on securing his first home win of the Hero Indian Super league (ISL) season having narrowly missed out on the three points against Odisha FC.

He added that his side should be cautious while dealing with NorthEast United FC as they are a very well-drilled side but remains optimistic about getting all three points at the JRD Tata sports Complex at Jamshedpur on Sunday.

Boothroyd was accompanied by Ritwik Das in the official pre-match press conference ahead of Jamshedpur FC's home match against NorthEast United FC. The head coach spoke about the opponents and the availability of foreign player.

Here are the excerpts from his press conference:

What do you feel about the position of Jamshedpur FC after two games?

Boothroyd: My feeling is mixed because we are just moments away from a home victory and we are quite pleased with the result against Mumbai City FC. They are a very good team and going there and taking a point is a very positive result.

While few teams have finished 3-4 matches and you have played just two, so does it put any psychological pressure? How has the team's preparation been?

Boothroyd: Preparation is very good and the players are in good spirits, training hard and working well. Feeling in the squad is just to get going and getting some games, we have just started the season and had ten days’ break, we are looking forward to the game against NorthEast United FC and it will be a very good game. We have to make sure that our home record should remain strong.

What is your approach against NorthEast United FC considering their recent form?

Boothroyd: My approach towards NorthEast United FC is like any other team. Our opponent must be respected. Conceding seven goals and scoring one, I think they are very unfortunate that a couple of refereeing decisions didn't go on their way, they are wounded animals so we should respect that but at the same time, we should try do what we can to and give the good performances to have the home win.

What's your thought process on Jamshedpur FC's last two matches?

Boothroyd: I was pleased with the draw against Mumbai City FC. We could have stolen all three points at the end but it's still a solid point. The way Mumbai City FC is doing their business, they are certainly the contender and so are we. Regarding the Odisha FC game, if we look back to that occasion, we were coming back to the furnace and all the emotions were around it, fantastic work was done by the staff behind the scenes. We got fantastic support despite the heavy rains and delayed start. We started really well but due to some reasons we din’t hold on to get all three points. That was the past and we should learn from that and move on quickly. We will try to win the Sunday match to get a solid start.

In the Mumbai match, instead of four foreigners, we played with 3 foreigners, are we going with the same formation?

Boothroyd: That is the difficult decision I have to make every match day to choose the foreign players for the match. Both Eli Sabia and Peter Hartley have been excellent from the start. Sawyer and Chukwu also doing well. Jay Emmanuel Thomas is very close to getting the game time. Having all the foreigners available and with that quality of Indian players, we will make a team which is difficult to beat.

Are you happy with Farukh Chaudhry since he returned from the injury?

Boothroyd: Whenever a player has a long-term injury, it will take a lit bit of time. Rehabilitation would be in mind, I hope he overcame that hurdle. He is training very hard and played many games in the preseason. He came on Saturday and he is going to be a key player in our squad.

We are getting lots of set pieces and what's your plan for converting those chances?

Boothroyd: I think I am right in saying that Jamshedpur FC has more set pieces than any other team. we try to score more goals from set pieces. It's a key area in the game, every team in Hero ISL has variations and we are also working a lot on that.

Here are the excerpts from Ritwik Das:

With you and Boris Singh on either side, and Chukwu in the middle, do you think this combination has been working effectively?

Das: No, it is not just us, but everyone in the team who helps us in the attack. In the last match, Harry Sawyer, Wellington Priori, and even Germanpreet Singh were helping the team in the attack. It’s not just the three of us who are leading the attack, the entire team is behind us that way.

JFC had Owen Coyle as their head coach last year and now Aidy Bothroyd is heading the team. What is the difference in the coaching styles between the two?

Das: There’s no difference as such, both the coaches want the team to win the league. The special thing about both these coaches, especially for the young players, is that the improvement that they bring forth in us, we learn a lot about the game through them, and this is evident in the matches too. Not just me, but several other young players who have given good and consistent performances on the pitch. Both (the coaches) have enhanced our level of football.

How is the excitement for the game against NorthEast United FC? What is the plan to handle the pressure for the game?

Das: There’s not much pressure, it’s just that we’ve lost and drawn our first two games. The game against Odisha FC, we lost it from a winning position, and in the previous game against Mumbai City FC, we played very well and it was an even game from both sides. NorthEast United FC is a decent team with good players, but we will go for the three points, everyone here is motivated to win the game, and we’ll give our 110%.