Defending champions ATK won their first match of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 after edging Mumbai City FC 1-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday. Robin Singh scored the only goal of the game as the reigning champions lifted themselves off the bottom of the table. Speaking to the media at the post-match press-conference was a much-relieved ATK head coach, Teddy Sheringham, who hailed his team’s character after the win.

Yes, it was a much-needed win,” he stated. “It was probably not the best we played this season, but we showed a lot of character. Sometimes you win games by playing good football, and other times, by digging deep.”
He was quick to praise ATK’s goal-scorer, Robin Singh. “I think he (Robin Singh) was one in fourteen players that did their job,” he said. “I was delighted that he got on the scoresheet as well, because he is a great lad, he listens, and wants to learn more. He has fantastic attributes, and I am delighted for the type of goal he scored tonight.”

However, he added some troubling news about an injury that Robin picked up during the match. “If you see him (Robin) in the changing room now, it probably would be serious,” he revealed. “He has gone over his ankle, and has a bad knee as well. I don’t know how long it will be, but it does not look good at the moment.”

The 51-year-old also lauded his team for their collective performance after overcoming a lot of hurdles. “It (the win) was a team performance,” he said. “We changed things around. We have had different injuries, so we have had to shuffle our pack, I have said from the first moment, that I am very impressed with our players, and as long as we have enough fit players, I am happy. We had to change players around tonight, and I am delighted for the players who came in tonight.”

While commenting on ATK’s tactics against Mumbai, Sheringham added: “We knew it was going to be a very physical game. That is an attribute that they (Mumbai) have – they are a very physical team, and we knew that we had to match that to get anything out of the game. We might not have won the match had we not come with the attitude to match their physicality. I was delighted with that aspect of our game.”