Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle has his sight set on achieving the semi-final dream for the first time in club’s history in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) as they prepare to take on Kerala Blasters FC on Thursday.

The Red Miners have come close twice to qualifying in the top four, back in 2017 and 2018 when they finished fifth. Coyle is determined and confident in his side to achieve this feat this time around.

Currently, the Men of Steel are positioned fifth in the league standings with 22 points (six wins and four draws) in 13 matches.

Ahead of Jamshedpur FC’s clash against Kerala Blasters FC, coach Coyle addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

It is a must win match for both teams, how will this match go forward?

I think every game now is going to be the proverbial six-point and they call it is only three points for each time, but it's because you're playing against a direct rival. Big, big games, and we have to make sure that we're ready for it against a good side. Wonderful coach with some very good players and a tough team. We've already played them when we were through the game, we felt on that night we could have won the game. That being said, we have to make sure we are ready. They’ve got good qualities and will be very respectful of that. But equally, we know we have to as well, so we have to make sure we are at our best and if we are, we're showing that we can win these tough games.

Jamshedpur FC is the team with the most shots. Greg Stewart has created 43 chances. Do you think your team could have probably scored more in the first half?

Yeah, there's no doubt about that. I think that is one of the things that we do, there's many things we want to improve.

But one of the things, of course, is that we need to be clinical. But again, it's a young group. If you look at our players, we've brought and assembled players that never played other teams.

So, I've taken players from all different clubs that wouldn’t get a game. We brought them in Jamshedpur, and we're making a team here. So again we've done remarkable. We don't have to spend the biggest amount of money in the league as other clubs do spend huge, vast amounts of money. We concentrate on what we can do and will continue under the radar, and everybody want to give plaudits to everything. That's great. We have no problem with that. We've got wonderful players at the club with players that want to be.

I want to work hard for the club and we look forward to trying to win points and attain enough points to take them where we’ve never been before and that's one of those semi-final places, to fight for that championship, so that's what we focus on.

And regardless whether we win, lose or draw, we stick together and we get ready to go again. And that's what we do. Look into the Kerala game and then after each game, but only focusing on Kerala first and then we'll go from there.

What is the way forward for Jamshedpur FC to ensure a top four finish?

Well, the way forward, in simplistic terms, is to gather enough points. The only way you gather enough points is by playing well in each and every game.

But it really is the old cliche that taking one game at a time where thoughts are only on Kerala and nothing else because this game is always shown when you look too far ahead, it comes back to bite you in the backside, so we have to make sure we're focused, concentrated against Kerala and do our very best. And if we do that, then we certainly feel that they were capable of winning a very tough game.

The last match was an end to end match, your thoughts on that?

Yeah, I think it was. I think it was two good teams as it will be again going all out to win the game that are very positive, attacking side as we are.

We have more shots than anybody and we'll carry that threat again. But of course, we have to make sure that we defend very well as Kerala have done as well. We have a very good defensive record, so yeah, I think it's two very evenly matched teams, too closely matched teams and we have to make sure we come out on the right side of those small margins which we didn't do that night because we gifted Bengaluru the win. So we have to make sure that we do the attacking side. But equally, we defend better against a very good Kerala side.