Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd has called on his players to improve their performances in order to see better results on the pitch as his team takes on Kerala Blasters FC in a Hero Indian Super League (ISL) match at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Sunday. 

The Englishman wants his team to prioritise keeping clean sheets as the first step towards producing better results that will eventually see them climb up the points table. 

Jamshedpur FC are on a four-match losing streak that has seen them languish in the tenth spot in the table but Boothroyd believes there is enough time for his team to stage a turnaround. 

Boothroyd was accompanied by Farukh Choudhary in the pre-match press conference. 

Here are the excerpts: 

How would you make the performance of Jamshedpur FC better considering the last two matches? 

Boothroyd: Consistency is key for us. We need to get rid of some poor decision-making at key times of the game. the team needs to be mixed up a little bit. We need to get ourselves back on track in order to do that. It starts with us making sure that we keep clean sheets and then we can always cope well. Keeping clean sheets is always going to be very important. 

What kind of pressure is the team experiencing after four defeats in a row? What are your thoughts on Kerala Blasters FC?

Boothroyd: They have just won three in a row and we have lost four in a row. The form guide would suggest that we need to improve quickly. As far as ourselves is concerned, there are reasons why we find ourselves to be in this position. If we can get players back, that would make a big difference and in the meantime, while we are still able to catch the pack, we are not out of it. The next three results can make a difference and must be positive and I, the players and the staff are up for the fight. We make sure that we come up with a plan that gives our opponents some problems because they are a very good team in very good form right now.  

We have been conceding a lot of goals. Is Peter Hartley fully fit? 

Boothroyd: Everything is fine. When you look at last year's back four or back five with TP Rehenesh, that was a consistent back five. Unfortunately, we have to make a couple of changes due to injuries but that should other players an opportunity. Pratik Chaudhari has come in and done well. But I agree, we need to keep clean sheets and we need to do that as a team. So the guys further up the pitch have some defensive duties to do as well. I think the biggest challenge we have had has been giving away poor goals at poor times. We have to tighten that up. 

What message do you want to give to the fans who have been supporting you in the tough times? 

Boothroyd: I appreciate the support we get from fans. I may not be able to speak the language but I understand the vibe and I think it's been very fair. The support and the way I have been treated and the players have been treated is been fantastic. I have never come across a set of fans like it and I am desperately keen to make sure that we reward their loyalty and support with a winning season. That might seems a long way off but if we can hang on in there and win some games and slowly get ourselves up the league then it's possible. It's not always how you start that you will finish in the same way. We need to get our players back, maybe look into the market in January, freshen things up a little bit in the squad because that's one thing that I've said to the players is that last year was a great achievement but we have to work in the present. There is a clear and present danger that we are not doing as well as we should. We are a new team with a new coach with some new ideas and we have to try and emulate what happened before and we will only do that by focussing on this team. 

Here are the excerpts from Farukh Choudhari's press conference:

You are making a comeback after an injury but the team has been losing, so what kind of feeling are you experiencing? 

Choudhari: Everyone is under pressure. We are not in a good situation where we have lost four matches in a row and especially the matches at home as we have received great home support as it's difficult to lose matches in such situations. But we are working on it. We are working on the plan laid out by the head coach and as he mentioned, consistency is key for us. We have to push together in one direction, help each other, push each others. We need to win a match as it can change the atmosphere. So, we believe that the next match is very important. 

You have played for Kerala Blasters FC before. What do you make of the team?

Choudhari: When I played, there was a different coach. Ivan Vukomanovic is different. They are similar to our style of play but we will follow our coach's plan to tackle Kerala Blasters FC. We need to believe in it and fight together as a team.