ISL 2021-22: We are the best team in the country – Jamshedpur FC’s Owen Coyle

Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle was delighted after his team clinched their maiden Hero Indian Super League Winner’s Shield. Jamshedpur finished the league stage after winning 13 matches out of the 20 they played and clinched the coveted trophy for the first time.

Owen Coyle’s team had four draws and three losses and finished with 43 points in the standings, which is the most in the history of ISL in the league stage. Jamshedpur FC finished at the top of the points table after they defeated ATK Mohun Bagan by 1-0 in the 110th match of the season at the PJN Stadium, Fatorda on Monday.

Ritwik Das scored in the 57th minute of the game to help his team clinch three crucial points and retain their top position in the standings.

Owen Coyle said in the post-match press conference, “Yeah, absolutely delighted for everyone in the club, our supporters, our owners. Everybody cares so much about Jamshedpur, obviously, as a head coach, coaches & players come and go but it’s important that when you’re at a club that you give everything you can for them, which I’ve done. I’ve also loved the two years working with everybody here. And it’s great to get the prize at the end because we deserved it after the work we have done. Well, actually we had to win 10 of our last 11 games. And we’ve actually been doing well up to that point. We had got 10 points from nine games and I thought, yeah, we can finish in the top four. And then obviously, we changed things up in January, brought Daniel and freshen things up and got them all together. I think that we have the best defensive record. So, at both ends, we have shown to be the top team, and we’ve been the best team in the country. 43 points is another record as well. It’s incredible. So, all credit to the players, they worked their socks off, particularly the Indian players when I see the improvement. And then, of course, it gives you a source of satisfaction. I’m delighted for everyone, very pleased, and very tired.”

On the other hand, Owen Coyle heaped praise on the opposition players, who stayed on the pitch despite their loss. ATK Mohun Bagan players showed their respect and it was a great gesture from them.

Coyle added, “I have nothing but praise for ATK Mohun Bagan. The form is temporary in football, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I’ve been on both sides myself. But the one thing that is very evident was tonight, the genuine class. And that’s led by coach Juan Ferrando. He’s an outstanding coach, he’s going to go on in future success. We knew this was going to be a challenging game. And it was, every moment they challenged us in different ways. And I’ve got wonderful players. But that was a genuine touch of class when they remained at the end. They even stayed longer than probably anybody else would have and a big thank you to them. They’re going to be a big, big danger for anybody in the playoffs now. Because that’s a top team. They’ve been on a good run, and they’ll pick themselves up and go again.”

Meanwhile, Jamshedpur FC will now face Kerala Blasters FC in the semifinals. Coyle added that his team will need to be at the top of their game against a fine team.

Coyle added, “Yeah, I mean very tough games against a wonderful side and an outstanding coach. I have so much fun on a personal level with Ivan, we’ve got on really well. We’ve played each other twice. And in the pre-season, we’ve spent a lot of time chatting, and then during the season, the same thing. So, he is a wonderful mind, we know that they are a very, very good team with some terrific players and some great young Indian talent as well. So that’s good to see. There’s a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we’ll enjoy tonight. And then tomorrow morning, we’ll get up fresh, and we’ll get ready.”

The first leg of the semifinal between Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters will be played at PJN Stadium, Fatorda on Friday.