Jamshedpur FC captain Peter Hartley reckons that the team will need to recreate Greg Stewart’s goals and assists as a team. Stewart parted ways with Jamshedpur FC ahead of the new season and he had played a key role in leading the club to Winners League Shield title in the previous edition.
The Scottish player scored 10 goals in 21 matches for Jamshedpur FC in the previous season and he finished as the third highest goal-scorer of the edition. Furthermore, the attacking midfielder also provided 10 assists, which was the highest in the previous season of the Hero ISL.
“You can say everyone has improved and we have lost Greg, Owen, but in my opinion, we have become stronger in every position,” Hartley told The Times of India in an interview.
“Greg got us 10 goals last season, now it’s up to us as a team. We may not have a player who will give us those 10 goals individually, but as a team, we have to recreate the 10 goals, and 11 assists,” he added.
On the other hand, Aidy Boothroyd has been appointed as the head coach of the team and Peter Hartley is confident that he will be able to get the best out of the players.
“I think we will use the ball a lot more this season. The manager has already said ‘don’t go away from what gave you success as a team without the ball’, but he has also tried to give us a way of playing that will help everybody as a team and help us grow together,” Hartley said.
“We have been successful by finding a way to win games. I think, if we get rid of all the expectations (as Shield winners) and focus on one game at a time, it won’t be a problem. As a group, our mentality has not changed,” he added.
The upcoming edition will be Hartley’s third season in the ISL and he feels the Indian players are showing an upward swing in their improvement graph.
“This is my third season in ISL and every year it’s been stronger. The India group of players are improving at a rapid pace. For me, the game is not played on paper. We have to start well and give the manager a good base to build on, and tweak a few things,” Hartley said.
The Red Miners will begin their tournament campaign against Odisha FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on the 11th of October.
