Want to keep playing well, get back to winning: Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd

Jamshedpur FC are currently at the 10th position in the ISL table with just 12 points and host ATK Mohun Bagan at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, in Jamshedpur, on Thursday. After a slow start to the season, Jamshedpur FC have been performing well in recent fixtures.

Boothroyd's men have got seven of the 12 points from the last five matches, including two wins. Even in the two losses, JFC played a solid game against strong opponents in Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC. They went down to league leaders Mumbai City FC only in the last 10 minutes of the game. Boothroyd encouraged his side to continue their momentum and win as many as possible.

"I don't want the season to end. I'm really pleased with how things are going at the moment. Really pleased with this gentleman next to me (Ricky Lallawmawma) and his form, I think he's been outstanding. We want to play as many games as possible and get back to winning, on top of our performances, which will come. So we are playing well. We want to keep playing well and keep winning," Boothroyd said in the pre-match press conference.

Jamshedpur FC are coming into this fixture after a dominant 2-0 win against NorthEast United FC. The Red Miners were the dominant side throughout the game, having fired 11 shots, including six on target. Boothroyd was pleased with that performance against the Highlanders but is now fully focused on the next fixture against the Mariners.

"Enjoyed the days after the win against NorthEast United FC. I thought we were excellent. I was really happy with the performance of the team, which is a well-deserved 2-0 win. It could have been more. But we quickly put our focus onto the next game against ATK Mohun Bagan," he said.

In the reverse fixture against ATK Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, the Red Miners lost 0-1 to the home side and it was a closely-contested game as the score line suggests. Juan Ferrando's side got the all-important winning goal only in the added time as Hugo Boumous scored the winner through a penalty. Boothroyd cited that game as one of their best performances in this Hero ISL this season and mentioned that his players started to showcase some good football after that fixture.

"The reverse fixture against ATK Mohun Bagan, in Kolkata, was probably one of our best performances of the season. I think at that point, our season began to turn in a positive manner. We have played really well since then. Overall I think we can be pleased with the turnaround and the way we are playing," he concluded.

Jamshedpur FC full-back, Ricky Lallawmawma, was accompanied by Aidy Boothroyd in the pre-match press conference. Despite the Red miners having a poor season, Lallawmawma has been solid throughout the season. The 31-year-old has had 23 interceptions, 27 clearances and one assist to his name this season. The defender is quite confident ahead of their last home game and wants to win for the fans.

"They (ATK Mohun Bagan) are a good team and I respect them but (at this moment), we are better than them. We have a lot of confidence. We are working hard in the training ground. I hope on Thursday we can use our confidence against them," he concluded. (ANI)