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After wrapping up the 2022-23 season, the Men of Steel will be back in action as they gear up for one of the most crucial games in the club’s history, the Club Playoffs.
The former League Shield winners, Jamshedpur FC will face the current title holders, Mumbai City FC in a one-off match to decide who will earn a spot in the AFC Champions League 2023-24 Group Stage. Ahead of this crucial decider, Gaffer, Aidy Boothroyd shares his thoughts on the anticipated fixture and more in the pre-match interview.
On being back on the training ground after wrapping up the ISL season…
It’s great to be back. We’ve trained for three weeks after a little mini break. The players have been training really hard on their fitness. We’ve had a couple of games, we’ve managed to get the players back to where they were physically and everybody’s very positive and looking forward to the game.
On the upcoming challenge, the Club Playoffs against Mumbai City FC…
Very much so (looking forward to the game). We feel there’s a bit of unfinished business with Mumbai because I thought we played really well at their place and came away with a draw and our game at home we lost in the dying minutes to a mishit cross so we felt a bit aggrieved about that but that’s football, that’s what happens. It’ll be a tough game because they’re a really good team, Shield Champions, but we’re really looking forward to the game. We’ve hit a really good patch of form in the last half of the ISL season and we want to keep that momentum going into the next few games starting with Mumbai City.
On bringing the same winning momentum from the season to this fixture…
Momentum is extremely important. It’s important that we’re prepared, look at all the potential pitfalls, obviously the heat is going to be a factor so that’s going to mean we play slightly differently at times during the game but again that’s something to be excited about. The fact that we’re in a qualifying situation which is a knockout game. So, I’m hoping we can continue our good form and get a good result.
On the impact of different factors on the players…
Every away game we fly to so we’re used to travelling now from Jamshedpur. That’s part of being a professional footballer. All the players have been used to the Covid bio-bubble for the last couple of years and I’ve been on plenty of International camps and tournaments away from home so what’s important is everyone gets on and respect’s each other’s space and stick together and while there are difficult moments in games there are also some terrific moments and we have to make sure that we support each other. The team that starts may not necessarily be the team that finishes but when you’ve got good guys who did for the cause, you’ve always got a chance.
Message for the fans…
Thank you to the fans for sticking with us. We had a sticky start to the season. Picked up towards the end which is what we should focus on, it was really positive. The supporters have been very good to me and supportive of me and the staff, that has continued throughout and we feel that we want to put something back in by qualifying for the AFC Champions League and doing well in the Super Cup.
