"If you fight as one, anything is possible" - Renedy Singh signs off as SC East Bengal head coach after loss against Jamshedpur FC
Ishan Pandita delivered a late heartbreak to SC East Bengal and Renedy Singh when the young Indian forward headed home an 88th-minute winner for Jamshedpur FC. The defeat, incidentally, also ended interim coach Renedy Singh's three-match tenure at the helm of the club.
Renedy was understandably very disappointed with the defeat, having kept the Red Miners at bay for the majority of the game. However, he lauded his players for their fight and grit. He said:
"It's really sad to concede a goal in the 88th minute. But I'm really proud of the boys, the way they have fought, the work ethic, the commitment they have shown. They should just continue and I'm sure if they keep doing that it will be better for the team. Then we will reach a better position if they continue to fight like this."
Due to injuries and suspensions, SC East Bengal fielded an all-Indian starting lineup, with just one foreigner on the bench. In stark contrast, Jamshedpur FC had the experience of heavyweight international players like Greg Stewart, Peter Hartley and Eli Sabia on the pitch.
No risks taken ❌
#JFCSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball #ISLMoments | @sc_eastbengal https://t.co/Ys67I0RTVV
Given the cards they were dealt, Renedy Singh was delighted with the way they kept their shape. The 42-year old believed a draw would've been a fair reflection of the game.
"A draw should have been a fair result. The last two games, if you see, were very tough games. We had a tough game against Bengaluru FC and against Mumbai City FC. And MCFC are a good attacking side. And even today there were some great players in the Jamshedpur FC team. But without any foreigners, how the Indian boys started, the way they fought, and the way they kept their defensive shape even while attacking, that is something great to watch."
Upon being asked what he learned from his time at the helm of the ISL club, Renedy said:
"If you look at the first game, a very tough match, where we drew after scoring early and then conceding in the end. And in the second match against such an attacking side, we played with the Indian boys along with one foreigner. What a fight! So, what I've learned from the last three games is that we have to fight as one. If you fight as one, anything is possible."
Renedy Singh gives way to Mario Rivera as head coach of SC East Bengal, who remain winless in this edition of the ISL.
We would like to be top of the table after 20 games, not 11: Owen Coyle
Jamshedpur FC went top of the league standings after their win over SC East Bengal. However, head coach Owen Coyle said his side should have been able to garner more points than they have right now.
"It's nice to be top of the table, but everybody wants to be top of the table after 20 games, not 11. But we would rather be there than not be there. I would suggest we probably should have more points than what we already have. But we know that we can go toe to toe with the best teams. We just have to make sure moving forward we're doing the same things."
Coyle also lauded SC East Bengal for the fight they showed but opined that Jamshedpur deserved to come away with the win. Asked what he made of SCEB's performance with 11 Indian players in the starting lineup, Coyle said:
"Yeah, well that's [lineups with only Indian players] what SC East Bengal have had lately. In the last game, they had one foreigner all night when Daniel Chima Chukwu played. But SCEB still managed to draw four of their previous five games against Kerala, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The only game they lost in the five games was against NorthEast United when they had a man sent off. So SCEB have shown how tough they are to beat."
Knack of scoring late goals! 👀⚽
#JFCSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball | @_ishanpandita_ @JamshedpurFC https://t.co/YBJkVN2wwC
While Jamshedpur FC were the better team throughout the game, they struggled to breach the resilient SC East Bengal defense. It took another of Ishan Pandita's miraculous late goals to seal the points for Jamshedpur. Asked what he made of Pandita and his performances lately, Owen Coyle said:
“This is why I brought him to the football club. About the header, I mean he’s just a natural finisher. If I can continue to add little bits to his game and improve his all-round game, the national team is going to have a fantastic number nine."
SC East Bengal are wallowing at the bottom of the table with just six points from 11 games. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur, courtesy of this win, stride to the top of the table with 19 points from 11 games.