"The home support is something that we will be looking forward to" - Hyderabad FC's Joe Knowles ahead of game with Jamshedpur FC | ISL 2023-24
Hyderabad FC turned eyeballs when they signed former Brisbane Roar attacker Joe Knowles in the summer transfer window earlier this season.
The Australian, who is known for his piercing runs in the final third as well as shots from outside the box, has hit the ground running with the Nawabs although he has not bagged a goal for himself yet.
The 27-year-old offers variety to the club owing to his abilities both with and without the ball. Knowles' touches in the final third have often yielded creativity to the Yellow and Blacks. Although, he is the first to admit that the final product has been lacking.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday ahead of Hyderabad's game against Jamshedpur FC on Thursday, Knowles seemed happy to be back home.
"It was quite challenging to be travelling so much, but I am glad that we managed it well enough," Knowles said. "I am happy to be back home in Hyderabad. I think the home support is something that we will be looking forward to tomorrow and what will push us to give our best. We know what we have to do- it is now time to execute them."
Knowles was asked about how it felt to play as the centre-forward when regular strikers Jonathan Moya and Aaren D'Silva were injured, and after Felipe Amorim had terminated his contract.
"It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me," he replied. "I have played as a striker from the time I was a young boy, and it was only in the last five years or so that I moved to the wings to offer more to the teams that I was playing for."
"Most of our strikers were injured, so I was the only guy the management could turn to," Knowles added. "I liked the challenge. There were a few shots that I could probably have done better with, but that's football. Every day is a new challenge and every new game gives us the opportunity to get the desired three points."
"Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to me" - Joe Knowles
Knowles, who has hardly spent five months in Hyderabad, feels welcomed by everyone at the club. He asserted that the players are working hard and that the result should come their way soon.
"Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to me. I have had a really good experience so far at the club," Knowles said. "I like the city of Hyderabad and I think I have adapted really well to the dressing room too. We have a lot of top players in our club, and it is quite exciting to play with them on an everyday basis."