ISL 2023-24: We are very proud of the boys: Hyderabad FC’s Thangboi Singto

Hyderabad FC’s head coach Thangboi Singto was proud of his team after a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday.

The Nizams found themselves trailing after Nim Dorjee Tamang scored an own goal in the eighth minute of the game. However, Pennanen equalized for Hyderabad FC just before half-time and both teams shared the spoils.

In fact, Hyderabad FC had 58.5% of possession but they could only take two shots on target. Singto admitted his team had the rub of the green on their side as they could have conceded a couple of more goals in the first half.

“In football you need luck. First half we were lucky. Otherwise, we could have conceded maybe two, or three goals. It hit the post twice, thrice, I can’t remember. And of course, NorthEast United FC are a strong team, they have experienced foreigners and (their) Indian players have been in the ISL for a long period. So, we are very proud of our boys in the second half and the way we came back. I think it was a game of maybe both teams who could have won, first half to them, second half to us, probably,” Singto stated in the post-match press conference.

Meanwhile, Singto showered praise on Joe Knowles and Mohammad Yasir, and all the young players for doing a fine job for the team.

“I think, great, physical work by Joe (Knowles) and (Mohammad) Yasir, and the young boys who came in and of course, Pete. What a great goal – gritty, hard-driven, and well-earned! So those are the positives we take and we go back, take a breather for a moment, and keep on going. I think that’s all we can do as coaches and as players. But today, we are very proud of the boys.”

Hyderabad FC haven’t been at their best as they are yet to register a single win after playing nine games. Singto, however, doesn’t want to single out any player for their mundane performance.

“See, I don’t want to be critical. I understand that some of the players are coming back after 4 or 5 matches. So I don’t want to pinpoint anybody. I think we have to give them time. We have to give them that confidence and assurance that, hey, you keep on doing well, you’ll get your chances. So we want to go in that positive way because we have a lot of youngsters in the team at the moment. So for us, it’s about building,” he shared.

Hyderabad FC will next take on Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.