Bengaluru: Back with six points from away trips to Goa and Aizawl, Head Coach Ashley Westwood said his Bengaluru FC side were building a good platform to give themselves a chance in the new season. Excerpt from an interview where he spoke about the Blues’ strong start to the campaign, the clash against Aizawl FC and ‘Hero Of The Match’ Lalthuammawia Ralte. Excerpts…

On his analysis of the game…

“We scored at the right time and it gave us something to cling on to for a little bit. We couldn’t get to grips with the surface and the frantic pace of the game. We didn’t have enough bravery to take the sting out of it. So we changed at half time and it worked, we started to control the game a little bit better

About Aizawl’s chances in the second half…

“It’s always dangerous when it’s 1-0. It was a tight margin and we missed a few really good chances. Aizawl had a few half chances of their own and there was a lot of pressure. But, I think in the end we stood firm and our big defensive players have thrown their bodies on the line and got some really important blocks. It was a big team effort.”

On the side’s strong start the League…

“Six points from two away games is huge. Statistically, only 25% of away games are won and we’ve just won two out of two. That’s a good sign and we’ve also managed to keep a clean sheet. Nobody has scored against us from open play yet this season so we have a bit of a foundation to kick on, but we’re going to have to improve our football if we’re going to be champions. There’s a lot to be worked on, but we’re giving ourselves a chance.”

On ‘Hero of The Match’ Lalthuammawia Ralte’s performance…

“Ralte pulled off a good save in the first half and was quite safe on a few other crosses that he came out for. For me he’s done his job. There was a lot of pressure and he had a little bit of action. You need reliability in those situations and he was certainly reliable.”

A word on Aizawl FC and its supporters…

“The crowd and the stadium were fantastic. Aizawl have a good spirit and it was their first home match so they were always going to give it everything they’ve got. With the mountains in the background, it’s exactly what we expected.”

“North Eastern players are hard workers and that’s why we’ve got 11 of them in our squad. Aizawl is a really good club and a nice place to come and play football. I expect them to take lots of points off many competitors in the League and I’m sure they’re going to win more than they lose at hom
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