New Delhi : Hyderabad FC midfielder Cy Goddard urged his teammates to train hard and learn from their mistakes, as he remains determined to deliver strong performances in the Indian Super League (ISL) following the international break.
The 27-year-old is a well-known figure in the league, having played a crucial role in Mumbai City FC's League Shield and Cup triumph during the 2020-21 season. Last year, he featured for Odisha FC, contributing two assists in 14 appearances for the Kalinga Warriors.
Goddard joined the Yellow and Black during the summer transfer window, becoming their first foreign signing for the 2024-25 season.
Reflecting on his experience with his third ISL club, Hyderabad FC, he remarked, "Everyone has treated me well here in Hyderabad FC. This is my third season in India, and I have begun to enjoy the experience."
"We have a good bunch of boys here where everyone celebrates with each other and supports them through thick and thin. This is what we showed in the game against Chennaiyin FC as well--our team spirit was right up there, I feel," Goddard said as quoted by the ISL official website.
Thangboi Singto's men put on a spirited display against Chennaiyin FC, earning Hyderabad FC their first point of the season despite being down to 10 men. The Alex Saji-led side showcased resilience on home turf, battling to a goalless draw against Owen Coyle's team.
Sharing his assessment of their performance against the Marina Machans, Goddard said, "I think it was a very tough game in pretty challenging conditions. It was a very physical game. However, the boys showed good team spirit and managed to get a point out of it."
"Most importantly, the team gelled well and provided quick solutions to whichever problem we were dealing with at the time. It is very important for us to know that we can trust, have faith in, and support each other through thick and thin," he added.
The midfielder expressed confidence that their performances would improve as the season progressed. However, Goddard urged his teammates to make the most of the ongoing international break to get into better shape ahead of their upcoming ISL matches against Jamshedpur FC and Mohammedan SC.
"I think we will have a couple of days off, but we have a lot of physical work to do both in the gym as well as on the training pitch," he stated.
"Hopefully, this break will allow us to reset, analyze, and come back as a better team in a few weeks' time when we travel to take on Jamshedpur FC and then Mohammedan SC," Goddard concluded.