According to a press release by Odisha FC, the Indian Super League side is all set to take on neighbours SC East Bengal in the last game of the season. At a pre-match press conference, coach Steven Dias insisted that the Kalinga Warriors aim to end the season on a good note and will give their best. During the virtual media interaction, coach Dias said “They also didn’t have a good season like us. I think they will also come to win this match, we also want to win this match so we can end on a better note. I am trying to keep the boys motivated in training sessions, in the meetings. They look ready, we are ready. Hopefully, it’s going to be a very good match because both teams will look for a win to end on a good note. We will give our best.” Addressing why the season hasn’t been good for the club based in Bhubaneshwar, coach Dias said “The biggest thing I find this season is when Coach Baxter came out of quarantine he didn’t get much time to work with the boys. What is his game plan? What is his strategy? That is the biggest thing I feel because of the bad season. I feel if he would have got more chances and a good time to work with boys, this season would have been better than this.” “When you have a bad season there is always good to learn so many things out of this bad season. That’s what we are all doing. This season isn’t that good for us but there are so many things to learn from this season so we can get better next season.” “Personally for me, there were so many things to learn especially under Stuart Baxter – experienced coach and Coach Gerry (Gerald Peyton). This is my learning experience. I feel professional coaching is all about man-management, how to manage this team. The way Coach Stuart managed this team is something to learn. I learnt so many things from him and as a young coach I am still learning,” he further added. The 37 year old former midfielder had a message for the Odisha FC fans from across the globe, he said “As a player and as a coach, I feel that the fans are the most important thing in any sport, not just football. This season, one of the biggest things I feel about the bad season is that we don’t have any fans to cheer for us. Fans can’t come for the match. When you have a bad match, the fans come, they cheer for you, they come with Odisha FC jerseys and that’s where the players get motivation. I have got only one message for the fans.” “I know we really had a bad season this year. Just keep faith in us, just believe us. There are so many things to learn. We will work where we went wrong, we will try to correct and try to play better football than this. Just keep the faith and believe in us and keep supporting us, we will definitely give you all reason to cheer and celebrate next year.” Odisha FC will take on East Bengal on Saturday, 27th February at 7:30 pm at the GMC Stadium.