2017–18 Jamshedpur FC season
The 2017–18 season was the first ever season of competitive football played by Jamshedpur. The team, along with Bengaluru, entered the Indian Super League as two new expansion teams. They played their first competitive match on 18 November 2017 while playing their last match of the season on 12 April 2018. The club ended their first Indian Super League campaign in fifth place, thus missing out on the chance to participate in the finals. Jamshedpur also participated in the Super Cup, being eliminated by Goa in the quarter-finals.
| 2017–18 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| CEO | Mukul Choudhari | ||
| Head Coach | Steve Coppell | ||
| Stadium | JRD Tata Sports Complex (Eight matches) Kalinga Stadium (One match) | ||
| ISL | 5th | ||
| Finals | Did not qualify | ||
| Super Cup | Quarter-finals | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Matheus Gonçalves (4 goals) All: Matheus Gonçalves (4 goals) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 24,212 vs. Chennaiyin (28 December 2017) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 8,178 vs. Bengaluru (25 February 2018) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 21,123 | ||
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Jamshedpur signed former Manchester City manager, Steve Coppell, as their first head coach in July. Coppell was in charge of fellow Super League side Kerala Blasters the previous season, leading the side to the final. India international Anas Edathodika became Jamshedpur's first player when he was drafted by the club during the players draft. Spanish defender Tiri was soon signed as the club's first foreign player. Other players recruited included those with previous ISL experience such as Sameehg Doutie, Memo, Kervens Belfort, André Bikey, and Matheus Gonçalves.
The season started for Jamshedpur with three consecutive draws before earning their first victory away at Delhi Dynamos. The first half of the season saw Jamshedpur six points off fourth place. During the second half of the season Jamshedpur managed to gain five victories. However a draw and three defeats, including the loss against Goa during their last league stage match, meant that the club would miss out on qualification for the finals. During the Super Cup, Jamshedpur defeated the I-League champions Minerva Punjab in the first round before being defeated by Goa in the quarter-finals.
During their inaugural season, every player in the squad played at least one match, whether as a starter or substitute, while as a whole, the club scored 16 goals. Jamshedpur also managed to earn eight clean sheets, with seven of them being won by their number one goalkeeper, Subrata Pal. Matheus Gonçalves ended the campaign as Jamshedpur's top scorer with four goals, all scored in the Indian Super League.