Favourite Forward Tim Cahill’s third-minute header and midfielder Michael Soosairaj’s 31st minute goal notwithstanding, the Men in Steel failed to break their draw jinx in their fifth match this ISL season.

The high-octane clash against Kerala Blasters FC ended 2-2 at JRD Tata Sports Complex on Monday, courtesy second half equalisers from forward Slaviša Stojanovic (71st minute) and midfielder C.K. Vineeth (85th minute).

The mood was super-charged at the JRD stadium since early evening. The Red Miners stood out among the 20,000-plus crowd flaunting their Jamshedpur FC tees and flags. They demanded a rerun of last ISL’s home match against Kerala Blasters, if not better.

Jamshedpur had defeated Kerala 2-1 in the fourth edition of the super league, with midfielder Jerry Mawihmingthanga scoring the fastest goal in ISl history in 22 seconds Ashim Biswas was the other goal scorer.

Monday’s match began after a minute’s silence for those killed in the Indonesian plane crash.

Shankar Chatterjee, 63, a retired railway employee and a diehard fan from Parsudih, said he hoped to see “history repeat itself”.

The statement proved prophetic as World Cup sensation Cahill headed home the first goal for JFC — the fastest in the 2018-19 ISL season. It was also the Australian star’s first this time.

“The team under coach Cesar Ferrando is definitely playing a more attacking game than last season. You can see Kerala in disarray and we will see more goals, which will help notch up team points,” said Mohammed Rahmat, 52, a resident of Dhatkidih, a Tata Steel employee and a regular spectator of local soccer matches.

Youthful supporters continued to lend vocal support to the boys in red, hoping for more goals. “We want a hat-trick from Cahill. We want more!” hollered Bhishma Singh, a second-year arts graduate of Jamshedpur Workers’ College in Mango.

The JFC players did not disappoint with midfielder Michael Soosairaj scoring in the 31st minute to give the home side a comfortable 2-0 lead till half time. Chances of a win were squandered in the second half despite JFC goalie Subrata Pal saving a penalty shot.

Wheelchair-bound Namita (18) flashes a JFC banner, before entering the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Monday. Namita, who suffers from a deformity in the lower part of her body, was wheeled into the stadium by her friends to cheer for JFC. “I never miss a match. So what if I can’t stand and walk, I can still cheer my team. I had seen all the matches in the last season,” he said. Bhola Prasad