Keane bossing it after picking team and scoring winner

ROBBIE KEANE couldn’t have asked for a finer start to the next phase of his football career yesterday. Keane not only prepared and picked the ATK team for their final league game of the Indian Super League season, he then oversaw a rare clean sheet and chipped in with the only goal. The Dubliner, 37, struck in the 11th minute with an exquisite half-volley after ghosting in between defenders for the match-winner against Avram Grant’s NorthEast United. It was the Irish recordbreaker’s sixth goal of a season curtailed by injuries as he made only 10 appearances for the Kolkata club. The victory was a first in 10 games for ATK, who avoided the ignominy of finishing last, as defending champions. ‘The confidence was low in the last two matches as we conceded nine goals in two games. From conceding own goals to keeping a clean sheet, I have to praise the defence,’ said Keane, who was in charge for the first time. ‘Honestly, this is not the way I want to play football but we had to do the job,’ added Keane, who made no excuses for a safety first strategy. ‘We want to play more expansive and keeping more of the ball but we had to play according to the circumstances.’ After finishing in the bottom four of the league, ATK enter the qualifying stages of the Super Cup with Keane set to continue at the helm as player-manager. Ireland boss Martin O’Neill, meanwhile, names his squad for the upcoming friendly against Turkey on Thursday, with West Ham’s Declan Rice pencilled in for promotion. Rice is eligible for England and is on the radar of Gareth Southgate but having come through the Irish under-age ranks, the 19-year-old defender remains committed to the green jersey and could make his debut in Antalya on March 23.