New Delhi, Nov 30 (IANS): Curtis Fleming, head coach of Round Glass Punjab Football Club, has stated that they "want to be competitive" when they kick-off their I-League 2020-21 campaign in January next year.

"This is our debut season and we will want to be competitive once our Hero I-League campaign kicks-off. I'm really proud to be the coach of this side," the former Republic of Ireland international said recently as per i-league.org.

"I have come from a country of very little population. As I have heard, Punjab has a rich history in football and they are very passionate about this sport. We want the support of 30 million Punjabis residents out there. We would try to make everyone proud," he added.

Bikramjit Singh, former I-League champion, mentioned he would be "proud" to represent a "Punjabi club" for the first time in his professional career.

"It's a big opportunity for me to play for a Punjabi club for the first time in my career. You can see so many Punjabi footballers playing professionally for other clubs and now, I am really happy to have signed for this club. My family wishes me to grow and get success here. I wish to carry on and play for Round Glass Punjab FC for a longer time," Singh said.

Coach Fleming, who brings in an experience of being the deputy to renowned managers like Tony Pulis, Ian Holloway in QPR, Hartlepool United, is pretty content with the squad at his disposal. He stated that the "blend between experience and youth" may provide them with an edge over their rivals.

"(I am) very happy with the squad. We have taken time to get (the team) together. Out of the 26 players, we have got some exciting youth players besides successful experienced players. We have got 8-9 players who are U-18s," he said.

"There are some exciting talented players and none of them are here for a holiday. All in all, we have a well-balanced squad who has the potential to achieve what's our target in this season," he added.