Sabah U-19 in quest to win against Selangor United
KOTA KINABALU: Team manager Azman Mastar is hoping for a much improved performance from the Sabah under-19 squad in their quest for three points against Selangor United FC in a Youth Cup Group A tie today.
The match to be played at the MMU mini stadium at Cyber Jaya, Kuala Lumpur around 4:45pm will be Sabah's fourth game in the campaign.
The squad have collected four points from their opening three games with one win, a draw and a loss to occupy seventh place out of 11 teams.
“A victory is very important for us to be close to the teams in the top half of the table.
“That is why I'm hoping for a much better and improved performance from them to lead us to the maximum points,” he said when contacted in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Azman said a victory would be a good response to the squad's failure to win in their last two matches.
The fact that Selangor United FC are above Sabah by virtue of a superior goal difference has only added more reason for the state juniors to try and get a win.
For the record, Sabah opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over KL Felda United but fell 0-4 to SSMP-AMD Cougars Under16 in their second game played here.
The squad were also disappointed when a late equaliser denied them a second win in the campaign after being held 1-1 by Perak PKNP FC on Sunday.
Meanwhile, head coach Mohd Aiyyman Johny Abdullah is expected to retain the same set of players from their last game.
Aiyyman will also have the services of five President Cup players, namely Joslan Aping (goalkeeper), Mohd Hizaz Lokman (striker), Mohd Syukri Baharun (midfielder), Mohd Syamil Nizam Igbal Khan dan Gerald Gadit (both defenders) for the match.
Except for Joslan, the other four started in the previous game where Syamil gave Sabah an early lead.
For the record, the state under19 side are playing in their second of four consecutive away fixtures today.
The squad will also take on Bukit Jalil Sports School Under16 on April 1 and Pahang on April 4.