FA Cup: Abu Bakar Fadzim sees tough road ahead for PKNP FC

KUALA LUMPUR: PKNP FC made history in their FA Cup debut last season, when they reached the quarter-finals of the competition before being shown the exit by 2017 champions Kedah.

Abu Bakar Fadzim’s squad have proved it was not a fluke, when they once again reached the quarter-finals after overcoming Kuantan FA 3-0 in the third round, and earned themselves a clash against 2014 finalists, Felda United.

Abu Bakar said any step forward now would be history for his side, but he stressed that ‘The Fighters’ were no pushovers, especially after having lost to the latter 4-5 at the same stage of the Malaysia Cup competition last year, despite having a 3-1 aggregate lead.

“We are aware of the strengths and advantages of the Felda United team. Their game is more structured than the last season, evident from their unbeaten run in the Premier League so far.

“Their strength (Felda United) lies not only in the partnership of their import attackers, but the midfielders and wingers are equally lethal in attack. So it’s not an easy task for us to get past them.

“The players (PKNP) need to learn from past mistakes, where we wasted a golden opportunity to reach the Malaysia Cup semifinals after losing 1-4 to them (Felda United) despite having a comfortable (aggregate) lead,” he told Bernama yesterday.

At the same time, Abu Bakar said he was optimistic that with a more disciplined defensive display, his team would be able to block the threat of Felda United’s Brazilian duo, Thiago Augusto-Gilberto Fortunato, who have been involved in 12 goals between them this season.

“The players need to show fighting spirit and stay disciplined to close off their (Felda United) space, because the slightest negligence will have a negative impact on the team,” he added.

In the meantime, Abu Bakar said two of his players – Mohammad Hafiz Ramdan and Clovis Franklin – were still recovering from injury, but he was optimistic that the duo would be fit in time for the first leg tie in Penang State Stadium in Batu Kawan on April 7.