Rhinos to keep up fighting spirit against Selangor
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah must not rest on their laurels after making a positive start to their Malaysia Cup campaign.
The Rhinos are levelled on four points with Pahang in Group D and only inferior goals difference saw them occupy second place behind leaders Pahang.
PKPN FC are third on three points and Selangor are the only team still without a point.
Team manager Datuk Juil Nuatim said a draw followed by a win in their opening two games had put Sabah on the right track to be genuine contenders in the group.
However, Juil reminded the squad that it was not time yet to celebrate for there are four more games to play to decide the two top teams to the quarterfinals.
He said the Rhinos must continue to work hard in training and to maintain the good momentum in the remaining games starting with Selangor at the Likas Stadium on Saturday (August 11).
“The good start to the Malaysia Cup campaign has definitely imparted greater confidence among the players.
“I’m sure they are now even motivated to try and get the desired results in the remaining games, which won’t be easy,” he said here yesterday.
Having said that, Juil warned the players of being overconfident as this could spell doom to the their campaign.
He said the Rhinos must take every game seriously including Selangor, who started with consecutive home defeats in their group fixtures.
“We cannot take our opponents including Selangor, who are bottom of the group, lightly.
“If anything, Selangor’s less than convincing start will make them even dangerous opponents for they have the experience in the tournament as well as reputation to protect.
“Sabah will be fully prepared and ready on Saturday. We need to believe in ourselves that victory is within our grasp through hard work.
“I have confidence in the team’s ability as well as the coaching staff led by head coach Jelius Ating to get the desired result,” he added.
For the record, Sabah started with a 1-1 draw away to Pahang before winning against PKNP FC 1-0 here.
As for Sarawak, they lost to PKNP FC 0-3 and 0-2 to Pahang.
Meanwhile, Juil also repeated the call for the fans to turn up in numbers to support the Rhinos in their Malaysia Cup competition.