Character of players crucial to win
Head coach Jelius A ng hailed the characters of the players which he said were crucial to securing Sabah’s first Premier League win of the season on Saturday.
KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Jelius Ating hailed the characters of the players which he said were crucial to securing Sabah’s first Premier League win of the season on Saturday.
The Tambadaus put aside offthe-pitch distractions as well as going behind in the first half to eventually clinch a 3-1 victory against Terengganu FC II (TFC II) in front of just over 2,000 fans at the Likas Stadium here.
“First of all I want to thank God for our victory tonight (Saturday),” said a relieved Jelius, knowing well another unfavourable result could put the team under severe pressure early in the campaign.
“We lost our first game (1-2 to JDT II) and in the second game we drew (3-3) against Kelantan. So, the victory showed a positive progress from the team as well as the players.
“What I saw out there on the pitch tonight was that the players showed great attitude and characters... the determination and the will to win were very strong.
“They proved that (Likas Stadium) is our fortress...we hope the victory will continue in our future games,” he said when interviewed after the game.
Sabah went into the match faced with a boycott from fans dissatisfied over Sabah FA new rulings that required fan clubs to get consent before bringing in musical instruments such as drums and banners for displays.
The call for boycott however did little to dampen the Tambadaus’ spirit, although they were less impressive in the first half which was made worse by Mohammad Ramzi Sufian giving TFC II the lead with the 39th minute goal.
A pep-talk during the half-time break seemed to work wonders for Sabah as they looked a different side where they went all out attacking from the restart and never looked back.
South Korean defender Park Tae Su levelled with a close range header in the 50th minute before livewire Luka Milunovich put Sabah in front with a well-taken free kick in the 64th minute.
Sabah could have added a couple more goals with the hardworking Rodoljub Paunovic hitting the post while also missing several chances.
Midfielder Ricco Nigel Milus, who came on for the injured Brazilian forward Luiz Carlos Junior in the first half, made sure of the three points when he added a third in the 73rd minute.
“Our focus is solely on the match,” said Jelius when it was put to him of the boycott from some fans.
“The team without a doubt certainly need the fans’ support but at the same time we can’t force them to come if they don’t want to.
“The important thing here is the attitude of the fans... whether they are sincere in supporting the team or not.
“Like I said the fans are an important part of the team and for us in the team, the main focus is on our training, our displays and of course the match.
“We will continue to work harder to get the desired results,” said Jelius.
The Tambadaus moved up to fifth on four points following Saturday’s win, although it could be temporary as UKM FC and Kelantan only played their third match last night.
JDT II set the pace in the 12team league with a perfect nine points from the opening three games.
Sabah will next face Sarawak in a Borneo derby in Kuching on February 23.