The sky’s the limit
Perak skipper Shahrom rallies team for a strong finish
PETALING JAYA: Perak skipper Mohd Shahrom Kalam has told his teammates that “we are fighting for our future” in the final stretch of the M-League competition.
The Seladang will take on relegation battlers Penang in their penultimate Super League match at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh tonight.
They M-League then will take 16-day international break. It will resume with the first leg of the Malaysia Cup semi-finals on Oct 13. The return leg is on Oct 20 and the final on Nov 4.
The last game of the Super League is scheduled for Oct 28.
Perak have advanced to the Malaysia Cup semi-finals thanks to a 5-3 aggregate win over Pahang on Sunday. They will meet defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the last four.
The 32-year-old Shahrom is happy that the team have progressed to the Malaysia Cup semi-finals, but he reminded them to keep fighting so that the team can finish as high as possible in the Super League.
Perak are sixth in the 12-team standings with 30 points and if they can win their last two matches, it could see them finish as high as third if the other results go their way.
“For me, the last two Super League matches are must-win games although the JDT are already the champions. I want the team to finish strongly this season,” said Shahrom yesterday.
“We are the tail end of the season, so we need to show that we are good enough to stay for in the team next season.”
Commenting on the match against Penang, Shahrom said he is aware that the Panthers are desperate to escape relegation.
Perak will be without two key players – Yashir Pinto (Achilles) and Hafiz Kamal (knee) – due to injuries.
But Shahrom believes that their absence is an opportunity for others – like D. Kenny Palraj, Abdul Hadi Yahya, Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak and Shahrul Saad – to step up.
“Losing Pinto and Hafiz is a blow to the team but I think their replacements have done well and I hope they continue their good work in this final stretch,” said Shahrom.
“Penang still have chance to avoid relegation. So they will try everything to win the match. It won’t be an easy game for sure but we have momentum and home advantage.”