Razman tells youngsters to buck up and forget about Cup final loss

PETALING JAYA: Selangor’s elder statesman Razman Roslan has urged his young teammates to pick themselves up and focus on their Super League campaign.

They are currently seventh in the 12-team Super League standings with 20 points and with six matches remaining, will be aiming to bounce back quickly when they take on bottom-placed Kelantan at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium tonight.

The youthful Red Giants were outclassed 2-0 by Pahang in the FA Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last Saturday.

The Klang Valley giants fielded four players below the age of 21 – K. Kannan, Amirul Ashraf, Syahmi Safari and D. Kugan – in the final and Razman said given more exposure the youngsters should improve.

“The young boys are definitely gutted over the defeat but perhaps only for a short while. It’s understandable as it was their first ever Cup final at the senior level,” said the 33-year-old Razman.

“They still have a long way to go. In the next two or three years, Selangor, will be a side with championship material. By that time, they will have had sufficient experience of playing in big matches.”

Selangor coach Nazliazmi Nasir said that he will continue backing his youngsters and their remaining six Super League matches are crucial for a good finish in the league.

“We still have tough matches to negotiate in the Super League. We only had a one-day break after the FA Cup final.

“We play Kelantan then Kuala Lumpur on Saturday,” said the rookie coach.

Meanwhile, JDT claimed their fifth successive Super League title after defeating Perak 2-1 at the Perak Stadium last night.

JDT have an unassailable lead of 47 points while second-placed Perak are on 31 points with five more matches remaining.