Patient Elephants
Pahang don’t mind waiting – before catching up with others
It’s better late than never for Pahang skipper Dickson Nwakaeme as the team await the green light to resume their training, although other clubs have been training for two weeks now.
The Elephants only conducted their Covid-19 swab test last Saturday and are among the few Super League teams which have yet to get the thumbs up from the Malaysian Football League (MFL) to return to training.
The 34-year-old hitman said that despite the delayed return to training, he was confident his teammates could catch up and would be ready when the Super League resumes on Sept 1 as planned.
The burly striker admitted that the swab test process was intimidating.
“I’m really feeling good after doing the Covid-19 test. It looked like it would be a difficult and painful procedure but it went smoothly. Maybe, I have big nostrils so it went well for me. I’m happy to get the test done,” said the Nigerian ace.
“I am really excited to start training. It’s like a family reunion because Pahang for me is a family and for three months I didn’t get to see them. I saw my teammates during the swab test and I was so happy ... I almost ignored the social distancing rules.”
“In Pahang, we have our way of doing things. It’s better to be late than never. I’m not worried that team will be affected by the delay in training. We still have two months to train and there’s nothing to worry about.”
The Elephants had a slow start to the league with defeats by Selangor (1-2) and Petaling Jaya City (2-3) but bounced back by beating Sabah 2-0 and Melaka 1-0 before the Super League suspension.
They are currently placed third in the 12-team standing and Nwakaeme said he has learned to take care of his body better and it was the key for him to prolong his career.
“As time goes on, you study your body better, you know when to push and when to slow down. This is one of the reasons why I didn’t play the Sabah game,” said the Nwakaeme, who has scored twice in his two matches.