Rhinos to sic new foreign imports on Kuantan
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah are expected to unleash their latest foreign recruits Heo Jaenyeong and Lee Gil Hoon when they face Pahang Kuantan FA at the Darul Makmur Stadium tonight.
Head coach Jelius Ating confirmed Jaenyeong will start the game after the clearance of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC), thus paving the way for his Premier League debut.
Jaenyeong’s fellow South Korean import Gil Hoon, on the other hand, is also included in the travelling squad but is racing against time to get his ITC eligible for the match.
“We have done our best to make sure that he will be able to play and that includes his previous club.
“All that needs to be done now is for Hong Kong FA to send his ITC to Sabah FA and the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia),” said Jelius prior to leaving for Kuantan yesterday.
According to Jelius, they have a back-up plan if Gil Hoon, a striker, was not eligible for the game.
“If that’s the case then we have to utilise the players that we have. That means Rahman (Shah Marajeh) and Leo (Leopold Alfonso) will start up front.
“If his (ITC) has been received, then Leo will spearhead the attack while Rahman and Gil Hoon will be playing just behind him in a 42-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation,” added Jelius.
The former Sabah captain also said that Jaenyeong will start at centreback rather than his preferred defensive midfield role due to the long-term injury affecting Croatian defender Igor Cerina.
Having said that, Jelius revealed the main target was to get the three points regardless of which players he chooses for the match.
The game has added importance for the Rhinos as a positive result would see them move ahead of Kuantan FA in the 12team standings, thus distancing themselves from the relegation zone.
Sabah are currently ninth on 10 points from 12 matches while their opponents are directly above them, two points ahead, in eighth place.
“My target is to get at least a draw but I have high hopes for a good result, meaning we have to win the game.
“After our last win (against Terengganu), I hope there will be some consistency by extending the winning momentum before the league goes for another long break.
“We will try our best to get the three points,” said Jelius, whose first game in charge in the league came against the same opponents which saw Sabah win 2-1 at the Likas Stadium last month.
Jelius went on to say that his only concern now was the fact that the squad preparation in the last couple of days was hit hard by heavy rain and lightning while the long travelling left them with limited time to prepare in Kuantan.
Meanwhile, Jelius said the search for additional foreign players would be known the latest by May 28 rather than June 1 as reported earlier.
He said this would allow for adequate time for negotiation and to process the documentation should they find suitable candidates to fill in the foreign quotas, preferably strikers.