Players need to regain fitness to face Perak
KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Billyton Vun Kit Ming hoped that his players would have recovered well when they open the Youth Cup second round fixtures against Perak at the Penampang Stadium today.
He made the remark out of concern for the players' fitness following their tiring journey back home from Sunday's 1-0 win over Pahang in Kuantan.
And the fact that Perak are currently ranked second in Group A makes it even more crucial for Sabah to have all the players physically and mentally ready to face the opponents.
"The team left Kuantan at 7am (on Monday) and travelled to Kuala Lumpur to catch the 5am flight. However, it was delayed until 9am and we only arrived at home late on that day.
"I hope the players's fitness will not suffer as a result of the long journey as well as a tough game. They need to recover quickly.
"These are all under 19 year olds and if they are not fresh for the match, then they may not be able to think properly.
"I certainly hope that they have a good rest," he said here yesterday.
Having said that, Billyton revealed the squad would only be doing some light training session and would see how they cope with it.
Meanwhile, the Sabah youth side will welcome back Mohd Faqrul Idris to add some depth to the squad.
"There may be a few changes to the line-up but it will be the same approach (from our previous games) against Perak.
"We will try to get the three points," said the former state flanker.
Sabah are currently ninth in the 11-team Group A having collected seven points from three wins and seven losses in the first round.
As for Perak, they have registered six wins, one draw and three losses for 19 points and are currently second behind leaders Terengganu FC IV who have 28 points.
The first round meeting between the teams ended with Sabah losing 1-4 to Perak.