SOS to fans
Sathia: Let’s turn Shah Alam into a fortress
PETALING JAYA: Football teams worldwide normally flourish on their home turf. But not the Selangor Red Giants.
The Super League team have been stamped on like ants in their last three home matches. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Felda United, whipped 4-0 and 4-2 by PKNS and JDT respectively.
And it has left coach B. Sathianathan fuming and determined to make the Giants unbeatable at home from now onwards starting with tonight’s Super League clash with Terengganu at the Shah Alam Stadium.
For starters, Sathianathan wants the fans to come out in full force to give the players moral support and to turn their home venue into a impregnable fortress for visiting teams.
It is definitely a good motivation
for the Klang Valley outfit who have won once, drew thrice and lost twice in their six outings so far. They are in eighth place with six points in the 12-team Super League standings.
“We need the fans support at home ... they can help the players to perform better on the pitch. I want the team to get over their mental block at home matches,” said Sathianathan yesterday.
“Our players perform better in away matches compared to our home form and this is something I want to change. I want Shah Alam Stadium to be a fortress for us.”
The Red Giants, who beat Kuala Lumpur 3-2 in their last match on March 10 before the international break will be looking to continue their winning momentum.
However, they face a daunting task as hotshot Spaniard striker Rufino Segovia and national winger Syahmi Safari have been sidelined
by injuries.
Terengganu, who are sixth with nine points, look back in form following their 3-0 thrashing of Melaka in their last match.
Sathianathan said that Terengganu have improved from last season with the inclusion of Uzbekistani midfielder Sanjar Shaakhmedov but he’s not too perturbed about the opponents’ strength.
“We will be without Rufino who is out for long term with an Achilles injury while Syahmi is having a hamstring complaint. It’s not the ideal situation for us and I hope the players can step up a gear in this game,” he said.
“We need to play like how we did against Kuala Lumpur. I believe we have the quality to get a positive result.
“We will be banking on our skipper Mohd Amri Yahyah to fill in for Rufino as he’s a player who can still get us the goals.”