Sunday August 17, 2008
Despite first-leg mauling Terengganu ready for Kedah
GEORGETOWN: Terengganu, faced with a three-goal deficit, have a mountain to climb when they take on Kedah in their return leg Malaysia Cup semi-final match at the Sultan Mizan Stadium tonight.
Despite the odds, Terengganu coach Mohamed Nik is optimistic.
“I have a young team but they are a determined lot and despite the mauling in Kedah, their morale is high and they are ready to give Kedah a good fight to the end,” said Mohamed Nik.
“Besides their locals, they have three good foreigners in Bernard Huggings, Nelson Martin and Marlon James.”
Terengganu, on the other hand, won't be fielding any imports as Jocian Bento Dos Anjos has yet to recover from a hamstring injury.
Mohamed Nik will, however, have midfielder Abdul Manaf Mamat back from an ankle injury. He was sorely missed, together with Anjos, during the first leg which Terengganu lost badly.
“Manaf has recovered sufficiently to see action tomorrow and that should help strengthen our midfield. Another player who can also expect to play a starting role is promising young striker Wan Mohd Alif (Jasmin),” said Mohamed Nik.
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Kedah proved they are still the team to beat. Kedah, who retained the Malaysian Super League (MSL) title earlier in the season, edged Selangor 3-2 at the Shah Alam Stadium to claim the trophy, and coach Azraai Khor was quick to say that Kedah's target is to now defend the Malaysia Cup.
And if they do retain the Malaysia Cup, Kedah will be the first team in Malaysian football to have won the treble back-to-back.
Kedah's string of successes is largely attributed to their young players who have matured to play in the senior team.
Kedah completed their domination when striker Marlon Alex James won the award for the most popular imported player while Fazli Baharom took the most promosing player.
The most popular striker award went to former international striker Liew Kit Kong of Kuala Muda NAZA while the best football association and the best supporters club went to Negeri Sembilan Football Association and Perak Football Fan Club, respectively.
FAM general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad said the voting system was based on internet voting by the general public via its official website, www.fam.org.my since two months ago.
After successfully clinching two major titles in the Malaysian football league this season, Kedah continued their domination in the local football scene, this time bagging seven out of ten football awards today.
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At the 100Plus-Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) National Football Awards today, Kedah goalkeeper Mohd Helmi Eliza Elias, 25, grabbed two awards, namely the most popular goalkeeper and the most valuable player.
Helmi, who is also the national custodian, performed consistently throughout the season with Kedah as well as at the national level, and had impressed the fans during the recent friendly match against Chelsea.
Kedah's head coach Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah meanwhile took the accolade as the most popular coach.
The other awards secured by Kedah were the most popular defender by team captain Victor Andrag while Malaysian international Khyril Muhymeen Zambri took the most popular midfielder award.
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