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Goal-shy Bulls look to get shooting boots on
Sham Majid
info@sleague.com
Gombak United will be aiming to complement their recent knack of creating goalscoring opportunities by putting the ball into the back of the net when they play host to western neighbours SAFFC at Jurong West Stadium on Thursday evening.
Monday’s Jurong derby against Japanese outfit Albirex Niigata (Singapore) epitomised the story of the Bulls’ season so far, as they failed to capitalise on a glut of chances and had to eventually settle for a 0-0 stalemate.
While their paltry strike rate of three goals in four matches attests to Gombak’s profligacy in front of goal, Bulls boss Darren Stewart insisted that he is not batting an eyelid at their offensive malaise.
“I’m not one bit concerned at all,” Stewart emphasised.
“In fact, I’d be more worried if we weren’t creating chances, but we are actually carving a lot of opportunities in front of goal. The goals would start coming for us and I never blame anyone for missing chances as that’s part of football.
“A player can miss chances in one match but they can score a hat-trick in the next one. We are doing our best to adapt after a few of our players left, and I’m pretty pleased with how things are going and our two new Korean players (Park Kang Jin and Chang Jo Yoon) are settling in perfectly.”
The Australian, pulling no punches when he spoke of the mammoth task awaiting his charges, and squashed the notion that the Warriors might have one eye on their upcoming Asian Champions League clash against Gamba Osaka on 23 March.
“SAFFC are a massive club and they are simply a tough team; you can’t expect an easy match from them,” he elaborated.
“If you just put our budget and their budget together, you can see why they are such a big club. You really can’t take them lightly at all.
“They have got such a huge squad that should any player get injured or rested, they can simply replace him with another player.
“You don’t be champions for three years running and have a weakness, but I just want us to keep progressing as a team and improve.”
His counterpart, Warriors tactician Richard Bok, has expressed his satisfaction at his side’s momentous 3-1 victory over Sengkang Punggol, which stands them in good stead for their Bulls assignment.
“I hope that we can continue the form we have showed, and the boys showed what I want them to bring into their game,” said Bok.
“I wanted them to show the work ethic and attitude from our Asian Champions League matches, and I’m pleased that they have done that so far.”
With Uruguayan forward Federico Martinez limping out of the Dolphins encounter after suffering a groin strain, Bok has admitted that former national skipper Indra Sahdan Daud, who announced his retirement from Lions duty recently, will be the focal point of his side’s attacking arsenal.
“Martinez is out again, we are not sure for how long, and it is really important for Indra to have been scoring and being in the thick of things,” explained the coach.
“His movement and play has seen him score a few goals and he’s happy as well, so hopefully he can continue his form.”
The reigning MIKASA Coach of the Year maintained that his foreign players are still coming to terms with the standard and technical proficiency of the league.
“Our players are still adapting to the league,” he noted.
“Players like Niklas Sandberg played at a very high level, and there has been a lot of difference in terms of the level and technical play of the S.League.
“So he’s been adapting well, and I’m looking forward to big things from him this season.”
Bok acknowledged that the Bulls are in a transitional phase, but added that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
“Gombak have had to change their style of play because of all their personnel changes, and it is not easy just to change the way they play,” he commented.
“But they are still difficult opponents to play against. Hopefully, we can play well and get the victory we need before we fly to Japan to face Gamba.”
With the raft of injuries which have beset his outfit, Bok played down any suggestions of a reshuffle in his pack in anticipation of their Gamba tie.
In addition to Martinez, the Warriors will have to do without Shaiful Esah, Noh Rahman and John Wilkinson, although Park Tae Won’s return to the fold gives Bok some new options in attack.
“At this point with the injuries we have, I’ll welcome the the injury tag and not too many changes!” he quipped.
“I would rather not distrupt the momentum we have, and we can’t afford to make too many changes as well but maybe there might be a direct swap of players.”
Gombak would miss the services of the suspended Fazrul Nawaz, while Agu Casmir is unlikely to participate in this match at all despite completing his registration before the closure of the transfer window last week. |
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