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Young Lions out to surprise Koreans
Fabius Chen
info@sleague.com
En route to a second-place finish last season, Super Reds picked up a maximum nine points against the Young Lions, who will be eager to put things right at the first time of asking this year.
Both sides have rung in the changes over the off-season and many new faces will be on display at the Yishun Stadium on Thursday. According to Gabriel Quak, this has all the makings of a cagey start to the season.
“We don’t know much about their new players and vice versa, so the first quarter of the game will be crucial,” the 19-year-old midfielder pointed out.
Quak was the only Young Lion to score against the Korean side last season, bagging the consolation goal in a 1-3 loss. He was, however, upbeat about their chances of leaving Yishun Stadium with at least a point in the bag.
He said: “If we can be the side that settles down first, we can get a draw or even a win.”
Young Lions stopper Hyrulnizam Juma’at shared his colleague’s optimism. The 23-year-old was in goal when Super Reds ran roughshod in a resounding 5-0 victory but was determined that such a scoreline would not be repeated.
“We are working hard on the basics and making sure that we are prepared for anything.
“If we can keep our discipline and our focus, we should be able to get something out of the game,” Singapore’s third-choice goalkeeper said, echoing Quak’s sentiments.
Terry Pathmanathan, the Young Lions’ coach, hinted that Thursday’s encounter would be a baptism of fire of some of his young charges.
“We have a couple of untested, younger players but a young and raw team is no excuse to not work your socks off.
“It’s definitely a long learning process but time is not a luxury that we have, so the players have to learn fast,” he stressed.
With regards to Thursday’s opposition, Pathmanathan was full of praise.
“Korean players are generally very speedy, mobile and gifted, so we must be prepared to stop them.
“Even with all the changes they’ve made, Super Reds are equally as good as last season. Their new players can only have been brought in for the betterment of the team.”
As if to drive home this point, opposing coach Jeon Kyeong Joon commented: “All the players have their own style and positive qualities but everyone is important and needed in Super Reds.”
At the same time, Jeon was quick to point out that neither he nor his players were taking Thursday’s season opener to be a foregone conclusion.
“We have won against them before but that doesn’t mean that we will win again.
“The players have trained together in Singapore for only two weeks and are still getting used to it,” he commented.
In spite of the lack of preparation time, Super Reds’ head coach was confident of at least one thing, if not the win and three points.
“I have seen the strengths and qualities of the players and they are adapting fast. I hope we will be able to play a game that the fans will enjoy watching.
“We are ready for the new season.”
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