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Aide: Dolphins playing for their futures
Mohd Sham
info@sleague.com
Sengkang Punggol will be aiming to bring the curtains down on their season on a high and snap their two-and-a-half-month winless streak when they face cellar dwellars Balestier Khalsa at Hougang Stadium on Monday evening.
Despite the Dolphins last tasting a league victory on 6 July in a 2-1 triumph against DPMM FC of Brunei, Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar is maintaining a positive front.
Aide said, “We had a two-week break, and we have been working on our finishing, which has been letting us down throughout the season.
“Moreover, we have Indra Sahdan returning from a two-match suspension, and although it is not easy (to not have won for more than two months), we will keep going till the end of the season.”
The former national skipper also hinted that his charges are playing for their futures during the course of their remaining six matches.
“We have everything to play for, and more so for the players if they want to earn new contracts, so they can’t say they have nothing to play for and rest on their laurels,” he noted.
“Their futures are definitely in their hands. I also am looking at blooding several youngsters and trying to see what they can do for next season.”
Despite the Dolphins being six points clear of the bottom-placed Tigers with a game in hand, Aide is refusing to discount the threats posed by Balestier.
“They are a really hardworking side and they would give anyone, including the top sides, a difficult game, and this has been proven throughout the season,” he remarked.
“In terms of where we are, Balestier are also quite similar to us, but I believe in terms of quality, we are better than them.
“They have made three new signings so they would also want to win to try catch up with us, but we want to win and move above the Young Lions.”
His counterpart, Tigers chief Nasaruddin Jalil, echoed his belief that his side can match up to their more illustrious opponents.
Nasaruddin explained, “Sengkang, with the players they have, should be ahead of us in terms of experience and quality, but we have shown in our previous two matches with them (2-2, 0-0) that we’re on the same level and that we can match up to them.
“Everybody would like to get a result, but the performance is what matters on the day, and whoever shows more hunger and desire would take the three points.”
The Tigers honcho has also revealed that planning for next season has gone underway in earnest.
He added, “I want to make sure that my best players are playing in our remaining five matches, but we have already given them ample time to impress this season, so it’s up to them to show me their worth and play for their futures.
“We have five games to go so anything can happen, but overall I’ve been quite pleased with how my team has been performing.”
The Dolphins would be without Noh Rahman, who sits this out with a knee complaint, while Murphy Wiredu is suspended.
Balestier meanwhile could welcome the return of Oh Ddog Yi, who suffered from an ankle injury against DPMM. |
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