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Young Lions eye win against despondent Dolphins
Sham Majid
info@sleague.com
The Young Lions will be gunning for a hat-trick of successive wins when they welcome the visit of Sengkang Punggol to Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday evening.
V. Sundramoorthy’s charges have been on a roll recently, having recorded back-to-back victories after sensational come-from-behind showings against champions SAFFC and Japanese team Albirex Niigata (Singapore).
Those results have seen them navigate themselves to seventh spot with 11 points after a slow start to their campaign.
And whilst Sundram expressed his satisfaction at the points garnered from their past two matches, the former Singapore international maintained that his side can perform a notch or two higher.
“Our performance against SAFFC was good as we played well and got the win, but we didn’t play very well against Albirex though we still got the victory,” Sundram reflected.
“We can play better, and the boys are very motivated playing against Sengkang at home.”
While their opponents are on a high, Sengkang come into this match not feeling quite as good, having found themselves slumped to the bottom of the table.
Having amassed a respectable seven points from their first five matches, which included wins against Gombak United and Woodlands Wellington, the Dolphins have lost their lustre somewhat of late, having been put to the sword in consecutive games against Home United, Albirex and Geylang United.
Nevertheless, Young Lions tactician Sundram had seen enough from Aide Iskandar’s team to suggest that Monday’s clash would be anything but a straightforward assignment.
“Obviously, looking at Sengkang, they are a decent team with some very good players,” he remarked.
“There are no such things as easy games or teams in this league and every match is hard to play. In fact, they took the lead twice against Geylang and gave them a very difficult game, so they are not easy opponents at all.”
With the Young Lions level with SAFFC on 11 points, albeit having played a game more, and just three points behind second-placed Home, one could be forgiven for thinking that the man known for his wing wizardry in his playing days might have ideas of guiding his troops to a top-half finish.
The man himself however remained modest about his aspirations for his side, which had changed significantly from the time he was last in charge in 2008.
“There are no targets whatsoever,” he declared.
“Our aim is to see the boys develop and become better players, and go on to represent the country. Performing in the S.League is just a platform for them to grow and improve their game, so it’s a bonus they get to play at a high level.”
Whilst the Young Lions have proven to be no mugs when it comes to finding the back of the net, having hit the target on 13 occasions, their backline has proven to be just as porous, having conceded 14 goals in eight matches.
Sundram admitted that a fine balance has to be struck between keeping it tight at the back and going forward in search for goals.
“We’re working on trying to reduce the goals we concede, but we must continue the job of scoring goals as well,” he noted.
“We need to work as a unit when we defend, and also try to go forward and attack as well.”
Sengkang chief Aide, meanwhile faces a massive task on his hands in galvanising his troops, after they succumbed to an eventual 2-3 defeat at the hands of Geylang in their last game having twice led the encounter, as Sundram had pointed out.
Aide, who acknowledged then that individual mistakes proved detrimental to their game against Geylang, will be hoping for a better display from his rearguard against a free-flowing Young Lions outfit.
He will welcome back former Young Lions trainee Shahir Hamzah, who returns from a one-match ban.
Sundram will be deprived of the services of Raihan Abdul Rahman, as the versatile youngster begins his National Service. |
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