‘A game we must win’

New Sabah Times

KOH … will spearhead the Sabahawks’ attack.

KOTA KINABALU: Interim team manager Alijus Hj Sipil wants the Sabahawks to get back to winning ways when they take on NS Betaria in a Premier League tie at the Likas Stadium today. He said they must make a quick recovery from the 1-3 defeat to KL Sime Darby on Friday in order to keep pace with the rest of the top teams.

 Furthermore, Alijus added, it is important for the team not to drop points away from their home game. “This is a game that we must win, and I believe the players can do it. They put up an improved performance against Sime Darby. However, we paid for our mistakes in that game which we lost,” said Alijus when contacted yesterday.

 “If we can further improve our game and try to minimise our mistakes, I’m quite confident we will be able to register our second win in three games (on Monday),” he added. Alijus has every reason for wanting the team to bag all the three points. Their opponent is currently languishing at the bottom of the table with no points to show and has yet to score a goal after 180 minutes of action.

 They lost 5-0 to Police in the opener before going down 2-0 to Johor FC in their last game. But Alijus was quick to remind his charges from underestimating their opponent. “This is going to be a tough game, especially against a wounded side like NS Betaria. They will surely be trying everything to get something out of this tie, and on our part we must give all we have and go for the win,” said Alijus.

 Head coach David McCreery is likely to make minor changes to the side that lost to KL Sime Darby. He is likely to bring back fit-again Shahrudin Yakup into his first team after the right flanker sat out the Sime Darby game due to an injury. Shahrudin is one of the four changes that McCreery made to the winning side that edged KL Putrajaya FC prior to their first away tie (against Sime Darby).

 The other three changes saw Shahril Faizal come in for the injured Rhys David Weston, and play alongside skipper Rosdin Wasli at the centre while Shahrul Azhar Ture on the right and Sumardi Hajalan on the left. In the midfield, he named the young Didie Arizal Ibrahim in place of Sabri Sahar, partnering Ibnu Muhd Kassim at the heart of the midfield and Mohd Farid Saibun on the left. Koh Traore, who scored his first goal for the Sabahawks in the Sime Darby clash, also has a new striking partner in Wan Mohd Aliff, who replaced Khairul Izwan Khalid and retained his custodian Shahril Sa’ari.

 Sabah are currently eighth in the 12-team Premier League standings on three points. Police lead the pack on maximum points from the opening two games. They stay ahead of second placed Sarawak and third placed Kedah on goal difference.