Winning formula

New Sabah Times

BUDDING TALENT … Mohd Joh, (wearing white shirt and spectacles), together with some of the players during a photo session.

KOTA KINABALU: Razali Zinin is sticking to his winning formula when they take on Penang PBAPP in a FAM Cup tie at the Penang City Council Stadium today. The Sabah Cebagoo FC head coach said he has no plans to make another tactical change, not after seeing his side nicking a 1-0 victory over PB Melayu Kedah in their first away fixture on Sunday, using the 3-5-2 formation.

 The team started their campaign with a 4-4-2 system, but after the home defeat to Pahang Kuantan FA prior to their first away clash, the rookie coach opted for a new formation, and decided on the 3-5-2, and it worked its wonders. However, he said that he is likely to make minor changes to his first team, hinting that Hafiz Adlin is set to start ahead of Md Arif Awang in attack, alongside Rainol Masaat. “My main concern is the weather.

It is pretty hot here, and the players are trying to cope with it during our training. “Another negative factor is we were not able to test the match venue as we were given a different field to do our light training,” Razali, a former international said when contacted yesterday. On the positive side, he said the team is free from injury, and that all the travelling players are up for options.

 “The team is injury-free, which is a plus because we will have all our best players. At the same time, the spirit in the team is high following our last win (over PB Melayu Kedah). If we play football and stick to our game plan, I think we should be okay,” he said, while hoping that his strikers will start finding the net after drawing blanks in their previous three outings.

 In the first game, former state skipper Md Reithuddin Ag Emran and Md Nizam Jifferi scored for the team in the 2-0 win over Melaka before they were edged 0-1 by Pahang Kuantan FC in their second home game, followed by the 1-0 win over PB Melayu Kedah, where Nur Syahri Saili netted the solitary goal of the match.

 Meanwhile, club president Mohd Joh Wid said that they have conducted an Under-15 and 17 selection trials on March 4 at the KKYS field A. The selection is aimed at selecting players to represent the club at the upcoming Safa Kota Kinabalu Junior Football League 2013. He added that more than 50 budding players turned up for the trials that were conducted by their coaching panel that comprised Mateli Ekeh, Rosmat Apiu, Mohidin Hj Zainal and Hassan Madisah.