New Sabah Times
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Cebagoo FC concluded their season with a 0-0 draw against Tumpat FA of Kelantan in a FAM Cup tie at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium on Sunday.
The feat saw them end their challenge with merely four wins, including one on a technicality, six draws and 10 defeats, which was far from encouraging.
However, it was enough for them to retain their seventh placing in the 11-team standings on 18 points, at least until the rest of the teams play their last matches.
For the record, Cebagoo is the only team to have completed their fixtures in the competition while the rest would only conclude their campaign this Friday.
When contacted yesterday, Cebagoo Head Coach Razali Zinin said their season could have been better, if not for several factors that include slump in form, injuries and suspensions to key players that disrupted their campaign.
Missing two of his most experienced players – Md Reithuddin Ag Emran and Vun Ket Ming @ Billyton midway through the first round challenge was also another major factor for their unconvincing show.
In fact, since Reithuddin and Billyton went AWOL, who were believed to be at odds with the club management, Cebagoo’s campaign nose dived after quite a bright start, including the 2-0 opening win against state side Melaka.
Glancing back at their campaign, Cebagoo’s winless streak began on March 24 and lasted until May 19 which totalled eight matches.
In fact, they never recovered from the winless streak as they never won any match since their last 2-0 victory over Perak YBU on March 17.
Their only victory since their triumph over Perak YBU was the walkover win over PM Melayu Kedah, who could not make the trip to Sabah due to financial constraints.
Their no-show prompted Cebagoo to be given a 3-0 walkover victory.
“We had a good start to the season where we were either third or fourth in the standings despite being new to the League. However, the winless streak really affected our League challenge,” said Razali.
“We will surely come back much stronger next season.
We already have the plan for that including scouting for new players. The experience that we have gained this season will help the team for the new season,” said Razali, who was assisted by former State captain Jelius Ating.
For the record, Penang was crowned the FAM Cup League 2013 champions and will feature in the Premier League next season.
They could be followed by PBAPP FC, also from Penang, who is currently holding a three-point lead over third placed Tentera Darat, but with a superior goal difference.
