KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Billyton Vun Ket Ming wants the State Under-19 squad to strive for the best possible result in their Youth Cup season opener against JDT III at Stadium Mini Kulai in Johor this afternoon (Wednesday). “The opening match is always difficult especially playing away so I am hoping the boys will give a positive performance and return with at least a point if not three.
“What we have here is a team with ninety-nine percent of the players are new to the scene, so we are not setting any early target for them as yet. I will play a more defensive 4-5-1 formation and opt for counter attacking moves tomorrow. “I believe JDT III are more prepared for the match than us, as we only had four weeks of preparation.
The home players are likely to adapt more quickly. So the telling factor will be how well our players can perform in the first and last 20 minutes of the game. “If we can lessen the loose ball scenarios and able to score an early goal to take the lead, then we are in a very good position to get a good result from the match,” he said on Tuesday.
He also said his players are physically up for it and the only worrying factor is the pressure of playing in a big match like this. “In terms of physical condition, I would say the players are almost there, and the only worry for me is whether the players can adapt to the pressure of playing in a real match condition. “They had no problem in applying what I had taught them during all the friendly matches so far, so we will have to see how they cope in the opening match tomorrow,” he added.
The likely starting line-up today are Fahmi Ikhwan Muhd Azmi in goal, Rayner Doliente and Mohd Faqrul Idris as centre-backs supported by Seherry Aladin on the right and Fyellonarllye Mcaxora Jappri to the left. The three central midfielders are Xsevier Xcico Felex, S.A. Radzee Eqmal S.A.Ramli, Johan Mansor with Ahmad Irwanto Rusli, Ajay Jamain on the flanks and Sahrizan Saidinas as the sole striker. – GL Oh
