By: GL Oh
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tambadaus returned home after a fruitful three-match friendly tour against two Super League teams in the Peninsula last week. Head coach Jelius Ating (pic) said the tour was a success and the team’s display has convinced him that they are on the right track to continue their good run this season.
“The three matches not only gave the players the test they needed, it also enabled the team to keep their momentum going for the coming matches starting with the Premier League tie against Penang this Saturday at the Likas Stadium. “The friendly tour was definitely worth the effort and I must thank Datuk Peter Anthony as acting president of Safa (Sabah Football Association) who made it happen,” he said on Tuesday.
The team started the tour with a 2-0 loss to Melaka United and bounced back with an identical score line win over the same team with goals from Stanley Sulong and Melky Balang and ended with a 1-0 defeat of PKNS FC from Rodoljub Paunovic’s winning goal on Saturday. “The players showed that they were able to match Super League players including many experienced internationals in the teams.
“As I had said earlier, the tour was not about winning. It was to give the players the stern test and it turned out to be very positive. I am very pleased with the players’ attitude and performance. I will try to rectify their weaknesses found during the tour before the Penang match,” he added. According to him, almost all the players are ready for the match this Saturday except South Korean import Park Taesu who will be sitting out after collecting three yellow cards in the competition.
Brazilian striker Luiz Carlos Junior who did not travel with the team for the tour because of injury is recovering well and may get to play against Penang. “I did not include Luiz in the tour so that he can get enough rest on his injured thigh, and it seemed that he is getting better and was able to play for about 70 minutes with the President Cup squad last night (Monday).”
