New Sabah Times
By FRANCIS XAVIER
KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Jelius Ating made his intentions clear by insisting that he will parade his strongest available squad when they lock horns with amateur side Kelantan United FC in the FA Cup second round tie which kicks off at 8:45pm tonight at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bahru.
That means, Korean defender Park Tae Su, who missed Tambadau’s 2-0 win over Penang last Saturday, will return to first-team action alongside his three other foreign signings in Brazilian striker Luiz Carlos Junior and Serbian duo of Rodoljub Paunovic and Luka Milunovic.
Jelius said they have no reason to underestimate their opponents despite the fact that they are from the nation’s M3 League, which is dubbed as the country’s third tier football competition.
He said the FA Cup is a totally different ball game and that it has its own magic where top teams have been known to suffer defeats to lower ranked opponents.
“It is our hope to progress as far possible in the FA Cup and that is why we need to treat our opponents seriously regardless of which league they are from.
“We always said the ball is round and anything can happen in football, which I am a firm believer. That is why it is very unwise to take our opponents for granted. I was made to understand that they have the services of foreign imports, so we must be at our best no matter what,” said Jelius when contacted yesterday.
According to Jelius, victory against Kelantan United will boost the team’s spirit and maintain their positive momentum they have built from the Premier League challenge.
“It is very important to keep our winning momentum because, after the FA Cup tie, we will play Selangor United just three days later.
Jelius revealed that the only setback they are facing ahead of the tie is the absence of their influential midfielder Sabri Sahar, who is in the crocked list.
He played limped out of Tambadau’s tie against Penang after just 23 minutes of play due to a knee injury.
“The injury is quite serious and required Sabri to go under the knife. We may lose him for the rest of the campaign…we are all hoping for his quick recovery and return to training with us,” he said.
Apart from Sabri, Jelius said the rest of the players are available for selection.
Goalkeeper Rozaimie Rohim is expected to retain his place, while captain Rawilson Batuil and Park will be at the heart of the backline with Dendy Lowa on the left and Randy Baruh right.
Ricco Nigel Milus will fill in for the injured Sabri and will orchestrate the team’s engine room alongside Mohd Azzizan Nordin, while Maxsius Musa and Luka will play at either side of midfield with the team’s current top scorer, Brazilian Junior and the hardworking Paunovic spearheading the attack.
Tambadau won their only FA Cup title back in 1995. They were also the losing finalists in 1993, 1994 and 1998.
