Terengganu Overcome Negeri Sembilan

It was one of their better performance this season but Terengganu needed an own goal by S Kunanlan to ensure they would get all three points from their Super League clash with Negeri Sembilan at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah last night.

They dominated the proceedings but could not find their way with their front-line not hitting the target. Leading goalscorer, Francis Doe continue his goal drought and last night was his 7th match since he last scored his last three goals against Sabah on 17 March.

Other players were equally guilty of missing chances with midfielder Shukur Jusoh wasting at least three good chances to score for his team. 

However the display from the whole team left the fans satisfied with every player showing their determination and worked hard for every ball. It was a totally different Terengganu team last night compared to the one that took the field against Tampines Rovers in the AFC Cup match on Tuesday.

Ashaari Shamsuddin was almost his old self again with his runs causing problems to the visitors' defence. In fact it was from his run that resulted in Kunanlan putting the ball into his own net when the winger's attempt to clear the low cross saw it spun off his boot into the goal.

The win maintained Terengganu position in third place and with other teams also dropping points meant it was a good night for The Turtles. Their local rivals, PBDKT T-Team did them a huge favour by holding Kelantan to a 1-1 draw in Kota Bharu. Azwan Roya put the home side ahead in the first half but Khairul Izwan equalised with his third goal of the season.

The draw reduced the gap between Terengganu and The Stags to just four points but at the same time denied Kelantan to make the most of the Lions XII defeat to PKNS FC at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya. A goal from Mickael Nicoise from a set piece was enough to condemn The Lions to their third defeat of the season.

Kelantan trail them by five points but have three matches in hand.

Selangor who trounced Terengganu 6-1 last week failed to reproduce the same display as they needed a late Bosko Balaban goal to level the score against Johor FC at Pasir Gudang. The Bees were looking good for their first home win of the season when they held on to Riduan Maon strike in the first half. But Irfan Bakti's boys pushed on and were rewarded by Balaban's equaliser.

Sabah failed to use their home advantage again when they suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Perak. As it was in their match against Selangor when The Sabahawks took the lead, Zainizam Marjan nudged his team ahead with a strike almost right from the kick-off.

However, Akhmal Rizal equalised for The Buffaloes midway through the second half before Mafry Balang put one past his own goalkeeper to gift the lead to Perak. Lazar Popovic then scored his first goal of the season in the last minute of the match to ensure a comfortable ending for his team.

Meanwhile in the battle at the foot of The Super League table, Felda United thrashed Kuala Lumpur 4-0 for their fourth win of the season. The victory saw The Settlers moving out of the relegation play-off zone but the fight to avoid the drop is still very much on their mind as only one point separates them, Sabah, Johor FC and Kedah.

Kuala Lumpur meanwhile remained rooted at the bottom of the table and looked destined for relegation with  just a point all season.

...

Bogey Team Held Turtles

A depleted Terengganu side failed to find their way past a defensive Johor FC and thus had to settle for a point from their Super League encounter at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium last night. The goalless draw meant Kelantan and the Lions XII were able to widen the gap between themselves and the Turtles.

Kelantan thrashed hapless Felda United 5-1 at the Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu while the Lions defeated PBDKT T-Team 2-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore. There are now a five point gap between The Turtles and the league leaders, Kelantan.

Terengganu were without the service of their topscorer, Francis Doe who was serving a one match suspension following his three cautions this season. In his place was last season Super League topscorer, Abdul Hadi Yahya.

Apart from Doe, Terengganu were also deprived of the service of Abdul Manaf Mamat who was nursing an ankle injury. Joseph Kalang Tie was also suffering from a toe injury but was named as one of the substitutes. In his place was Shamsul Kamal who only returned from an injury himself.

As expected, it was the home side which dominated the proceedings. Shamsul managed to get the ball in the back of the net when Johor FC goalkeeper, Anis Faron failed to hold the ball but a questionable decision by the linesman robbed the former T-Team player of his first goal for the Turtles.

The Turtles managed to find the net again in the second half but this time the effort by Mazlizam Mohamad was correctly ruled off as the player was in an offside position when he collected the loose ball following a free-kick.

The introduction oh Joseph Kalang Tie in the second half also could not help Terengganu finding their way past the Johor FC defence and in the end it was a disappointed night for The Turtles and their fans who now have gone through two matches without a win and a goal.

At the Jalan Besar Stadium, Zairo Anuar Zalani notched his tenth goal of the season in all competitions with a fine strike to bring things level in the 54th minutes after the Lions have gone ahead through a fine run and cool finish by Shahril Ishak three minutes earlier.

The Lions' skipper then missed a penalty when a foul was committed in the box by Mohamad Dzaidin on Madhu Mohana. The visitors were looking good for a point until Norfazly Alias committed another foul inside the penalty box. This time on Agu Casmir.

Following Shahril earlier substitution, Shahdan Sulaiman stepped up to the plate and sent Mohamad Iqbal the wrong way as the Lions collected all three points to keep up with the leaders, Kelantan.

The Stags were on the rampage following their 5-1 demolition of Felda United in Kota Bharu. Onyekachi Nwoha's brace sandwiched Azrul Ahmad's equalizer for The Settlers but further strikes in the second half from Norfarhan Muhammad, Indra Putra Mahyuddin and Bahdri Radzi saw the home fans going home in jubilant mood.

Sarawak notched only their second away win of the season but a 4-1 thrashing of draw specialist, PKNS FC would give them the confident to do better in the second round of matches in the Super League. Shahrul Saperi opened the scoring with Vedran Muratinovic also getting on the scoring act while Ashri Chuchu scored a brace. Mohamad Khairu Azrin replied for the Selangor club side.

In Kota Kinabalu, Selangor found themselves trailing to Sabah after a Michael Baird's strike put the Hawks in front. Unfortunately the home side failed to hold on to the lead as the Red Giants scored the equaliser through P Gunalan.

...

Turtles Held...

...and T-Team Lost Again

It was a disappointing night for Terengganu football fans as both their teams failed to register a win in their 2012 Super Laeague matches. Buoyed by their win in Singapore in the last match, they expected all three points would come The Turtles' way when they take on PKNS FC at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium.

Instead they have to content with just a point after their former player, Helmi Remeli scored for the visitors early in the second half on his return to Kuala Terengganu to cancel the home side first half lead.

A wonderful strike from a free-kick in the 36th minute by skipper Zairo Anuar Zalani gave PBDKT T-Team the lead against Negeri Sembilan in Paroi. However they could not hold on to the lead as Effa Owona's thunderous free-kick found its way past the defensive wall and left Iqbal Suhaimi helpless in the T-Team's goal just as the match was heading towards the interval.

Then in the 68th minute Ahmad Shakir stole in unmarked into t-Team's penalty area to head home a cross from by Shahruain Abu Samah. It was T-Team third successive defeat and unless they could start winning again, their good start to the season would mean nothing.


In Kuala Terengganu, The Turtles could play their usual attacking game as PKNS adopted a defensive approach in stifling their opponents attacks. In addition the midfield combination of Shukur Jusoh and Baiano was not on the same wavelength as a number of passes went astray.

The home fans had their heart at their mouth when PKNS Mohamad Azrif headed home past Sharbinee Allawee. Much to their relief however, the linesman had raised his flag for offside.

Then with the match heading towards the break, Joseph Kalang Tie's hard-work paid off when he managed to save the ball and delivered a cross into the box which found its way to Francis Doe. The Terengganu topscorer took the ball wonderfully with his chest before unleashing a volley past PKNS goalkeeper, Razi Effendi.

Going into the break with just a goal lead, Terengganu fans knew their team had to score again to ensure all three points would go their way. Unfortunately, their worst fear became a reality when Helmi headed home from a free-kick just minutes after the restart of the second half.

The visitors packed their defence even tighter after the going level and tried as hard as they might, Terengganu just could not find their way past Razi Effendi again. Terengganu would have gone on top of the table had they won as Kelantan were held to a scoreless draw in Kota Kinabalu by Sabah.

Instead, it was Perak who went on top after The Buffaloes defeated Sarawak in their encounter at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh. Michal Kubala and Fahrul Razi were the scorers for the home side while Vedran Muratovic replied for The Crocs from the penalty spot.

Terengganu dropped to third in the Super League table while Negeri Sembilan remained in fourth position. T-Team meanwhile found themselves in seventh spot as the Lions XII went past them after holding Selangor to 1-1 draw at the Nasional Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The match came to life in the last two minutes of the first half when Lions XII skipper, Shahril Ishak put his team ahead a a simple finish only to see Gurusamy equalising for the Red Giants two minutes later with a stiff shot.

Johor FC and Felda United shared the spoils at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council Stadium. Spectators who attended the match had to wait until eight minutes from time when The Bees' Mohamad Syazwan Zainon opened the scoring. However the lead lasted only three minutes when Mohamad Azrul scored to level the score which remained until the final whistle.

Kedah meanwhile registered their first win of the season when they defeated Kuala Lumpur 1-0 at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka. The Canaries struck early when Khyril Muhymeen found the City Boys' net just after six minutes and they held on to claim their end their winless streak.


...

Turtles Triumph...

...as T-Team Fall

It was a good return for former Terengganu Head Coach, Irfan Bakti to Kuala Terengganu as he led his new team, Selangor to a 2-1 win over PBDKT T-Team at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium last night.

The win was the first one for the Red Giants against the club side from Kuala Terengganu in five matches. In a match played in front of just a few hundreds spectators, Selangor looked in control right from the beginning with their central defender Ramez Jamal Dayoub playing a big part in subduing the threat from T-Team forwards, Zachariah Simukonda and former Selangor player, Fadzli Saari.


Fadzli managed to break free in the seventh minute but Selangor goalkeeper, Norazlan Razali managed to save at his feet. Both teams struggled to make an impact but in a quick counter-attack Selangor's Fitri Shazwan was brought down by veteran T-Team defender, Rosdi talib inside the box and the referee did not hesitate in pointing to the spot.

Dayoub took the responsibility and converted the spot-kick after sending Iqbal Suhaimi the wrong way in the 34th minute. The first half ended with the Red Giants going into the dressing room with a one goal lead.

The lead only to last two minutes into the second half. T-Team blistering start to the half saw Selangor struggling to cope with them and Dayoub brought down the lanky Simukonda in the box, earning him a booking in the process and conceding a penalty.

T-Team skipper, Zairo Anuar did not have any problem in beating Norazlan to level the score. It was his fifth goal of the season.

Simukonda who was injured by Dayoub's challenge was replaced by Khairul Izwan. The substitute was quite lively but lack of understanding between him and Fadzli robbed T-Team of a number of good chance while Faiz Subri who had a good first half was continuously fouled by the Selangor players.

Then with twelve minutes remaining, Selangor won themselves a corner. Defender Nasriq Bahrom who was lurking at the edge of the penalty area headed the ball towards the far post where Azidan Sarudin stole in to divert the ball past Iqbal to restore Selangor's lead.

Tried as hard as they might T-Team could not conjure up another equaliser with Faiz coming closest with a rising shot from just inside the box which went just slightly over the bar. The defeat saw T-Team dropped to sixth while Selangor went up to fifth.

Kelantan remained on top after easily dispatching bottom side, Kuala Lumpur 3-0 at the Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu. Following closely were Terengganu who adopted well to the artificial surface at the Jalan Besar Stadium to beat Lions XII 1-0. The solitary goal came courtesy of Francis Doe whose composure saw him holding off the challenge from the Lions players before fetching the ball beyond goalkeeper, Izwan Mahbob.

Perak defeated Felda United to remain in third while Negeri Sembilan moved up to fourth despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Sarawak in Kuching. Johor FC still have yet to win at home but their away form has been good. They beat Kedah in Alor Setar 2-1 for their second win on the road.

In a match played on Friday, PKNS FC and Sabah shared the spoils as they battled out to a 2-2 draw at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya.


...

Terengganu Win...

...The Turtle Derby

Terengganu moved to second place in the Super League after winning their 'Turtle' derby encounter with PBDKT T-Team at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium last night. The Turtles' new striker, Francis Doe scored twice as he helped his team coming back from being a goal down early in the match to win 2-1.


T-Team, sporting a new red away shirt started aggressively in front of a near full Sultan Ismail and were rewarded when they were awarded a penalty in the 12th minute when Terengganu goalkeeper brought down T-Team striker, Zachariah Simukonda in the penalty box. The goalkeeper was flashed the yellow card instead of red as the ball was moving away from goal.

Skipper Zairo Anuar who already scored three goals this season stepped up and sent Sharbinee the wrong way. However, an encroachment by a T-Team player caused the penalty to be retaken. This time, Sharbinee went the right way but the sheer power in Zairo's effort was enough to beat his despairing dive.

Four minutes later, disaster struck for Yunus Alif's boys when Terengganu forward, Ashaari Shamsuddin found himself clear with just Iqbal Suhaimi in the T-Team goal to beat. However, he was brought down inside the box by defender Shahril Faizal.

T-Team players felt aggrieved when the referee flashed the red card instead of yellow to the full-back, feeling that it should have been the case too with Sharbinee earlier. However, the official's decision stood and Doe stepped up to send Iqbal the wrong way and level the score.

The match was finally balanced with both teams adopting good passing game. Faiz Subri caused a lot of problems for the Terengganu defence with his run which resulted in fouls around the penalty area. However none of these dead-ball situations led to another goal for the 'away' side.

Instead it was Doe who made the most of the chance that came his way. Iqbal saved with his trailing leg when the Liberian broke through in the 53rd minute but seven minutes later in an almost the same situation he notched the winner for Terengganu.

The defeat saw T-Team dropped to fourth, level on points with Negeri Sembilan but having a better goal difference. The Malaysia Cup champions defeated Felda United 1-0 in Paroi. Perak moved up to third after they won 1-0 in Pasir Gudang against Johor FC who are still looking for their first point at home this season.

Lions XII also registered a 1-0 away win. Their first away win saw them moving up to sixth, leapt-frogging Selangor who were held to a scoreless draw by Sarawak. Kuala Lumpur remained at the bottom of the pile after a 1-1 draw against PKNS FC while Kelantan, having won their away match in Alor Setar 3-0 against Kedah yesterday remained on top.


...

Derby Day...

...in Kuala Terengganu

The first Turtle Derby will take place tomorrow with Terengganu hosting PBDKT T-Team at their shared ground, the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu. The current Super League leader know that a defeat will see them relinquishing the lead to Kelantan who are expected to get a positive result from their trip to Alor Setar to face a struggling Kedah side.


T-Team who lost their perfect record after being held to a 0-0 draw by Sabah on Tuesday are looking forward to continue their good start to the season at the expense of Terengganu. However there are a bit of concerns regarding their foreign striker, Zachariah Simukonda who despite already scoring one goal this season, seemed to be playing below par in all three matches he started so far.

Head Coach Yunus Alif already indicated that he will have to sort things out with the lanky African if his performance does not rise to the level expected from an experienced player like him. With players like Zairo Anuar Zalani and Faiz Subri who could create chances for him, he is expected to show a more clinical performance in front of goal.

Another foreign player in T-Team's book is in the opposite situation to Simukonda. Bosnian defender Bojan Petric has been a rock in the heart of the club defence which has kept three consecutive clean sheets now. However Petric's ability will be severely tested when he comes face to face with Terengganu's Francis Doe.

Doe who scored the only goal of the match on his competitive debut in Sarawak on Tuesday will be looking forward to add to his tally after being kept on the leash for so long due to the 'registration controversy' involving Terengganu and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

The Liberian brings a new dimension to The Turtles attack with his tenacity and good close control and his good vision could bring others into play too. After his goalscoring performance in Kuching, Terengganu fans will surely be looking forward to see the man they call 'Grandpa' back home in Liberia in action.

Another player looking forward to make his home debut is Erison Da Silva or better known as 'Baiano' who also contributed greatly to the win in Kuching, especially with his goal-line clearance that prevented Sarawak from scoring their equaliser. An aggressive midfielder, he also has an eye for a good pass.

As for T-Team, they know they have to win against their so called 'big brother' in order to maintain their stay at the top of the Super League and it will be no surprise if there are going to be a few tense moments as both sets of players will try to get the better of each other.

Other fixtures will see Selangor and Negeri Sembilan will try getting back on winnings ways against Sarawak and KL Felda United respectively. The Red Giants who were shocked by Felda on Tuesday are hoping their home advantage will count against The Crocs who are yet to win away this season.

Felda also are yet to win on their travels with a 3-0 defeat in Kuala Terengganu are still fresh on their mind. The Settlers will have to be at their best to get a good result against Negeri Sembilan who enjoy playing in front of their home crowd.

Sabah will take the positives from their draw against T-Team on Tuesday to make sure all three points will stay in Kota Kinabalu when they take on Singapore Lions XII. A win for the Sabahawks is going to be the perfect birthday present for their Head Coach, Justin Ganai who turns 56 today.

Johor FC are yet to collect any point at home and are hoping for a good result against Perak when the two meet at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Stadium tonight. The Bees were looking good for a point against Kelantan on Tuesday until Norshahrul Idlan Talaha scored winner for The Stags. Against The Buffaloes they hope to make good use of their home advantage and get all three points.

Bottom team Kuala Lumpur are hosting PKNS FC at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka for the only afternoon kick-off of the weekend. With both teams are yet to win this season, they are looking at this fixture as the best point to start winning especially both teams are propping up the rest of the table along with Kedah.

...

East Coast...

...Rule at the Top

After three matches teams from the East Coast of Malaysia are occupying the top three spots at the top of the Super League. Despite being held to a goal-less draw by Sabah in Kuala Terengganu PBDKT T-Team continue to lead the table on goal difference over Kelantan who registered a 2-1 home victory over Johor FC.

Indra Putra Mahyuddin pleased the home crowd who had endured a goal-less first 45 minutes with the opener ten minutes into the second half but they were silenced six minutes later when The Bees levelled the score through Mohamad Khairul Ismail. National striker became the toast of the night for Kelantan when he notched the winner in the 72nd minute.

Terengganu climbed into third place after new signing, Francis Doe scored on his debut for The Turtles in the 1-0 win over Sarawak in Kuching. The Liberian started for Terengganu for the first time in a competitive match along with Brazilian midfielder, Baiano.


It was the home side that dominated the match and created a few chances but Terengganu goalkeeper, Sharbinee Allawee performed well between the sticks to deny the home team from scoring. Then in the 36th minute Doe shrugged off the attention from three Sarawak players before unleashing a stiff shot past the unrushing Saiful Amar Sudar for the only goal of the match.

Perak who had beaten Terengganu on the opening day are also level on points with the Turtles but have an inferior goal difference. They are in fourth after defeating Negeri Sembilan 2-1 in Ipoh.

Former national striker, Akmal Rizal Rakhli scored a brace in the second half as The Buffaloes staged a comeback after Negeri Sembilan striker, Effa Owona had put the visitors ahead after five minutes.

Perhaps the biggest result of the day was the 1-0 win by Felda United over Selangor at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka which saw The Settlers moving up to fifth, leapt-frogging The Deers and The Red Giants. Midfielder Azrul Ahmad scored the only goal of the match on the half hour mark.

Lions XII recorded their first victory with a 2-1 win over bottom team Kuala Lumpur. The struggling City Boys fell behind when their defender, Aiman Syazwan put the ball into his own net four minutes before the interval. Shahdan Sulaiman increased the margin twelve minutes into the second half.

However, Kuala Lumpur were handed a lifeline in the 67th minute when Lions defender Safuwan Baharudin conceded a penalty. To compound the matter, the referee flashed the defender a second yellow card which meant the home side had to cope with just ten men.

Fazuan Abdullah converted the spot-kick to reduce the deficit. Unfortunately for Kuala Lunpur, despite their numerical advantage they just could not conjure an equaliser and in the end suffered their third successive defeat which saw them remaining at the foot of the table.

Sabah despite their point in Kuala Terengganu found themselves dropping down to ninth in the table with their Borneo counterparts Sarawak a place below them in tenth. Johor FC and PKNS FC also lost grounds, the latter failed to make use of their home ground as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Kedah in a drab match.


...

T-Team Reclaimed Top Spot...

...Terengganu Began Ascending

PBDKT T-Team returned to the top of the Super League with a convincing 3-0 victory over Kuala Lumpur at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka yesterday. In the only afternoon kick-off T-Team dominated the City Boys who were playing in Melaka as their own KLFA Stadium in Cheras is currently under renovation.

T-Team skipper Zairo Anuar Zalani scored a brace. The first one coming around the half hour mark when he unleashed an unstoppable shot just from the outside of the penalty area. Foreign player Zachariah Simukonda then added the second in the 70th minute with a header from a long ball by Mohamad Hasbullah.

Then ten minutes from time Zairo notched his second of the match with his trade-mark free-kick to ensure T-Team remained as the only team with a perfect record. Goalkeeper Mohamad Iqbal Suhaimi kept his second clean sheet in as many matches.


In Kuala Terengganu later that evening, Terengganu repeated the scoreline against visiting KL Felda United to get their Super League campaign back on track after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Perak in Ipoh on Tuesday. Despite not scoring, Terengganu striker Abdul Manaf Mamat had a hand in two of The Turtles' goals.

The first was when he headed down the ball into the path of Ismail Faruqi who unleashed a low shot that beat Felda United goalkeeper, Mohamad Suffian all the way. The home crowd responded in an upbeat manner but for all their shouting and drumming the score remained until half time.

At 1-0 there was always a chance for Felda to snatch a late goal and force a draw. But Terengganu could not create a clear cut chance in order to get the cushion of a second goal. As the match went on, The Turtles forward Ashaari Shamsuddin who usually play on the left began to play more centrally.

This paid dividends as in the 73rd minute the 2010 Super League topscorer opened his account for the 2012 edition with a fine individual skill after receiving a cross from substitute, Hasmizan Kamarodin. His shot from the top of the box took a deflection off Felda United skipper Mohamad Hardi Jaafar to completely wrong footed Suffian who was already committed.

Then in the 78th minute Felda United were reduced to ten men after their defender, Mohamad Nazri Ahmad was flashed a second yellow card after bringing down Abdul Manaf just outside the penalty box.

Four minutes from time chaos reigned as referee flashed Hardi with a second yellow card after he fouled Terengganu substitute, Shamsul Kamal. It meant that Felda will play the remainder of the match with just nine men. However referee Syed Azhar Syed Kamar had failed to notice that his linesman had raised his flag for an offside against Shamsul. He quickly rectified the situation but this brought anger among the Terengganu fans.

However the home fans were rewarded for their angst when deep into injury time Abdul Manaf released Ashaari with a fine pass and his team-mate finished with a plomb, easily dispatching the ball past Suffian for a 3-0 scoreline to the Turtles.

The result saw Terengganu climbed to fifth place, behind Negeri Sembilan who won 2-0 at Johor FC, Selangor who held on to a 1-0 win over Perak at the Nasional Stadium and Kelantan who were held to a 1-1 draw by PKNS FC on Friday.

In the Borneo 'derby', it was the Hawks that came out on top with a 2-1 over Sarawak at the Likas Stadium. Michael Baird and Bobby Gonzales scored for Sabah in the first half while former Terengganu and Felda United player, K Rajan reduced the deficit with fifteen minutes remaining.

In Alor Setar, Kedah and Lions XXI remained win-less after sharing the spoils in a goalless draw. Both teams suffered opening day defeats and with just one point there were propping the rest with bottom team Kuala Lumpur.

...

T-Team Pipped...

...from The Top

T-Team stay at the top of the Super League was cut short when defending champions Kelantan 1-1 draw with PKNS FC last night was enough to see The Stags overtake the club side from Kuala Terengganu with just a single point.

However they could reclaim the spot with an identical result or better when they take on Kuala Lumpur at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka this afternoon. T-Team forward, Mohamad Faiz Subri will be looking forward to add to his tally against a Kuala Lumpur side which lost their opening fixture against Sarawak in Kuching.


Sarawak meanwhile will travel to Kota Kinabalu for the Borneo 'derby'. Buoyed by their win over Kuala Lumpur, Robert Alberts boys will be keen to add the Hawks to their list of victims even though his counterpart Justin Ganai is hoping for his boys to bounce back after losing to Felda United on Tuesday.

Goalkeeper Syed Adney if selected will be keen to erase the memory of his mistake that led to Felda's second goal when his misjudgment left him in no-man's land, presenting Yong Kuong Yong with a simple task of heading the ball into the empty net.

The former Kuala Lumpur player will be trying his best to help his new team in getting a good result tonight in Kuala Terengganu as The Settlers take on a Terengganu team aiming to get their season on the right track after losing in Ipoh to Perak in their first match.

With the positive news that their foreign players could be registered after FAM extended the registration deadline to 13 February, The Turtles' fans are looking forward to this match to ensure they would be challenging for the Super League title again this season.

Perak whose victory over Terengganu ensured them a winning start to the new season travel to Selangor who staged a comeback at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi against Negeri Sembilan. The match which ended in a 2-2 scoreline could change in the future as there are doubts in regards of the eligibility of one of their foreign player, Lebanese Ramez Dayoub.

Negeri Sembilan meanwhile made a short trip to Pasir Gudang to play Johor FC. The Bees won their away match against PKNS FC and would be confident of a good display against the Malaysia Cup champions whose striker, Jean Effa Owona is in a good scoring form with four goals already in two matches.

Up north, two losing sides meet at the Darul Aman Stadium as Kedah entertain Lions XII. The Canaries who suffered a 3-0 reverse in Kuala Terengganu against T-Team, will be hoping to put on a good performance in front of their passionate home crowd.

Former Kedah striker, V Sundramoorthy who is now in charge of The Lions, will also be hoping his charges are able to get over their 2-1 home defeat against Kelantan and concentrate in getting a good result and make their mark in their first season back in Malaysian football scene.


...

Stylish Win...

...for T-Team

PBDKT T-Team began the 2012 Malaysian Super League season in stylish fashion with a comprehensive 3-0 over Kedah at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu. The huge margin also saw the club side from Terengganu sitting at the top of the standings for the first time in their history.


New signing from Perlis, Mohamad Faiz Subri was the hero for T-Team with a brace on his debut. The first one was in the 11th minute when he unleashed a right foot shot from the edge of the penalty box that had the entire Kedah defence beaten. Then in the 28th minute, he stooped low to connect with a free-kick by Zairo Anuar Zalani which once again rendered Abdul Hadi helpless.

Then four minutes later, Zairo who was named as T-Team captain for the new season, treated the 200+ fans at the Sultan Ismail with one of his special from dead ball situation. This time his corner kick swerved and went past the already committed Abdul Hadi and into the net.


Three nil to the good and Kedah were never look capable of making a comeback from such a big deficit.

T-Team Head Coach, Yunus Alif was elated with the win and hoped that it will a launchpad that will see his team challenging for the Super League title this season. But the big test for them will be against Kuala Lumpur on Saturday at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka as T-Team try to shed the image of a yo-yo team, excellent against the big boys but mediocre against lesser opponents.

It was not all sweet for Terengganu football fans though as The Turtles failed to get their 2012 Super League campaign on a winning note. Instead they fell to a wonderful long range strike by Slovakian player, Michal Kubala with just fifteen minutes to go.

Prior to the goal, a rejuvenated Perak side took control of the match and Terengganu had much to thank their goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee who kept The Buffaloes attacks at bay on a number of occasions. However there was nothing much he could do with Kubala's strike and Terengganu must now regroup and set their mind on winning their home match against Felda United on Saturday.

Felda meanwhile played their match early in the afternoon and came out on top against Sabah. Raimi Mohamad Noor gave Felda the lead before former Kuala Lumpur player Yong Kuong Yong scoring the second after a horrendous mistake by Sabah goalkeeper, Syed Adney. The Liverpool born custodian misjudged the flight of the ball allowing Yong to head home with Adney stranded off his line.

The Settlers certainly will be looking forward to their trip to Kuala Terengganu, hoping for another good result that will maintain their title challenge momentum.

Former Terengganu Head Coach, Irfan Bakti could get some sense of satisfaction after seeing his new team Selangor coming back from two goal down to snatch a point against Negeri Sembilan, the team that wrecked his dream of winning the Malaysia Cup last season.

Negeri's foreign striker Jean Effa Owona scored a brace to give the home fans a feel good feeling going into the interval. But Amirulhadi Zainal stiff grounder reduced the deificit before Safiq Rahim levelled the score from the penalty spot.

Another Selangor side, PKNS FC could not make such a comeback against Johor FC at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya. The Bees went two goals ahead, thanks to strikes from Riduan Maon and Azi Shazril from the penalty spot. PKNS managed to reduce the deficit through Fauzan Dzulkifli, also from the penalty spot. Despite finishing with just ten men, Johor FC held on for their 2-1 win.

Sarawak marked their return to the top flight with a 2-0 win over troubled Kuala Lumpur. However fans at the Sarawak State Stadium had to wait until late in the match before K Ravindran and Hairol Mokhtar struck eight minutes between one another to give Robert Alberts men a winning start to their season.

At the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, Super League champions Kelantan came back from behind to beat Lions XII 2-1 with goals from Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and a spot kick by Mohamed Ghaddar. This was after the home crowd was uplifted when Baihakki Khaizan had put the Lions ahead early in the match.

...

Big Boys...

...Coming In.

Today the big boys in Malaysian football will take to the field as the Malaysian Super League kick-off with seven matches across the nation. It is also the day which will see Singapore returning to the Malaysian football scene after leaving in 1995.

In the round only afternoon kick-off, Felda United will take on Sabah at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka at 4.45pm. Meanwhile further down south, Singapore XII host defending Super League champions, Kelantan at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7.45pm.

The Lions skipper, Shahril Ishak is wary of the East Coast team's reputation but they have made a dossier of the Stags strengths and weaknesses and now are ready to take on Peter Butler's charges. The Singaporeans are also hoping the unfamiliarity of Malaysian teams playing on an artificial pitch will be to their advantage.

Across the South China Sea, Robert Alberts' boys will face Kuala Lumpur on their return to the top flight. Last season Premier League runners-up are looking to take full points against the cash strapped City Boys who are made up with almost entirely new face for the new season.

At the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi, two coaches whose teams met on the last day of the 2011 Malaysian League, will meet on the first day of this season competition. Azrai Khor Abdullah whose Negeri Sembilan team got the better of Irfan Bakti's Terengganu in the Malaysia Cup final will entertain the Kelantanese coach who this time will try his luck with the Red Giants of Selangor.

Terengganu meanwhile under new Head Coach, Mat Zan Mat Aris will have to rely on local talents at least until March after their foreign players are ruled ineligible to play in the league by FAM, despite receiving a circular stating they are able to sign them beyond the registration deadline.

FAM Secretary-General Datuk Azzudin Ahmad later apologized for the mix-up and clarified that the circular was referring to the AFC Cup competition and not the league.

The Turtles travel to Ipoh to take on The Buffaloes and after finishing last season Super League in second place, are hoping for a good start to ensure they will be able to challenge for the title again.

In Kuala Terengganu, club side PBDKT T-Team entertain Kedah at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah. After losing three influential players in Norfarhan Muhammad, Indra Putra Mahyudin and Azizi Che Rose during the close season, T-Team have strengthen their side with the signing of Selangor duo Fadzlie Saari and Iqbal Suhaimi, former Perlis striker Zachariah Simukonda and Bosnian defender, Bojan Petric.

The Canaries meanwhile have retained most of their core players and will be hoping to get a good result in Kuala Terengganu in order for them to improve on their fourth place finish last season.


...

Right...

...to the Wire!

As a Ganuan mad redo1 was hoping to see Terengganu winning their maiden Super League title this season. However, prior to the kick-off of the last round of matches in the 2011 Super League season, he realised that The Turtles only had a small percentage of chances of doing that.

Three points behind leaders Kelantan and two behind Selangor the only way the Super League title coming to Kuala Terengganu was by hoping Saba

h to win against The Stags and Selangor were unable to get a win in Ipoh against Perak. Terengganu also needed to do their part of the bargain by winning big against Felda United at Kelana Jaya.

How mad redo1 wished he could be there to capture the moment but it was the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium for him to cover the T-Team versus Kuala Lumpur match.

With the Terengganu club side already assured of their place in the Super League, the match was more significant for the City Boys who were third from bottom and needed to get at least a draw in Kuala Terengganu.

Thus it was no surprise when they raced to a two goal lead in the first half through Mohamad Badrul Hisyam Azmi. However Indra Putra Mahyuddin reduced the deficit towards the end of the period through a header from a corner.

In the second half Kuala Lumpur restored their two goal lead when Badrul completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, even though T-Team goalkeeper, Ismail Abdul Rahman managed to save the initial kick the striker maintained his cool and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper, whose error gifted Kuala Lumpur their second goal in the first half.

Substitute Shamsul Kamal made the scoreline 3-2 towards the end of the match and despite some late pressure T-Team could not find their way past Kuala Lumpur defence again, condemning them to the thirteenth defeat of the season.

Meanwhile in Kelana Jaya, Terengganu raced to a 4-1 half-time lead with goals coming from Reeshafiq Alwi, Abdul Manaf Mamat and a brace by Abdul Hadi Yahya. However news coming in from Kota Kinabalu were not that rosy as The Stags had taken the lead against Sabah.

It turned out that tonight was not just about the race to become the 2011 league champions but also the race to win the golden boot. Malaysian internationals Hadi of Terengganu and Kelantan's Norshahrul Idlan Talaha were neck to neck to become 2011 topscorer, an award won by Terengganu's Ashaari Shamsuddin in 2010.

Then in the second half, Hadi found something extra and found the Felda United's net twice to make it twenty goals to his name and ensuring the golden boot would make its way to Terengganu again.

At the end of the night, The Turtles could not overhaul The Stags which were crowned as Super League Champions for the first time while Terengganu finished in their highest ever position since the start of the Super League, as runners-up which was an improvement from last season's third place. Selangor finished third after being held to a goal-less draw by Perak.

The immediate attention for Malaysian football fans would be the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers against Singapore on the 21 and 28 of July. Then it will be a break for Ramadhan before the Malaysia Cup tournament begin a week after Aidil-Fitri in September.

To Terengganu, CONGRATULATIONS FOR A GOOD SEASON!

...

Another Comeback...

...by The Turtles.

Terengganu made a strong second half comeback to win 3-1 after falling behind against bottom team, Perlis in their 2011 Super League match at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah last night. It seemed the incident of falling behind is becoming a trade-mark for The Turtles who already made eight positive comebacks from their 17 league matches so far.

They also have made late rallies in their away defeats to Selangor and Perak (FA Cup) while against Kedah they were unlucky not coming away with a more positive result.

Against Perlis, Head Coach, Irfan Bakti chose to field Mazlizam Mohamad and Ronny Harun while resting influential skipper, Marzuki Yusof. It was quite a strange decision by the experienced coach as he was already without regular, Hasmizan Kamarodin who was given an extended leave to be with his wife for the delivery of their child.

Thus it was not really a surprise when the new partnership failed to gel effectively which led to The Northern Lions scoring their goal by Nik Shahrul Hanizam when he capitalised on a defensive mix-up. Instead of introducing Marzuki, it was Abdul Manaf Mamat who was sent on in place of the beleaguered Ahmad Nordin Alias.

It was perhaps a tactical reshuffle as from the line-up, it was more like a 4-5-1 formation with Abdul Hadi Yahya playing as a lone striker. Introducing Abdul Manaf changed the formation to the more familiar 4-4-2 formation again.

However, it was the lack of sharpness of the Terengganu players that saw them playing below par as quite a number of passes went astray despite having a lion share of possession. This prompted uncivilized fans to hurl abuse at the players when they should be giving them encouragement to try harder.

These fans might as well stay away as their presence merely provoke stress to the players who were trying their best under conditions which were not helping them to consistently give their best in every match. The Perlis match was their tenth match in thirty days.

Irfan Bakti's attempt to rotate his squad seemed to backfire which gave credence to his statement that his squad does not have adequate strength in depth to give his players enough rest between matches.

Fortunately his striker Abdul Manaf who was in the midst of a dry spell in front of goal found his scoring touch back with a brace in the second half, sandwiching a strike by another player who have not found the back of the net in the last six matches, Ashaari Shamsudin.

Abdul Manaf first strike came nine minutes into the second half when he latched onto a through pass and finished the move with a low shot that left Perlis goalkeeper, Amini Ahmad Tabarani helpless. Then in the 68th minute Ashaari darted on a solo run past several Perlis defenders which ended with him beating Amini with another low shot.

Then in the 76th minute Abdul Hadi Yahya broke in from the right and sent in a low ball. Abdul Manaf anticipation was spot on as he connected with it to beat Amini at his near post. It could have been four and a ht-trick for Abdul Manaf but his wonderful header from a cross by Reeshafiq Alwi was ruled off-side by the referee assistant.

The win maintained Terengganu pressure on the two teams at the top of the 2011 Super League table. Kelantan won 1-0 at Johor FC while Selangor overcame Kuala Lumpur in Cheras with a 3-1 scoreline.



...

Dull Affair...

...in kT

As expected, Kelantan returned to the top of the Super League table after their 2-0 win over Kuala Lumpur in Kota Bahru. This meant Terengganu are now in third place, a point adrift from The Stags and The Red Giants. It is still a long way to go and during this hectic period which only ends at the end of May, so many things could happen.

In order for The Turtles to keep up in the title race is to play good football but many would not mind getting results by playing 'ugly' football. But playing ugly football and NOT getting the right result would only mean fans are going to desert you en masse, such as the one on display when PBDKT T-Team took on Pahang last night.

The match, like the one between Terengganu and Selangor the night before was televised 'live' by Astro Arena. Unfortunately, it was not anything like the previous match with stray passes galore between the two sets of players. Chances, once again were at a premium.

The closest anyone getting the ball into the net was when T-Team's topscorer, Indra Putra Mahyudin smacked his shot against the bar from a corner, with the Pahang goalkeeper, Rosfaizul Azuar was already beaten.

The crowd were really getting on the back of T-Team striker, Haris Safwan who became the brunt of the blame for the team's poor performance. Perhaps it a was a spell that he was going through when everything he does just would not come off right. This time he lasted just until the interval, when he was replaced by Shamsul Kamal Mohamad.

T-Team dropped to ninth in the table while Pahang remained in tenth.



...

Canaries Caged...

...in kT.

PBDKT T-Team snapped their win-less run of four matches with a 3-1 win over Kedah in Kuala Terengganu last night. Ironically, the win came after the Kuala Terengganu club gave their Head Coach, Yunus Alif a temporary leave of absence as the result of the inconsistent performance by the team.

Meanwhile at the Likas Stadium, Terengganu came back from falling a goal behind against host, Sabah to win their encounter against the Rhinos 2-1. The win kept The Turtles in second place which mean the could become the Super League leaders if they win their encounter against current leader, Selangor on Friday.

At The Sultan Ismail Nasirudin, caretaker coach, Shafie Pak could not wish for a better start for his tenure when Indra Putra Mahyuddin fired the home side ahead just after three minutes with a wonderful volley from a cross by Haris Safwan Kamal.

However, both teams could not display a commanding performance and the match became a dull affair with chances came at a premium. Then from almost out of nothing, Kedah equalised.

A long ball out of defence found Baddrol Bakhtiar on the left. He easily shrugged off the challenge from Subri Sulong and then tricked Syamsuri Mustafa with his body movement before slotting the ball into the empty net.

The second half was no different. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm. Then with ten minutes to go, a group of supporter raised a banner asking the sacking of the head coach and the team management to be reshuffled.

Coincidently, at this moment T-Team began to seize control of the match. After a number of attempts finally substitute Shamsul Kamal restored his team lead when his stiff shot from the right squirmed from Helmi Eliza's grasp and rolled over the goal-line. the goalkeeper must be wishing the ground to open up and swallow him at the moment.

Then three minutes into stoppage time, experienced midfielder Zairo Anuar who already saw Helmi saving his attempts during the match, gave the goalkeeper no chance with a first time shot from 20 metres after being set up by Indra Putra.

It was a welcome relief for t-team who could consolidate their form with another win over Pahang on Saturday on the same venue.

Meanwhile in Kota Kinabalu, Terengganu goalkeeper, Sharbinee Allawee must be sharing the same feeling with Helmi when his mistake led to the opening goal for Sabah. The custodian failed to deal properly with a long shot by Shahrul Azhar Ture and could only watch as the ball went to the back of the net.

However, Sharbinee who has been in fine form all season should not feel bad as even the best goalkeeper in the world also commit an error every now and then.

The home fans who were hoping to get all three points from the match had their hopes dashed when Terengganu striker, Abdul Hadi Yahya equalised with a simple finish after a team-mate had brought the ball under control from a cross inside the penalty area.

It was his six goals in as many matches, equalling the record he made earlier this season. Abdul Hadi now has thirteen goals to his name in all competitions this season. Then substitute Wan Aliff Jasmi who put up a good performance when he came on against Perak on Saturday made himself a hero to all Ganuans last night.

When Abdul Hadi broke on the left, Wan Aliff made a run into the box. He arrived just a head of his marker to tap in the ball into the empty net after his team-mate had beaten Sabah goalkeeper, Syed Adney with a low ball.

Then a moment of controversy came when an attempt by a Sabah player hit the hand of a Terengganu player inside the penalty box. However the referee deemed it was a case of 'ball to hand' rather than the other way around.

It was enough to cause the Sabah fans in the stands to show their displeasure but in the end The Turtles held on for the precious three points in order to keep up their title challenge for this season.





...

Turtles Downed Buffaloes...

...Again!

Terengganu scored three goals again when they met Perak at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium last night. This time there was no reply from The Buffaloes. However despite the score, Norizan Bakar's men were not completely outplayed by the Turtles though.

A win for Terengganu would see them returning to second spot on the Super League table. Thus the home side made their intention clear early in the match with several forays into the Perak penalty area. However Perak custodian, Nasril Nourdin proved to be a huge stumbling block for Terengganu as he made several saves in keeping the score at nil-nil.


Terengganu however were not to be denied. After fifteen minutes, their top-scorer, Abdul Hadi Yahya latched onto a through pass from midfield. He took the ball with a wonderful close control and prodded it past Nasril. It seemed like forever but finally the ball rolled over the line and Sultan Ismail erupted with joy as fans celebrated the goal, which was Hadi's twelfth goal of the season.

The Turtles continued to put pressure on Perak defence but the visitors managed to keep the score at one-nil going into the interval. They even came close several times with Noor Hazrul putting his efforts from dead ball situations just wide of the mark.


Eight minutes into the second half Terengganu suffered a setback when influential skipper, Marzuki Yusof had to leave the field due to an injury sustained in the first half. His replacement, Mazlizam Mohamad quickly made his presence felt with a header that just went above the bar from a corner.

Going into the hour mark, Perak tried hard to level things up. Their coach, Norizan Bakar made the switch by replacing Shafiq Jamil with with the more direct and physical style of Razali Umar Kandasamy.

However, it was Terengganu who found the back of the net again. This time through midfielder Reeshafiq Alwi who was put through by Abdul Manaf Mamat in the 67th minute. He finished smartly with the outside of his right boot leaving Nasril picking up the ball from the back of his net for the second time last night.


Then twelve minutes from time Abdul Manaf, who himself was going through a lean spell in front of goal for five matches now; broke through on the left. His cut back eventually fell to Hadi who unleashed a shot which proved too hot to handle for Nasril.

Joseph Kalang Tie who did the follow-up swung at the loose ball which hit the roof of the net. It was an emotional moment for the Sarawak born forward as it was his first goal of the season. To make it even sweeter for him, Joseph's family were watching from the stands.

There was no way back for Perak and despite their late pressure on Terengganu defence, failed to ruin Sharbinee's fifth clean sheet of the season. The win saw The Turtles leap-frog Kelantan into second place, four points behind Selangor who also won 2-1 in Kota Kinabalu against Sabah.



...

Poor, Poor...

...Perlis.

Kelantan moved into second place in the 2011 Malaysian Super League when they completed a double over Perlis at the Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium last night. The 4-0 win came after the two sides had met in Kangar on Tuesday where The Northern Lions were humiliated 5-1 by The Stags.

The win saw Kelantan reduced the deficit to league leaders Selangor to just two points. In view of the Red Giants trip to Sabah tonight it is a good way to put a little pressure on K Devan's boys ahead of their match against the Rhinos, who so far have been on good form at home.

Terengganu and Perak who shared the points in Ipoh on Tuesday are also hoping for a win to keep up with the leaders. The Turtles will retake second place if they win tonight, a result which will leave the Buffaloes further behind in the title race.

When the two sides met in the FA Cup quarter-finals last month, Terengganu won the match 3-1 to overturn the first leg deficit and qualify for the last four where they will be meeting Pahang next month. A similar result will see the home fans going home happy tonight.

Meanwhile another Terengganu team, PBDKT T-Team which travel to Pasir Gudang to meet Johor FC will be hoping to record their first win in three matches. Their resurrection which saw them beating Kelantan and Selangor earlier this month seemed to have petered out since losing the 'Turtle' derby against Terengganu which followed by the easy defeat at Kuala Lumpur.

A draw will be a good result against The Bees at their hive but a win will certainly be a bonus for this long trip down south by Yunus Alif's boys.



...

Falling Further...

...Down.

Perak found themselves dropping further down the 2011 Malaysian Super League charts after Kedah won their tie against Harimau Muda 'A' at the Shah Alam Stadium last night. The win for the Canaries came courtesy of an own goal by Harimau Muda defender, Mohamad Amer Saidin who sliced his clearance into his own net despite not being pressured by any Kedah player.

Kedah are now in fourth place while Perak dropped to fifth.




...

All Tied...

...Up!

Last night saw the last round of matches were played in the 2011 Super League first round. The big winners were Selangor who pulled four points clear at the top of the league charts after being forced to work hard by Sabah at the Shah Alam Stadium.

This was after their nearest challengers, Terengganu and Perak cancelled each other out at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh by playing to a 1-1 draw. The Turtles remained second while The Buffaloes dropped to fourth after Kelantan halted their win-less run with a 5-1 demolition of Perlis in Kangar to climb to third spot.

At the Perak Stadium, the home side went ahead after eight minutes when Shafiq Jamil's attempt from a corner was judged by the referee to have crossed the Terengganu goal line. The Turtles levelled the score in the second half when Abdul Hadi Yahya converted a penalty for his eleven goal of the season.

 Photo credit to: hesome-yob4ever

The spot kick was awarded after Ashaari Shamsudin was brought down inside the penalty area even though Perak players protested that the foul was committed outside of it. In the end both teams had to share the spoils from this encounter.

Meanwhile PBDKT T-Team also stopped their losing run by drawing 1-1 with Johor FC at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu. Defender Shahrul Ezrain gave the Kuala Terengganu club side a dream start with a goal after ten minutes but T-Team failed to find the visitors' back of the net again during the match.

A number of chances fell to Indra Putra Mahyudin, Haris Safwan, Zairo Anuar and Shamsul Kamal but almost all their attempts failed to find their target or were blocked by The Bees defenders.

They were made to pay when three minutes into the second half, T-Team defenders failed to react when a corner was delivered into their box and Shahrizal Mohamad Saad took full advantage to head home the equaliser.

The second half saw T-Team continued struggling to breach the visitors defence. Towards the end of the match Indra Putra was seen pushed by a Johor FC defender when they were competing for a high ball inside the box.

The referee played the advantage but when the advantage did not come to anything, T-Team defender Azizi Matt Rose protested that a penalty should have been given to his team. However his protest came to no avail.

Then Azizi himself got into trouble when he brought down a Johor FC player as the latter was bearing down on T-Team's goal during a quick counter-attack. The referee gleefully reached for his pocket and flashed the one coloured red. The task of winning the match looked harder for the home side.

However credit to them as they continued to push the issue but once again poor finishing let them down. Zairo could have given T-Team all three points when a free-kick was awarded to T-Team at the edge of Johor FC penalty area but from an acute angle.

He managed to find the target but Terengganu born goalkeeper Suhardy Alby palmed away his shot and by the end both teams had to be content with a point each.

Teams are going to play the reverse of last night's fixtures to mark the beginning of the second round of matches in the 2011 Malaysian Super League.


...

Turtles at the Top...

...even it was for a Short Time Only.

Terengganu went to the top of the Super League table for the first time this season after this hard fought victory over Felda United at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah last night. The position could shift after the completion of the weekend's programme with the top draw being title contenders Selangor entertaining Perak at the Shah Alam Stadium.

For The Turtles, the match against The Settlers was certainly a tough one with it coming just two days after the mental sapping 'Turtle' derby against PBDKT T-Team. Striker Abdul Hadi Yahya who was Terengganu's hero during the match with a fine goal, proved to be a match-winner once again with another wonderful strike just after over an hour of play.

This came after the visitors had managed to continually frustrate the home team with their pressing game and aided by Turtles who looked lethargic throughout. Terengganu players failed to display their usual passing game and with almost all moves broke down at one stage or the other.

The Settlers could consider themselves unlucky not to go two goals ahead in the first half when they hit the woodwork twice, the closest was when Bobby Chin pounced on a loose ball after Terengganu goalkeeper, Sharbinee Allawee had parried a long range shot by Azrul Ahmad.

They even had the ball in The Turtles' net towards the end of the first half but former Terengganu player, Liew Kit Kong's effort was not counted as the referee's assistant had risen his flag for offside against Azrul during the move. Sharbinee was certainly the busier of the two goalkeepers on the pitch.

In the second half Terengganu began to pull themselves together and began to look dangerous. However the Felda defence stood their ground and managed to repel these attacks.

The moment that turned the match around came in the 62nd minute when Felda failed to clear their line properly. When Joseph Kalang found Hadi with a lot of space, the striker had nothing but goal on his mind as he struck a right foot shot which dipped into the top corner, beating Felda goalkeeper, Hamsani Ahmad all the way.

The Turtles tried to increase their lead but in the end had to settle for this single goal victory which was enough to propel them to the Super League summit, even it was just for a twenty four hour period, at least for the time being.

Reflecting on the match, Terengganu Head Coach, Irfan Bakti admitted that his players were not at their best last night. Many were suffering from fatigue especially after playing in the 'Turtle' derby against T-Team. As one could have expected, playing in derby matches could take a lot on players.

Furthermore the way the fixtures are arranged by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) competition committee, it is certainly far from ideal for good quality football to be played throughout the season. The current fixture which started on 2 April (after the international break) teams will play one match every three days until 24 May. A total of 16 matches in 50 days.

Unless a team has a good strength in depth in their squad, any hope of consistently producing top class performance would be out of question. This is an aspect that FAM have to take note in order to increase the quality of football in this country.

For Terengganu fans, let enjoy this moment and hope it will last till the end of the season.


...