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.





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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.



...

Great Comeback...

...in kT!

It was not a welcome habit but it seemed to be entrenched in the way Terengganu play at the moment. Conceding a silly goal early in the match before making a comeback to take something out of the encounters with their opponents.

The match against Harimau Muda 'A' was the third time they conceded early in the match, this time a mis-kick by a Terengganu defender presented the chance for Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim to put the Young Tigers ahead just after seven minutes of play.

But one good thing from going behind in previous matches is the mental strength of the Turtles seemed to grow as they did not panic and played to their strength. Irfan Bakti's boys seemed to create a number of good scoring chances but were unable to convert these opportunities into goals.

Ten minutes after going behind Terengganu forced a corner when Harimau Muda skipper Mohamad Muslim blocked a shot from Ashaari Shamsudin. However, the Terengganu topscorer would not be denied his goal, connecting with Ismail Faruqi's corner with a powerful header that hit the bar before rebounding behind the goal line.

Terengganu continued their dominance after the equaliser. Ismail himself and Joseph Kalang saw their shots saved by Harimau Muda goalkeeper, Izham Tarmizi Roslan. The young custodian however could not do anything to prevent Abdul Hadi Yahya's shot from going past him in the 36th minute.

The goal was a result from a quick counter attack after the home defence managed to clear a corner by Harimau Muda. Ismail Faruqi made a long pass which found Abdul Hadi who managed to evade challenges from two Harimau Muda players before slotting the ball home.

Izham denied Hadi another goal with a wonderful save two minutes before the interval but he was beaten again when Abdul Manaf Mamat was put through and beat him with a delicate lob. Fortunately for the Harimau Muda goalkeeper, the goal was not counted as Manaf was flagged offside by the referee assistant.

Terengganu continued to press after the interval as they went out looking for the security of a third goal. Ashaari's hardwork and persistence paid off in the 64th minute when he won the ball in a midfield challenge.

He played the ball to Hadi who laid the ball into Ismail's path, giving him a clear run to Harimau Muda's goal. The midfielder kept his cool and finished the move with a side-foot which nestled gently in the Young Tigers' net.

Three-one to the Turtles and the margin could have been bigger had their players converted the chances that came their way after the third goal was scored. In the end it was enough for Terengganu to keep pace with the leaders.

PBDKT T-Team shock 2-0 win in Shah Alam against Selangor saw the Red Giants being pegged back by Kelantan who themselves were beaten by T-Team on Tuesday. Both teams were level on twenty points but the Stags have a better goal difference.

Perak missed the opportunity to climb to the top of the pile when they lost their unbeaten record this season, going down 2-1 to a Sabah team, struggling at the lower part of the Super League table. The defeat saw them dropped to third, just a point in front of Terengganu.

Goals from Norfarhan Mohamad and Indra Putra Mahyudin were enough to see off a poor Selangor side, which missed the chance to go in front in the first half when T-Team experienced goalkeeper, Syamsuri Mustafa saved a penalty by Razman Roslan.

Thirteen minutes into the second half Norfarhan rose unchallenged inside the box to head home a Zairo Anuar's free-kick. Part of the blame should also be borned by Selangor goalkeeper, Mohamad Iqbal who should have done better.

Then six minutes from time, Indra Putra latched onto a quick pass from Zairo and with consummate ease evaded challenges from the home defenders before finding the back of the net with a low shot.

The win was the third in succession for Yunus Alif's charges and they maintained their seventh place in the Super League charts. It should finally ease the pressure on the Head Coach who struggled to find the right mix for his team before the break for the FA Cup competition and the international friendly.

...

Canaries Pecked Turtles...

...Again!

Terengganu suffered their second defeat of the season when Kedah staged a comeback at the Darul Aman Stadium in Alor Setar on Saturday night. Midfielder Reeshafiq Alwi opened his goal account for The Turtles after half an hour of play with a stunning volley from outside the penalty box.

However, Terengganu who playing without the injured skipper Marzuki Yusof in defence could not contain the home side attack and two quick goals from Khyrel Muhymeen and former Turtle, Firdaus Faudzi in a four minutes spell in the 64th and 67th minutes brought back the cheers to the home side, whose team was under the supervision of Radhi Mat Din for the first time after Ahmad Yusof was given his 'leave'.

In Kuala Terengganu, PBDKT T-Team and Perak could not lift themselves to find the rhythm to display good football in front of the home crowd, which totalled to less than a thousand, perhaps influenced by the rain that has been coming down for the past few days.

In a dour match, unbeaten Perak were let down by their poor finishing. Their best chance came midway through the first half when their striker, having beaten goalkeeper, Syamsuri Mustafa could only send the ball into the side-netting.

The best chance for T-Team came towards the end of the first half during an a spell which saw they dominated the match, striker Haris Safwan's effort was cleared off the line by the Perak defence.

In the end, both teams had to settle for a nil-nil scoreline.

Terengganu and Perak dropped to fifth and fourth respectively in the Super League table after this round of fixtures. Kedah climbed to eighth while T-Team remained second from bottom of the table.

On the night which saw leaders Kelantan's unbeaten record came to an end in Kuantan, it was a big opportunity for Perak take the lead at the top of the table. However, as it turned out Kelantan remained at the top of the pile but now they were joined by last season Premier League champions, Felda United and defending Super League champions, Selangor on fourteen points.

Pahang registered their third win to climb to sixth, even though for many it was rather unexpected against the high riding Stags. Negeri Sembilan's season turned for the worse after their home defeat against Selangor, which would turn more heat on coach Wan Jamak.

Johor FC and Kuala Lumpur played to a scoreless draw the day before and the match between Sabah and Harimau Muda 'A' was postponed due to unplayable pitch even though there were reports of the match being awarded to the Young Tigers.

...

Wasted...

...Youth

It is good to see many football fans in Terengganu are still willing to lend the support to the two Terengganu teams competing in the 2011 President Cup tournament. However this season saw both teams are in the bottom half of their respective group's standings.

PBDKT T-Team (T-Team) are in Group A while Terengganu are in Group B.

The former only managed a single win from four outings and yesterday's 3-1 defeat at home to Sabah left them in eighth place of the eleven team group. Their fortunes seemed to mirror their senior side's performance in the Super League, which incidently also managed to just a single win and a draw so far this season.

Terengganu on the other hand recorded a 4-1 win over Pahang at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan to register their first win of the season. The victory saw them placed seventh in their group.

The tournament is effectively a reserve league championship for Malaysian League sides and all players are restricted to a certain age. These players also are eligible to represent their senior side without having to be registered in the senior squad.

However, the quality of football on show so far has not been at the best level in relation to their age.

Perhaps reverting back to the practice a few seasons back when a maximum of three senior players were allowed to play in President Cup matches. It could increase the quality of the play on the field and at the same time players who do not play regularly for the first team will have the opportunity to play competitive football in order to maintain their match fitness and sharpness.

This is being practiced in top leagues in Europe and the young players will benefit from playing with senior players who should lead by example in terms of technical ability and also leadership skills.

But the thing is in Malaysia or in this case in Terengganu, the pyramid of football is not really a pyramid at all with the lack of football played at the much lower age groups means children are not equipped with enough basic skills in football, thus when they progress through the age groups, we could always see improper control of the ball, lack of positional sense and making the wrong decisions.

With the number of schools in each districts there are enough to create a school league for the under-12s, under-15s and under-17s which could see these children playing football competitively during the weekends for six to eight months of the year.

During the week they would be training with proper coaches and with experience gained through match exposure they would be progressing well in relation to their age group, and by the time they are in their mid-teens we should be able to determine whether these players have the quality to succeed or not.

Furthermore, these matches will give ample opportunities for scouts to keep an eye on any talented players that show potentials to become good players in the future.

Of course this is only a wish of someone who does not have any authority to make these changes. His only wish is someone in authority share the same vision and together we could work to make this a reality.

Until then, we will just have to make do with the usual fare dished to us, just like the one on the 'C' Pitch yesterday.


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