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.



...

Turtles and Giants...

...Shared The Spoils.

Terengganu failed to use their home advantage against Selangor to go to the top of the 2011 Super League table. The 1-1 draw in Kuala Terengganu would not neither team any good as Kelantan who are playing tonight could leapfrog them if they win their home match against Kuala Lumpur, as they are expected to.

The Turtles who had to battle hard in Kota Kinabalu to come away with all three points, looked a bit jaded as they tried to impose control on the match. Selangor, who were beaten on Tuesday in Kota Bahru by Kelantan were looking to avoid a similar result and opted for a less adventurous tactic against the home side.

Despite slightly having more possession of the ball, the Terengganu front-line lacked ideas in the final third and most of their attempts were from distance. In one such instance, Abdul Hadi Yahya's shot was too hot to handle for Selangor goalkeeper, Saiful Amar Sudar but Hadi's strike partner, Abdul Manaf Mamat skied his shot.

It would not have counted anyway as the linesman had flagged Manaf for offside.

Selangor also had their moments too. Rudie Ramlie managed to get to a through ball by his skipper, Amri Yahyah but under pressure from Terengganu defender, Hasmizan Kamarodin he could only shoot straight at Sharbinee Allawee.

Then two minutes from the interval Safiq Rahim nipped on the blind side to connect with another Amri's pass and slotted the ball past Sharbinee. It was a close call by the referee's assistant he deemed the player was onside, much to the chagrin of the home fans, who then proceeded to rain the official with a favourite local delicacy; keropok lekor.

Terengganu were presented with an opportunity to level the score when the referee awarded a free-kick for a foul on Abdul Hadi. However, the off-form Ashaari Shamsuddin could only hit the wall and the ball was subsequently cleared.

The Turtles could go further behind when slack marking allowed Asrarudin Putra a free header from a corner a minute into the second half. Fortunately for Terengganu, his header was off target.

Nearing the hour mark, Irfan Bakti felt the need for a change and he made a double substitution. Abdul Manaf and fullback, Helmi Remeli were taken off and their place were taken by Ahmad Nordin Alias and Mohaimin Omar.

In the 64th minute the equaliser Terengganu were looking for finally arrived courtesy of midfielder, Ismail Faruqi. Joseph Kalang broke through on the right and while his first attempt to cross the ball was blocked, he managed to do it the second time around. Ismail run was not picked up and he dived bravely to connect with the ball and sent it past Saiful Amar.

Sultan Ismail erupted with joy and buoyed by this Terengganu camped inside Selangor's half as they tried to seek the winner. Ismail came close again with a similar move but the second time around the goalkeeper foiled his attempt.

Joseph, Abdul Hadi and their skipper, Marzuki Yusof came close with their efforts but in the end both teams had to settle for a point each while hoping The City Boys would do them a favour by getting a positive result in Kota Bahru tonight.




...

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.



...

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.


...

Pipped to Second...

...by the Red Giants.

Terengganu's stay at the top of the Super League was cut short by Selangor after the Red Giants won against another title contender, Perak at the Shah. Safiq Rahim scored the match only goal and put his team two points clear of The Turtles.

Perak, which could go to the top themselves if they managed to collect all three points at Shah Alam remained in third. They now will face The Turtles in a double header to mark the end of the first round of matches in the Super League on Tuesday in Ipoh.

Then they will travel to Kuala Terengganu for the first match in the second round. As a Ganuan, of course mad redo1 will be hoping for all six points to be collected by Terengganu in order to keep up the pressure on the league leader, Selangor.

But it would not be an easy task with both teams winning their home match when they met in the last eight of the FA Cup competition last month. A win in Ipoh for Terengganu will be considered as a bonus for Terengganu as to come away with a point is a more realistic target.

Hopefully the extra day of rest, having played their match on Friday will do the Terengganu players a world of good as they need to be at their best in order to get a good result in Ipoh.

When they recorded three wins in succession, many thought T-Teams had finally found their winning rhythm. But defeat in the 'Turtle' derby against Terengganu seemed to affect the morale of the T-Team players.

Their display against Kuala Lumpur at the KLFA Stadium was woeful to say the least. Conceding three 'schoolboys' goals in a period of less than five minutes left them with a mountain climb. As expected they never recover after that despite managing to pull one back through Indra Putra Mahyuddin before the first half is over.

The result saw T-Team going down a place to eighth in the Super League table, equal on points and goal difference with their conquerors, Kuala Lumpur. But the Terengganu club side had scored more goals then the City Boys.

T-Team will end their first round campaign against Johor FC on Tuesday in Kuala Terengganu and visit Pasir Gudang for their return match next Saturday. As a Ganuan mad redo1 will be hoping for T-Team to rediscover their winning ways again.

...

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.


...

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.

...

Great Comeback...

...in Kuantan

It is very rare for mad redo1 to be able to cover away matches for either Terengganu or PBDKT T-Team as they would be playing on the same night, alternating home and away fixtures between the two teams. Thus most of the time mad redo1 will be covering the one playing at home.

Thus when the Pahang versus Terengganu fixture was re-arranged to be on different nights, mad redo1 grabbed the opportunity straight away to follow the Turtles to Kuantan.

With the two teams are scheduled to meet in the FA Cup semi-final in the middle of May, this match is seen as some sort of a dress rehearsal to that encounter.

Terengganu which salvaged a point against Negeri Sembilan in Paroi on Saturday after going behind to an early goal, found themselves in a similar situation at the Darul Makmur. A mazy run inside the box by from the right led to a goal for the home side scored by Fazli Baharudin just after four minutes.

After the goal, it was almost all Terengganu but a combination of good goalkeeping and wayward shooting by Terengganu players kept Pahang in the lead. Towards the end of the first half, Ashaari Shamsudin managed to put the ball into the Pahang net but his effort was ruled offside.

The Malaysian international continued his hard work and as the match was about to enter stoppage time found Abdul Manaf Mamat with a deft pass. The striker who scored the equaliser against Negeri Sembilan on Saturday put the ball past Pahang goalkeeper, Suffian Abdul Rahman, sending Terengganu fans in the stands into raptures.

The two teams went to the dressing rooms at the interval on level terms. The score did not last long. Just ten minutes into the second half, Ismail Faruqi floated a cross from the right and without breaking a stride, Ashaari connected with it using the outside of his left foot.

It was a breathtaking strike worthy of the 'Goal of the Season' award (seriously, this award has to be created soon) and one that would linger on the memory of Terengganu fans for a long time.

Terengganu continued to dominate but could not convert their dominance into goals as chance after chance went a-begging.

The situation was not ideal for the Terengganu fans as they feared Pahang could snatch a late equaliser which could bring the morale of the Terengganu players down. Fortunately, skipper Marzuki Yusof and his partner, Hasmizan Kamarodin marshalled the defence well to keep Pahang players at bay.

The Turtles climbed into fourth place, level on points with Felda United but with a slightly better goal difference.

For mad redo1 it was a worthwhile trip to Kuantan.




...

Turtles Through...

...to the Last Four

Having done a good job in Ipoh last Tuesday, Terengganu completed the turn-around against Perak at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium last night with a 3-1 win. Goals from Reeshafiq Alwi, abdul Manaf Mamat and Abdul Hadi Yahya ensured The Turtles date with Pahang in the last four in May.

However, the match was in danger of being not played at all when circuit problems caused the floodlights to fail a number of times. However match officials decided to give it a go and the match went underway, albeit a few minutes off the scheduled kick-off time.

The home side made their intention clear from the start with Joseph Kalang Tie fired in a free kick from the right which was cleared in the second minute. Then his fellow Sarawakian Reeshafiq Alwi saw his shot from outside the box blocked by the Perak defence.

However, as the match entered its sixth minute, the light went out again much to the dismay of thousands of fans that throng the old stadium. The stadium was lit only by the light from the 'Supermoon' that made its once in 29 years appearance that night.

The likelihood of the match being postponed and played the next day was high. It could be a disaster for the home team. Fortunately, the match officials, much to their credit decided to give it another go when the lights was restored, perhaps thinking of a postponement would bring much anger to the fans.

Terengganu continued where they left prior to the blackout. The Perak defence had to be alert to stop a shot from Hadi and a minute later Ashaari Shamsudin broke through on the lft before squaring the ball to Manaf who could not direct his shot on target.

Perak continued to hold strongly while launching several attacks on their own but the Terengganu defence, led by skipper Marzuki Yusof who missed the first leg through injury was up to the task in quelling the visitors' attacks.

Goalkeeper Nasril Nourdin denied Hadi a goalscoring chance when he was quick enough to dive at the striker's feet after he was put through into the box in the 32nd minute.

Then six minutes before the interval Joseph Kalang delivered an inch perfect cross from the right and Reeshafiq stole between two Perak defenders to direct it past Nasril for the goal that put The Turtles in the driving seat.

They could go through on away goals rule if the score stayed the same till the end of the match. But Terengganu continued to press and with Perak having to attack to ensure their survival in the competition, they could exploit any gaps in the visitors' defence.

The sky opened up just when the match was about to end for the interval. The fans were soaked wet by the downpour but that did not dampen their support and the players responded well by continuing to press Perak, hitting the bar in the process.

Then six minutes after the restart Terengganu went ahead for the first time in the tie when Manaf blasted the ball from outside the penalty box and it went in at Nasril's near post. Terengganu were 4-3 ahead on aggregate.

The goal led to a spirited fightback by Perak who forced a succession of free-kicks around the Terengganu penalty area. Fortunately for the home fans the defence stood firm and goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee was alert enough to palm away a curling effort which was going on target.

However he could do nothing when fifteen minutes from time Perak striker, Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli levelled the aggregate score when his powerful shot from another free-kick hit the back of the net, despite Sharbinee managed to put a hand to it.

Terengganu still had the away goal advantage but they could not afford to just sit back and defend as another goal by Perak would knock them out from the competition. Joseph Kalang proved to be the torn in Perak's flesh all night with his tireless running and passing.

With just over ten minutes to go his pass put Hadi through and the striker shrugged off the challenge from two Perak defenders before stroking the ball past the diving Nasril, The Turtles were ahead again and they only needed to hold on for the remainder of the match.

For his effort throughout the match Joseph Kalang should have a goal to his name but it was not to be. He managed to create a chance for himself but could not keep his shot down.

With just a minute to go a stupid action by a section of the home fans saw the referee, Nagor Amir Noor Mohamad stopped the match. An object that was thrown by a fan had hit the referee assistant and this could see Terengganu being fined heavily by FAM.

More seriously, the match could be stopped which would be detrimental to Terengganu's cause.

Again, the referee decided to go on with the match after a while. There were four minutes of added minutes and during which Manaf and Ashaari tried their luck from afar but could not find the back of the net.

The four minutes went slowly for Terengganu fans but in the end the players prevailed and managed to hold on to the 3-1 scoreline as Perak tried their best to force extra-time with another goal.

Terengganu will play Pahang in an all east coast affair in the last four. The Elephants were held to a scoreless draw by Kuala Lumpur on Friday to advance on a 2-1 aggregate. The other semi-final will feature Selangor and Kelantan who overcame Johor and Felda United respectively with identical 5-2 aggregate victory.

RESULTS:

Pahang 0 Kuala Lumpur 0 (Pahang won 2-1 on aggregate)
Terengganu 3 Perak 1 (Terengganu won 5-4 on aggregate)
Johor 1 Selangor 2 (Selangor won 5-2 on aggregate)
Felda United 0 Kelantan 3 (Kelantan won 5-2 on aggregate)

2011 FA CUP SEMI-FINALS

Pahang vs Terengganu
Selangor vs Kelantan

The semi-finals are scheduled for 13 and 16 of May 2011.

...

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.

...

Army Defeated...

...at Selayang.

Terengganu booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Malaysian FA Cup competition with a tight 3-2 scoreline against the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium in an afternoon kick-off yesterday.

Terengganu striker Abdul Hadi Yahya found the net for the sixth match in succession while a brace from Ashaari Shamsudin gave Terengganu two goal leads before ATM managed to reduce the score to just a single goal deficit on two occasions through Fatrurazi rozi and Yushaini Hafiz.

The current second placed team in the Premier League gave everything they got and perhaps boosted by the strong support from their ranks could have forced the Super League side into an extra thirty minutes of play.

However The Turtles held on to secure a meeting with Perak, who later that night defeated Sime Darby FC 3-0 at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh. It will be an interesting pairing with both are in good form, The Turtles are just a place below Perak in the Super League in third place and the 'Yob' outfit are still unbeaten this season together with league leaders, Kelantan.

The rest of the fixtures saw an upset in Paroi where holders Negeri Sembilan crashed out 4-2 on penalties to Kuala Lumpur after a goalless match. Another unexpected result was the defeat of the Canaries to Felda United with just a single goal separated the two sides after ninety minutes.

The rest of the favourites made it safely through to the last eight. Kelantan had to work hard at the JCorp Stadium in Pasir Gudang before winning by a solitary goal against Johor FC. Selangor defeated Harimau Muda 'B' 2-1 at the Shah Alam Stadium while at nearby MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya Pahang won 3-1 against PKNS FC.

In a solitary match played the day before Johor booked their place at the expense of Ong Kim Swee's Harimau Muda 'A' team. Perhaps the defeat would not be so bad after all as it will give the boys who will travel to Lahore to face Pakistan on 9 March in the return leg of the 2012 Olympic qualifiers a bit of breathing space after a hectic fixtures since the beginning of the season.

The draw for the quarter-finals:
KUALA LUMPUR vs PAHANG
PERAK vs TERENGGANU
SELANGOR vs JOHOR
KELANTAN vs FELDA UNITED

The first leg is scheduled to be played on 15 March while the return leg on 19 March.

...

Bees Swatted...

...by Turtles.

Terengganu recorded their third win in their 2011 Super League campaign after defeating Johor FC 3-0 at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium last night. The win lifted The Turtles to third in the table behind unbeaten leaders Kelantan and second placed Perak.

Irfan Bakti boys were straight into attack mode right from the start and their efforts paid off in the sixth minute when a long ball by Ismail Faruqi from inside his own area found forward Ashaari Shamsudin on the left.

He then made a low delivery into the box where striker Abdul Hadi Yahya had timed his run to perfection to slot in his fifth goal this season in all competitions. It was also the fifth match in a row the former T-Team striker scored for his new team.

Seven minutes later Ashaari was fouled on the left and referee Ku Alauddin Ku Muhammad awarded the home side a free-kick. Spotting Johor FC goalkeeper, Mohamad Anis Faron was quite far away from his goal, Terengganu midfielder Ismail Faruqi just lobbed the ball over his head.

The custodian perhaps was anticipating a cross rather than a shot, which left him stranded in no man's land.

Joseph who worked hard throughout the match saw a number of his shots saved or blocked by the visitors defence. The closest he came to scoring was in the 69th minute when he blocked an attempted clearance made by Anis. Much to the goalkeeper's relief it went just wide of his goal frame.

Terengganu continued to press with Ashaari and substitute Ahmad Nordin attempted their luck from distance.

Then in the 77th minute Joseph was once again fouled just outside the box. In a move from a training ground routine Terengganu defender Nik Zul Aziz Nawawi nearly scored his first goal for The Turtles but could not keep his shot down.

Two minutes later Terengganu had their third goal when Hadi found Saha at the edge of the box. The forward let fly and despite the attention from a Johor FC defender the ball flew in past Anis who clearly had a miserable time in Kuala Terengganu last night.

Nine minutes from time another Terengganu defender Helmi Remeli tried his luck from an acute angle, attempting to lob Anis from outside the box but he could not keep his shot down.

The Bees had lost their sting and the match was just played out with neither side able to breach each others' goal again.

Meanwhile at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya, PBDKT T-Team (T-Team) could not build on their win over Perlis on Saturday when they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Felda United. Goals by Faderin Kadir and Bobby Chin were enough to condemn T-Team to their fourth defeat of the season.

Last night results saw Terengganu climbed back to third they occupied briefly on Friday, level on points with Selangor and Felda United but with better goal difference. T-Team meanwhile dropped back to the bottom two after Sabah managed to avoid defeat in their match against Pahang but it was Johor FC who occupied the place above T-Team.



...

Scraping...

...Through

mad redo1 had planned to attend this evening Terengganu FA Cup First Round match against Premier League USM FC at the university's athletic stadium. It was a repeat of the first round match last season in the same competition but a change of format saw the first two rounds being played over a single match.

Unfortunately, the day being a special day for someone, the plan was shelved as he spent the time munching away at the seafood served at the No.4 Stall at the Kuala Perlis Jetty.

Thus he did not know much about the match played at the same time, approximately three hours drive from where he was. From what he gathered it was a stroll for The Turtles in the first half but could not make the most of the chances that came their way.

Penang born, Mohamad Zharif Hasna who was in his second season with Terengganu opened the scoring after twenty minutes before striker Abdul Hadi Yahya scored for the third consecutive match just before the interval.

The second half saw the home side put up a more determined fight and managed to reduce the deficit after an hour of play. Perhaps influenced by last season's result when Terengganu won 4-1 here before winning 3-0 in Kuala Terengganu, The Turtles slowed down the tempo and this invited the home side to come at them.

Sharbinee Allawee was certainly the busier goalkeeper in the second half and made at least a couple of crucial saves to ensure the tie was in his team favour. In the end, the 2-1 scoreline was enough for Terengganu to proceed to the next round.

As for mad redo1 it was a topping to a good evening spent in the northern part of Malaysia.

If she is a keen football fan then it would have been a good evening for her, but she is not. But My Dearest Linda, I love you for what you are. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and may God bless you always.



...

Dual Defeats...

...for Ganuans.

The fourth round of matches in the 2011 Malaysian Super League (MSL) saw both teams from Terengganu suffered away defeats. Terengganu surrendered their unbeaten record at the Shah Alam Stadium where they went down fighting 3-2 against a Selangor side playing their first match without striker, Safee Salee who had joined Indonesian club Pelita Jaya.

While it was Terengganu first defeat of the season, PBDKT T-Team (T-Team)'s 1-0 defeat to Pahang at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan saw their losing run continued. It is now three defeats out of four, with just a point on board from the opening day goalless draw against Kedah in Alor Setar.

The defeat left Terengganu and T-Team at eighth and thirteenth place respectively in the MSL.

T-Team coach, Yunus Alif must be feeling the pressure after still winless going into their fourth match against Pahang. His assembly of star and vastly experienced players still could not conjure up the magic that many Ganu football fans are expecting after big names such Indra Putra Mahyudin, Norfarhan Mohamad, Zairo Anuar and a few others signed for them in the close season.

Many were expecting they would be able to register their first win with Pahang just a place above them prior to the match. But T-Team were a bit slow in getting their game on and just after three minutes they were already a goal down. Zaiza Zainal Abidin tapped in from close range after a free-kick from Azamudin Akil fell kindly for him.

Tried as they might T-Team just could not find a way to bulge the home side net with the closest coming from an effort by Indra whose attempt rocked the frame of the goal but went out of play. In the end, the defeat was more due to unfortunate circumstances rather than lack of effort by the players.

Terengganu meanwhile found themselves three goals down after just under an hour of play, the reverse of the situation when they were playing Perlis on Friday in Kangar. A wonderful half volley by Fazlli Shaari in the 17th minute broke the deadlock after a one-two with Hardi Jaafar had created the opening for the former KL PLUS FC player.


Then a minute into the second half Selangor were two goals in-front when Fazli turned provider this time, supplying the ball for his skipper Amri Yahyah to connect with a looping header thet left Terengganu goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee grasping air.

Photo by Jeroe

During last season Malaysia Cup campaign, Azidan Sarudin scored for his team Kuala Lumpur from a long distance free-kick against Terengganu in Kuala Terengganu to give his team a 1-0 win.The former Kuala Lumpur skipper repeated the feat against the Turtles but this time around from an open play situation. His long shot slipped past the unsighted Sharbinee who saw the ball too little too late.

Then Terengganu began their fightback when Hadi was fouled inside the box and Malaysian international, Ashaari Shamsudin dispatched the ball past Iqbal Suhaimi in the Selangor goal. Despite trying very hard The Turtles only managed to reduce the deficit just by one more goal when Hadi slipped in unnoticed at the far post to turn Ashaari low ball into the Red Giants goal with three minutes to go.

Even though they tried very hard Terengganu just could not find their way past Iqbal again and found themselves beaten for the first time this season.

...

Northern Lions...

...Slayed!

Terengganu registered their first win in the 2011 Super League campaign with a comfortable 3-1 victory over bottom team, Perlis at the Utama Stadium, Kangar last night. First half goals from Abdul Hadi Yahya and Ashari Shamsudin gave The Turtles the lead at the interval before Abdul Manaf Mamat converted a penalty in the second period, making it 3-0 for Irfan Bakti's men in white.

A wonderful strike by Mohamad Hafizuan Salehudin with around twenty minutes to go gave the home fans something to shout about, praying rather than expecting a fightback was on the cards for their young team. It turned out to be just a consolation for Perlis, which still looking for their first win of the season after three matches.

Terengganu made their intention clear from the start that they came to Kangar looking for their first win of the season and while the Perlis side had youth on their side it was their inexperience that the visitors intended to exploit.

Joseph Kalang and Hadi came close several times for Terengganu before they eventually broke the deadlock. Ironically it came after Perlis had their best chance of the match, rocking Sharbinee Allawee's bar from a free-kick.

In the 23rd minute a pass from Zharif Hasna found Joseph inside the box. The Sarawakian played the ball short to Manaf who turned it towards goal. It was going wide until Hadi popped up at the far post to open his goal account for the new season and also for his new team after his close season switch from PBDKT T-Team.

Before the Perlis players could regroup they found themselves two goals behind when Joseph played a long ball from inside his own half to Ashari. His deft touch took the ball past the goalkeeper and from an acute angle slotted the ball home despite some desperate defending by the home defence.

Towards the end of the first half Perlis began to find some rhythm and tested Sharbinee in quick succession but the Terengganu defence stood firm. Instead it was the visitors who looked likke adding to the tally before the break with Ashari seeing his free-kick which was going in at the top corner before the goalkeeper intervention.

Another free-kick saw a scramble inside the Perlis penalty area before it fell to Terengganu skipper Marzuki Yusof who hit it on the volley. The goalkeeper was completely beaten but it landed on the wrong side of the bar.

The second half saw the same story continued with Terengganu maintaining control of the proceedings. However it was Perlis who were the early aggressor when the match resumed. unfortunately they could not find a way past the Terenganu defence.

The Turtles were three goals to the good when during a quick counter-attack by Terengganu saw Ashari being fouled inside the penalty area. Manaf who was making his first start for the season took the responsibility from the spot and duly converted the chance for his first goal of the season.

However Perlis continued to fight, which was a piece of good news to their coach, Mustaqim Omar. Then in the 68th minute they got their reward when a flowing move saw the ball reached Hafizuan who unleashed a shot from outside the box. It went in at the top corner with Sharbinee completely beaten.

It should be nominated for 'Goal of the Season' award.

Perlis tried to press for more goals but they were caught several times when Terengganu managed to launch quick counter-attacks. During one such move Ashari and the goalkeeper collided. During the confusion Hafizuan threw the ball at the referee, and having received a yellow card during the penalty incident earlier, the second one meant he had to go off.

With ten men there was no way back for Perlis and Terengganu coasted for their first win of the season. the win propelled Terengganu to second spot of the Malaysian Super League table, for twenty four hours at least before the rest take the field on Saturday.

...

Improvements...

...Required!

For us Ganu football fans, having two football teams competing in the same competition is akin to a parent having two off-springs vying for their support in a quest for success. You are proud with both of them but when asked which one do you love more, no parents would ever pick one over another.

It is the same when both of them failed in their missions, the hurt is still felt as you wish them to be successful in everything they do.

Thus when Terengganu and T-Team failed to win their opening two matches in the 2011 Super League campaign, mad redo1 could feel the hurt inside his heart. However, he would like to look at the positive side of things.

Terengganu were held by Sabah to a goal-less draw in Kuala Terengganu on the opening day of the season while T-Team held Kedah to the same scoreline at the Darul Aman Stadium, Alor Setar.

For the next match against Kelantan, Terengganu were very much the underdog as the home side opened their account with a win over Selangor at Shah Alam to collect all three points and at the same time laid their hands on the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah trophy for the first time.

mad redo1 thought of going to the match but shelved the idea due to unforeseen circumstance.

Everything went according to the script (at least for the Kelantanese) when they scored through their skipper Badri Radzi who opened the scoring midway through the first half. However, they failed to build on that and could not find their way past Sharbinee Allawee again.

Then in the 68th minute the Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium fell silent when Terengganu captain Marzuki Yusof headed home past Khairul Fahmi from a Joseph Kalang cross to level the score. Of course a handful of Terengganu fans who made their way up to Kota Bahru could only celebrate in their heart as loud celebration would only detriment their safety.

In the end both teams deserved the point gained from the match.

T-Team on the other hand could not build their momentum from the draw in Alor Setar as they suffered to a 3-1 defeat at 'home' to Negeri Sembilan. 'Home' for T-Team for this match is Negeri Sembilan's Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi as the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu was still undergoing upgrading works.

Veteran Idris Karim scored a double with Firdaus Azizul notching the other as Negeri Sembilan recorded their second win, maintaining their 100% record in the process. T-Team skipper Rosdi Talib scored his side only goal of the match, the equaliser just before the interval.

The win left Terengganu and T-Team in ninth and thirteenth position respectively of the fourteen teams Super League. However it is still early days and fans will be hoping both teams will improve as the season goes on.


...