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.

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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.


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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.

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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.




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Kijang Shot...

...in Kuala Terengganu

Super League leaders Kelantan came to Terengganu with one aim, to collect all three points at the expense of the home team, PBDKT T-Team which were struggling for form all season. For their fans, this was another opportunity to get one over their former idols, Indra Putra Mahyuddin, Norfarhan Mohamad and Azizi Matt Rose who crossed the border during the close season.

The two teams had met earlier during the First Round of the FA Cup competition in May. T-Team which were struggling for form and without a win at the time surprised The Stags with their tenacity and determination.

Indra Putra opened his goal account for T-Team during the match to cancel out Kelantan's lead. Both teams could not find a winner during regulation time and at the end of 120 minutes of play the score stood at 1-1. However luck was with the visitors as they went through 5-4 on penalties.

This time around things were no different. The home team were still struggling for form but had begun with a 3-0 win over Sabah in their first match after the FA Cup and international break. Kelantan on the other hand, were leading the Super League, albeit on goal difference over Selangor.

However, after an hour of play the league leaders found themselves three goals down after a superb free-kick by Zairo Anuar, a blistering shot from Farhan Mohamad and Indra Putra cool finish found their way past Malaysian international Khairul Fahmi Che Mat in the Kelantan goal.

Credit to The Stags they showed their quality as title challengers when they managed to pull two goals back in quick succession through Danial Fadzly and Chanturu to make the home fans sitting at the edge of their seats while giving the travelling contingent some hope of salvaging something from the match.

However, T-Team best players last season Harris Safwan Kamal gave his side some breathing space with a cool finish after controlling a wonderful cross from Indra Putra. But a second goal of the night for Danial from the penalty spot once again made the home fans feeling a bit jittery.

However, T-Team defence held on for a famous victory which would give them the much needed confidence to really turn their season around. With the next match is an away trip to Selangor it would be very interesting to see if Yunus Alif's boys really have what it takes to do just that.

But for the time being they just should revel in their first back to back victory this season, and to a certain extent giving one back to the team that dumped them out of the FA Cup by knocking them off the perch of the Super League summit.


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Splashing Success...

...at the Marina

The 2011 edition of Terengganu World Invitational Jet Race Challenge came to its end on Sunday with the conclusion of the Endurance category.

In the Pro Am Runabout Open Pancho Manjak of Team Yamaha Finland emerged as champion while Teera Settura of Settura Racing came in second. Dubai based Mendhy Menad of Team Yamaha Fox Riva finished in third place.

In the Pro-Am Runabout 800 Open, Thai racers took the top two places. Teera and Supak Settura of Settura Racing Team made it a Settura one-two finish while Mohamad Nayan Bakar of Fishbone Racing Team took third place.

While in the Women Runabout Open, favourite Nur Shahida Mohamad Noor of CTM Racing as expected romped to victory with Kundang rider, Aina Syazwani Mohamed Saffian and Club Terengganu Marina, Melissa Karina Yahya took second and third place respectively.

Experienced rider Ahmad Dawi Alias easily took the Veterans Runabout Open title. Ahmad Dawi who was representing CTM Racing saw off the challenge from Meganrata Racing rider, Chia Boon Choy and Japanese rider Masaya Inoue of Team Japan. 

In the Malaysian only Expert Runabout Open, brothers Haniff Sukri and Zulfaizal Sukri made it a one-two finish for their team CTM Racing. Lau Soon Leong of Ah Huat Motor finished third.

Team Yamaha Finland rider Pancho Marjak made it a double for him when he took the top honours in the Pro-Am Runabout 4 Stroke Stock. Team Indonesia Aero Sutan Aswar finished second while Toshi 'Samurai' Ohara of Team WPS Japan took third place.

In the Novice Runabout 4 Stroke Stock category, Meganrata Racing rider Bryan Chia Wai Yuen was at the top of the podium. He was flanked by Aqsa Sutan Aswar of Team Indonesia in second place and Jetsar Racing Team, Elgernon Clayton Mindaw in third.

The Endurance category which tested the ability of man and machine to last the distance saw Seth Wilkinson of X1 Racing coming in at first place. Independent rider Zulfaizal Abu Bakar came in second place while Aero Sutan Aswar of Team Indonesia finished third.

The only woman rider in the Endurance race, Ika Natasya Yahya of CTM Racing finished in a credible ninth place.

Then prior to the prize giving ceremony, those who were present at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort Marina & Spa were entertained by a demonstration race of the powerful F3000 Powerboats.

To all winners and participants, CONGRATULATIONS!



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The World...

...Jet-ski-ing into Town

Today marked the beginning of the 2011 edition of Terengganu World Invitational Jet-ski Challenge. The competition is being held at the prestigious Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa which is home of the renowned Monsoon Cup.

There was no race on the first day of April as it was allocated for registration of teams and participants, followed by free practice session on the race course. The sun shone brightly thus giving everybody their chance to test their machines.

mad redo1 will be back tomorrow morning at Ri-Yaz to capture the motos that are scheduled to take place beginning at 0930hrs. The challenge are divided into the following categories:

1 - Novice Runabout 4 Stroke Stoke (8 laps)
2 - Expert Runabout Open - Malaysians only (10 laps)
3 - Veterans Runabout Open - 40+ (8 laps)
4 - Pro-Am Runabout 4 Stroke Stock (10 laps)
5 - Women Runabout Open (8 laps)
6 - Pro-Am Runabout 800 Open (8 laps)
7 - Pro-Am Runabout Open (12 laps)

There are four motos to be completed by riders, three on Saturday while the fourth will be on Sunday. After the completion of the last moto, the Endurance Race will take place after lunch break.

The challenge attracts riders from Japan, Finland, France, the United States, Thailand, Brunie as well local riders from Malaysia, and of course, Terengganu.

There are a number of side attractions happening on Pulau Duyong, with traditional games such as sepak raga bulat, duck catching competition, four-a-side beach football and the main attraction, the F3000 Powerboat Demo Race.

More photos HERE.


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