May 19, 2004
Cup holders Home United were drawn against arch rivals SAFFC as the pick of the matches in the Big Trumpet Singapore Cup quarter-final draw.
The Double winners, who alongside Geylang United received byes into the last eight. The Warriors, Cup winners in 1999 and 1997, will go into the two-legged tie with confidence after edging out the champions 2-1 at Bishan in a league tie last month. They have gradually crept up the table after a slow start and now lie just three points behind league leaders Woodlands Wellington.
The Rams incidentally will have the perfect opportunity to avenge last season’s heartbreak of their semi-final defeat to Geylang United after the 2 sides were drawn together. The Eagles, who qualified for this season’s AFC Cup by virtue of their Cup final appearance last season, certainly have their work cut out against the Rams, who have soared to the top of the table after a scintillating start.
The Young Lions, who have surprised many with their decent start to the season, will fancy their chances of making the last four after being paired with strugglers Sinchi .
Last but not least, 2002 winners Tampines Rovers take on Balestier Khalsa, conquerors of Albirex Niigata in a seven-goal thriller last week.
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Kim Poulsen (Young Lions) We will be looking forward to the two ties against Sinchi, who have shown that they can be a very competitive side. Cup games are very different from league matches and we cannot read too much into the result of our last match. |
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Simon Clark (Woodlands Wellington) There are no easy games from now on and it does give us a chance of revenge for last season. It’s a good draw and most coaches will say they prefer to play the first leg away. Sinchi was the draw most wanted; no disrespect to them but the table does not lie. The Cup is a great competition and it is great to have something else to look forward to apart from the league matches. |
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Steve Darby (Home United) The big rivalry between us (SAF and Home) makes it very interesting. There are no easy games in the cup and we take this competition very seriously as it is the easiest route to qualify for Asia. We are an ambitious side and want to play in Asian competitions like the AFC Cup on a regular basis. They (SAF) may have no fear of us after winning here last time round but if we play like we played against Woodlands, we can beat anybody |
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Jimmy Shoulder (Singapore Armed Forces) We’ve got an interesting draw, potentially the tie of the round. The match is still more than a month away and we will just focus on our next match. In our last meeting at Bishan, we beat them entirely on merit and will therefore go into this tie with no fear. However, we have the utmost respect for any team with the likes of Indra, Egmar, Peres, Sutee and Surachai in the lineup. |
Quarter-final Draw:
Ties to be played over two legs from week starting 19 June. Teams named first to play at home in first leg.