September
20, 2004
On the
verge of creating S-league history by being the first ever S-league club to
reach an Asian Club competition, Geylang United coach
Scott O’Donell is still wary expecting a Malaysian
onslaught in a bid to recover the deficit when they host Perak
at Bedok Stadium.
The Eagles
are in the driving seat following their smash & grab 2-1 win in
The Australian
is ready to put his faith in youngster striker Fazrul
Nawaz to ensure the Eagles keep Perak
at bay
The
18-year-old has only made fleeting appearances as a substitute in the season so
far but 4 goals in the S–League & 1 in the AFC Cup,
he is fast emerging s the ace in the pack.
Eagles coach Scott O’Donell
said Fazrul has great pace & is very composed in
front of goal. He also has a great attitude & is willing to work hard.
But the Australian also warned the striker is still young,
so there is the need to ensure he is not overplay as there is the danger he
could be burn out before his career began.
Nevertheless the slim 1.75m-tall
striker is surprised & delighted at getting his break so soon.
He said he was really psyched up for the
first-leg match in Perak because he had lost three
times to
Meanwhile Perak,
the 2003 M-League champions, is coming to Singapore without a number of key
players such as
midfielder K. Nanthakumar, Shahrulnizam Mustapa & Argentine Ricardo Silva & striker Liew Kit Kong & Frank Seator
all of whom are injured while centreback Azlan Zainal is suspended.
Making it worse for the Northern Malaysian
team is that they are going into the match with their strike force of Khalid Jamlus, V. Saravanan & R. Surendran
having all shot blanks in the last 5 matches.
But Perak
coach Toni Netto is not giving up the fight just yet
as the Brazilian, whose job is on the line after Malaysia media reported the
club is not happy with his performance, is sure his
team can match the Eagles & win Bedok to help
them qualify for the semi-finals of the AFC Cup.