INDERA SC COACH: DISCIPLINE IS WHAT'S SETTING US APART

An Indera SC player (green) shields the ball from an LLRC defender during 

their DST Super League match last month. Indera SC are currently top of the 

10-team table. BT file

BY ABDUL AZIM KASSIM

Indera Sports Club coach Hj Omar Hj Jamil said his team’s climb to the DST Super League’s summit on Saturday boiled down to their strong discipline.

The only unbeaten side in the tournament, defending champions Indera moved to the top of the 10-team table for the first time after a 5-0 win over Wijaya FC.

And with a game against last season’s runners-up Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sport Council (MS ABDB) on Saturday, Indera couldn’t have picked a better time to be in form.

“I’m proud of the discipline exuded by this team and I believe it’s that quality that has driven them to perform quite well in our last six matches,” Hj Omar said.

“Whatever formation or strategies I’ve gone for, the players have had no problem following them.

“The DST Super League is a massive task for me because if we win it, we also defend our title.

“This is what I always remind the players and staff of Indera, and perhaps that prospect has strengthened the players’ discipline,” he told The Brunei Times in a phone interview yesterday.

Sharing his pre-game pep talk, he said he usually reminds his players to face the crowd at the stadium before facing their opponents.

He explained that if they can keep their cool amidst the pressure from the fans, they will have good mental discipline during the game.

The club’s younger talents have done well to cover for the loss of former midfield maestro Azwan Ali Rahman, who scored an astonishing 17 goals in eight appearances last season before being signed by DPMM FC.

Hj Omar said the team’s present good run was testimony that winning the league last year was more of a team effort rather than an individual one, stressing that the rest of the players have stepped up their game.

“Naturally the team lost a vital player in Azwan, but we have to respect his decision to move on,” he said.

“At the moment we have two players that can cover Azwan’s role; Abd Khair Hj Basri and Mohd Zulkhairy Razali – who already has six goals under his name,” he said of the league’s top scorer.

Indera’s team manager Rosdin Hj Abd Aziz said he believes the remaining players could even surpass Azwan’s success.

“For me, his loss was actually not felt that much because we have a number of new young players with potential the potential to do even better,” said Rosdin.

“Another reason why Indera now top the league for the first time this season is because, compared to last year, we actually have a larger squad now,” he added.

Rosdin said this was a crucial advantage to the team, especially if any injuries come their way.

Indera already have two players on the injury list but Rosdin is hopeful they will be able to play against the army men – who narrowly lost out on last year’s title on goal difference.

A win for fourth-placed MS ABDB will see them pull to within one point of Indera, and Rosdin knows that they can’t expect another 5-0 win against one of the strongest teams in the Sultanate.

“We are glad we’re in this position, but there’s no guarantee that even if we did well in our last match we’d perform the same in our next.”