INDERA ADMIT TITLE RACE IS OVER
Two-time DST Super League defending
champions Indera Sports Club (SC) have thrown in the towel in their bid to
retain their crown despite their 4-0 win over Najip I-Team on Tuesday night.
Indera SC moved up to second with 32 points but are still 10 points behind leaders the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) with four games remaining, with Najip I-Team now dropping down to third with 30 points.
The army men – who have three games remaining – sit on top of the 10-team table with 42 points, and a win against Kilanas FC at the Tutong Sports Complex tomorrow will seal their first DST Super League title.
Indera head coach Hj Omar Hj Jamil said that their chances of catching up with the army men look to beyond their reach, instead saying that a runners-up position seems more likely.
“I have to be realistic this time," Hj Omar told The Brunei Times yesterday.
“I know I said last week that we will not give up. We are not, but giving up and being realistic is different.
“We showed in our previous games - when we were down 3-1, we came back to win 4-3 - that we will keep on fighting until the end.
“That’s our motto. However, MS ABDB are very strong and consistent in their form, and it’s hard to catch up to them. It’s not easy to defend the title, it’s even harder to win it again (this season).
“They just need one more win and the title is theirs.
“They’re up against Kilanas on Friday and I don’t think they will drop points. However, this is football and anything can happen,” he added.
Hj Omar went on to state that their goalkeeper crisis in the first round of the season hindered their title defence.
“We suffered two goalkeeper injuries that cost us a lot of points in the first round of this season,” said the coach.
“Md Fakhrul Zulhazmi Yussof and Ak Omar Nur Aqamaddin were our first two choices, and when they both got injured, that really hit us hard.
“We recruited Mohammad Bakhtiar Hj Mohd Hussin and Mohammad Ahsanuddin Hj Mohd Dani last month and it has improved our goalkeeping issues, but I fear it may not be enough.
“Ahsanuddin is our first choice and he’s doing a fantastic job, but we need to change our tactics for next season.
“It's too early to think about that now since we have four games left, and we will give our all.
“We want to push for the DST FA Cup as we have not won that yet. We have a lot of work to do and we have to consider all of our games as finals.
“Our next game is against Tabuan Muda (the national Under-23 team) on Sunday. It won’t be an easy match so we need to focus on that.”
Indera SC moved up to second with 32 points but are still 10 points behind leaders the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) with four games remaining, with Najip I-Team now dropping down to third with 30 points.
The army men – who have three games remaining – sit on top of the 10-team table with 42 points, and a win against Kilanas FC at the Tutong Sports Complex tomorrow will seal their first DST Super League title.
Indera head coach Hj Omar Hj Jamil said that their chances of catching up with the army men look to beyond their reach, instead saying that a runners-up position seems more likely.
“I have to be realistic this time," Hj Omar told The Brunei Times yesterday.
“I know I said last week that we will not give up. We are not, but giving up and being realistic is different.
“We showed in our previous games - when we were down 3-1, we came back to win 4-3 - that we will keep on fighting until the end.
“That’s our motto. However, MS ABDB are very strong and consistent in their form, and it’s hard to catch up to them. It’s not easy to defend the title, it’s even harder to win it again (this season).
“They just need one more win and the title is theirs.
“They’re up against Kilanas on Friday and I don’t think they will drop points. However, this is football and anything can happen,” he added.
Hj Omar went on to state that their goalkeeper crisis in the first round of the season hindered their title defence.
“We suffered two goalkeeper injuries that cost us a lot of points in the first round of this season,” said the coach.
“Md Fakhrul Zulhazmi Yussof and Ak Omar Nur Aqamaddin were our first two choices, and when they both got injured, that really hit us hard.
“We recruited Mohammad Bakhtiar Hj Mohd Hussin and Mohammad Ahsanuddin Hj Mohd Dani last month and it has improved our goalkeeping issues, but I fear it may not be enough.
“Ahsanuddin is our first choice and he’s doing a fantastic job, but we need to change our tactics for next season.
“It's too early to think about that now since we have four games left, and we will give our all.
“We want to push for the DST FA Cup as we have not won that yet. We have a lot of work to do and we have to consider all of our games as finals.
“Our next game is against Tabuan Muda (the national Under-23 team) on Sunday. It won’t be an easy match so we need to focus on that.”
