Published on: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 |
Kota Kinabalu: The Penampang All Stars inflicted on Sabah their first loss of their pre-season preparations in a charity match for the Malaysian Tsunami Disaster Fund at the Penampang Stadium yesterday (Monday).
The group of quickly assembled ex-State players and amateurs pulled off the unexpected 1-0 win over the Malaysian Super League side in an entertaining game which collected a total of RM5,000 for the Tsunami victims.
While not much of a shock, the friendly match has put a fresh perspective on the team's readiness for the new season five days to their first game against Penang in the country's top league on Saturday.
State coach Jose Garrido acknowledged that it's going to be a week of trepidation for him and the Rhinos going into the second season of the Super League.
"I hope we are ready, because if we're not we're going to lose," Garrido said after the match.
And the loss to the Penampang All Stars only served to emphasise the need to employ an effective striker at the top of his five-man midfield.
After conceding a penalty that was converted in the 34th minute, the Rhinos' stepped up their attacks with speed and precision but lacked the killer edge that a top-quality striker could infuse.
Team manager Joehari Ayub revealed that they are bringing in two Portuguese strikers this week on trial, and Garrido is eager to settle this problem as soon as possible.
"We need a striker, a strong guy at the front. We need to choose and resolve the player's contract soonÉthe earlier the better.
"We are going to sign one on maybe this week or the next week. We don't have much time," he said adding that even if they sign on a striker this week Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) bureaucracy may only allow him to start in the State side's third or fourth match.
In the meantime, Garrido will continue to focus on tweaking up his team's performance into the Super League.
"The team has the spirit. They are a bit tired because they have been training very hard but I think their spirit is as strong as during the Malaysia Cup.
"They work very well with the ball and have good possession but they need more aggressiveness.
"Right now they lack aggressiveness compared to last year, especially in the central midfieldÉit's going to take more hard work to bring this team together," he said.
Meanwhile, local import Mohd Sani Fahmy quashed rumours that he had left Sabah to sign on with a West Malaysian team.
The former national Under-23 goalkeeper, who was with Selangor last season, returned to West Malaysia 10 days ago to attend a relative's funeral and said he is still keen to sign-up with the Rhinos. "I went back to settle some personal problems. I did not sign on with other teams as my interest is to play with Sabah," he said when met yesterday.
"I have been received well by both the fans and my colleagues and I hope I can get the job," he said.
