More bite from Leopold

KUANTAN: Sabah can look to Leopold Alfonso Otong to end their ‘scoring’ woes when they take on Pahang in a Malaysian Super League tie at the Darul Makmur Stadium here tonight.

The striker, who was flown to Kuantan late yesterday after being cleared to join the rest of the squad, can add more weight to the team’s attacking department.

Leopold’s presence will surely give Sabah coach and manager Gary Phillips more option in the attack after seeing his side score only two goals out of six games and score a mere goal in the League and the other one in the 1-2 defeat to Pahang in the first round of the FA Cup competition!

Now, with Leopold around, it will give Gary more ammunition upfront.

However, he is unlikely to name him in the first team, but will have no hesitation in bringing him on in some part of the game should a need arise.

If it happens it could be the former Bukit Jalil Sports School-trainee’s first appearance of the season.

Leopold, 20, is no star, but certainly a player who has tons of talent, and that is if he is willing to sacrifice, work hard and keep trying to improve himself and follow the correct path toward success.

His name can be on everyone’s lips in the country’s football scene if he does that.

Moreover, this is one hell of a good news for the depleted team who lost first-team players before the start of the season and it has not been the best of start for the squad this season in missing vital players but it seems that the problem is still there.

The only good news is Leopold’s back.

“Leopold is a big plus to the team, hopes are high and the team is confident of getting a positive result,” Gary stressed.

Sabah who have yet to get a foothold in the League suffered a setback even before the kick off of the MSL when they found out that midfielder Mohd Safuan Ibrahim had to undergo surgery for his injured knee he suffered during the pre-season tour of Singapore.

The Kelantan-born player will likely miss the rest of the season.

And that’s not only the bad news.

They lost Leopold to disciplinary problems just before the start of the new season.

To make matters worse M. Sivakumar broke his leg in the 1-0 win over Kedah and he is facing at least four months in the sidelines which by then the MSL would be over.

And then out of the frying pan and into the fire came worst news … Jeremy Matthew Danker is found in the crocked list as is Alto Linus while Sumardi Hajalan is still sick.

Now, hopefully Leopold can shake things up.

“This is good news for the team. He has been impressive during our trip to Singapore (last December). I know he is desperate to taste action and if he wins a place in the first team line-up I know he will give it all to the team,” said Gary.

“He will certainly be one of our options, but I don’t know whether to start him. It all depends, but there is a big possibility we will bring him in some part of the game,” he added.

Gary knows, his miss-firing side needs some kind of boost upfront, and Leopold could give him that, after all Leopold has been one of his main man in attack during the Singapore trip.

This tie against Pahang, which will be their second meeting this season after their FA Cup date that ended in Pahang’s favour, will be a massive tie for Sabah.

And why not, losing the game could see them spiraling down to the bottom of the standings should Perlis collect full points against Kuala Lumpur in another MSL tie at the State Main Stadium in Kangar.

But if it’s a victory, they’ll move to eight placing at best depending on the outcome of other matches.

Gary is aware this is not going to be an easy night for his side describing his opponent as a physical and powerful side.

He said they must toughen up and must be prepared to get the better of their opponent.

“We must show that we are more desperate to win although this is not a game that we must win at all costs as the season is still long.

“But we must realise that we need to get a positive result, and it is not something that we cannot do. When you look at their defensive record, they have conceded eight goals and we must try to capitalise on this and at the same time we must try to get the goals.

“However, we will not go for an all out attack but will try to play cautiously and keep our composure throughout.

“Defensively, we have been doing great and I’m confident our backline will do well again tomorrow.

“I hope and I want to see the players helping each other because playing against a side like Pahang is not easy. We need to match them physically and show that we are a better side,” said Gary hinting that he is likely to make one or two changes the side that started the Negeri Sembilan game.

“We certainly need to bring fresh legs. There is a possibility that Zuraindey (Jumai) and Razlan (Oto) could start. But there is not going to be major changes. When you look at the bench, there is not much we can do.

SABAH / PROBABLE LINE-UP

Azizon Abd Kadir, Md Reithuddin Embran, Mafry Balang, Hariri Mohd Safii, Rosdin Wasli, Shahrul Azhar Ture, Julamri Muhammad, Sabri Sahar, Zuraindey Jumai, Razlan Oto and Zainizam Marjan.

Syed Adney Syed Hussien, Radzi Mohd Hussin, Gasili Pengalot, Mohd Farid Ideris, K. Thanaraj and Stanley Bernard will start from the bench.

Gary (right, in orange and black) works on the team’s finishing during light training in Kuantan yesterday. The rest are (from left), skipper Reithuddin Ag Embran, Sabri Sahar, Gasili Pengalot and Zuraindey Jumai.