Kuching City FC’s Mohd Rafiq Shah Mohd Zaim (right) attempts to escape a tackle in the match against Kelantan FC in Kota Bharu.
KUCHING (Apr 11): The two Sarawak teams playing in the Premier League experienced contrasting fortunes on Saturday.
At the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka, Sarawak United ran riot to thrash FAM-MSN Project Squad 7-1.
Meanwhile at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bahru, Kuching City FC failed to win for a third consecutive game to succumb 0-1 to Kelantan FC.
The FAM-MSN Project Squad entered Saturday’s match as underdogs, having lost six and drawn one game.
But Sarawak United head coach Elavarasan believed his youthful opponents were improving and chose not to take them lightly.
“We fielded a strong side because we saw their performance against their previous opponents before us. They managed to secure a draw against Kuching City and put on a solid peformance against JDT II FC, hence we must be careful,” he said after the match.
The Golden Hornbills got the message. Nigerian import Uche Agba scored four while S. Chanturu, Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak and Tommy Mawat had one each.
The consolation for the Project Squad was a 57th minute penalty, making it the first team in the league to score against Sarawak so far.
Nevertheless, with the latest win Sarawak United currently sit on top of the Premier League with 16 points.
They have even played one game less than runner-up Negri Sembilan FC who have collected 14 points after seven matches.
Meanwhile, Kuching City FC sunk to third from the bottom of the table following the loss to Kelantan FC.
The Cats have only won once so far against three draws and three losses.
The latest defeat in Kota Bahru came on the heels of draws against Negeri Sembilan FC and FAM-MSN Project Squad last week.
The urgent search for goals and points could extend to nothing less than a search for the team’s soul.
After Saturday’s match, Kuching City FC assistant head coach Sulaiman Hussin started by admitting that they must improve on the team’s finishing touches if they were to win matches.
“No excuse for the loss today but Kelantan FC did the right thing to play dull and unattractive football against us today in order to get the desired results. There is no point in playing beautiful football if you can’t score the goals to win matches,” he added.