MAYBANK and Tenaga need to buck-up fast, but unfortunately, time is not on their side as they prepare to face Malaysia Hockey League giants in the TNB Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
Maybank travel to Kuala Terengganu to play League champions Terengganu HT (THT), while Tenaga play Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) at Bukit Jalil.
However, both the return legs will be played at Bukit Jalil on Friday.
Maybank morphed just in time to reverse their 1-3 defeat to UniKL and romped into the semi-finals on a 5-4 aggregate, and THT coach Sarjit Singh knows he can't take the Tigers for granted.
For the record, THT beat Maybank 4-3 and then 6-1 in the two-round League.
"Maybank showed their classy side when they overcame a two-goal deficit to play in the semi-final. UniKL is not an easy team, but Maybank made them look bad with some powerful team-work.
"I think the Tigers have arrived at the right time, and we will not take them for granted even though we have a good record against them. Records don't matter in any knock-out situation," said Sarjit.
The bad news for Maybank coach Wallace Tan is that all THT players are free from injury and suspension.
"Credit to my players for rising to the occasion and earning a semi-finals berth. But THT are in a different league all together, and playing them in Kuala Terengganu will not be easy, as we were hit 6-1 there in Round Two.
"But having said that, we are just two matches away from playing in the final, and have nothing to lose but much to gain," said Wallace.
As for Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini: "We did just enough to reach the semi-finals. Despite winning both legs against Sapura, I’m not satisfied with my team’s performance. We gave away a couple of soft goals and we also failed to convert many chances in both the matches. We have to improve both the chinks to stay alive in the semi-finals.”
KLHC hold the upper-hand as they beat Tenaga 5-3 in the Charity Shield, and 3-1 in Round Two.
FIXTURES -- Dec 10: Semi-finals First Leg: Terengganu HT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); Tenaga v Kuala Lumpur HC (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm).
Dec 12 -- Return Leg: Maybank v Terengganu HT (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm); Kuala Lumpur HC v Tenaga (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).
Monday, December 8, 2014
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