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KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) kept their date for a Nov 28 showdown when they won their respective Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division matches yesterday.
KLHC beat Sapura 2-1 while THT slammed Maybank 6-1 yesterday. Both the teams meet in Kuala Terengganu next Friday, and the stakes are high.
If KLHC beat THT, they will claim their ninth League title, but if THT win, they have a chance to claim their first title.
Yesterday, Faizal Saari scored a hat-trick in the third, sixth and eight minutes, while the other THT goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (ninth), Seo Jong Ho (28th) and Kang Moon Kweon (41st).
The Maybank consolation was scored by Haseem Khan in the second minute.
"We have done our part by winning big against Maybank and now we are ready to give our best against KLHC on Nov 28 to try and win our first league title. All our players are free from injury and suspension, and I expect a cracker next Friday to decide who lifts the League title," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
KLHC had beaten THT 2-1 in Round One, and that was the only blemish in the Terengganu side after eight matches.
As for KLHC, Razie Rahim scored in the 18th minute to give them the lead while the other goal was scored by Harrison Page (36th). The Sapura goal was scored by Izwan Firdaus in the 48th minute.
RESULTS: Terengganu HT 6 Maybank 1; KLHC 2 Sapura 1; Tenaga Nasional v UniKL (match abandoned, to be played Wednesday 6pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
KLHC 8 8 0 0 29 8 24
TERENGGANU 8 7 0 1 37 15 21
TENAGA 7 3 0 4 13 15 9
SAPURA 8 1 3 4 15 24 6
MAYBANK 8 0 3 5 13 27 3
UNIKL 7 0 2 5 7 25 2
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) are on a collision course to claim the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division title.
That is, provided both the teams win today. KLHC will meet Sapura, while THT play Maybank in a crucial Round Two match and if both the front-runners play to form-book, they will meet on Nov 28 to decide the League title.
Double champions KLHC had beaten Sapura 4-0 while THT beat Maybank 4-3 in Round One.
"Although we struggled to beat Maybank in Round One, much has changed since then as now my Korean imports are much more comfortable with the local players and I expect another three points before the crucial match against KLHC next weekend," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
KLHC are also leading on goals as they have 20, while THT 17. But that does not matter to coach K. Dharmaraj.
"In the end, I believe the goals will not count as we are going for wins in every match and after this weekend, we will travel to Terengganu to play second placed THT.
"So far, THT have shown great improvement in their match, but so have we," said Dharmaraj.
Meanwhile, former Malaysian assistant coach K. Gobinathan will be the chief coach for Bangladesh in the World League Round Two in Singapore on Jan 17-25.
This is a first for a Malaysian coach: "I was approached and agreed to coach Bangladesh for two months for the World League. This will be a good opportunity for me to further my coaching career," said Gobinathan who has assisted K. Dharmaraj in many tournaments.
Malaysia are the top seeds in the World League Round Two and must finish top-three to play in the Semi-finals and have a shot at playing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The other teams who will be in Singapore are Japan, Poland, Singapore, Oman
and Ukraine. One more team will be the winners of the last Round One tournament which will be played in Suva, Fiji on Dec 6-13. The teams involved are Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
TODAY: Terengganu HT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); KLHC v Sapura (National Stadium 6pm, Pitch II); Tenaga Nasional v UniKL (National Stadium 8pm, Pitch II).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
KLHC 7 7 0 0 27 7 21
TERENGGANU 7 6 0 1 31 14 18
TENAGA 7 3 0 4 13 15 9
SAPURA 7 1 3 3 14 22 6
MAYBAN 7 0 3 4 12 21 3
UNIKL 7 0 2 5 7 25 2
DOUBLE champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) demolished Maybank 5-1 to tighten their grip on the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division League title.
And if KLHC beat Sapura and Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) beat Maybank tomorrow, then, the League title will be decided in Kuala Terengganu on N0v 28 when THT host KLHC.
The KLHC goals were scored by Harvinder Singh (ninth), Muhamamd Imran (11th), Razie Rahim (22nd),
Rashid Baharom (34th) and Syamim Yusof (5oth) . Shakeel Abbasi (35th) scored for Maybank.
In another match, Sapura and UniKL played to a 3-3 draw: "We lost 3-2 to Sapura in Round One, and now held them to a draw and I see some improvement in the team. Right now, we are focussed to the 11th game, which is the knock-out, where we hope to spring a surprise," said UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj.
Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) kept pace with the leaders when they beat Tenaga Nasional 4-2 in Kuala Terengganu.
The THT goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (sixth, 55th), Fitri Saari (22nd) and Firhan Ashaari (39th). Azammi Adabi (10th) and Shahril Saabah (59th) scored for Tenaga.
"This is a crucial win as we need to keep pace with the leaders (KLHC) to have a shot at the League title. However, Firhan (Ashaari) picked up a yellow card and with his demerit points reaching 10, he will be suspended for the Sunday match against Maybank.
"Even though we will lose a goal-getter, the five Korean imports have started to gel with the local players, and I expect them to deliver another three points against the Tigers," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
The MHL League title is expected to be decided on Nov 28, when THT host KLHC in Kuala Terengganu.
RESULTS: Terengganu HT 4 Tenaga Nasional 2; UniKl 3 Sapura 3; Maybank 1 KLHC 5.
SUNDAY: Terengganu HT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); KLHC v Sapura (National Stadium 6pm, Pitch II); Tenaga Nasional v UniKL (National Stadium 8pm, Pitch II).
MHL STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
KLHC 7 7 0 0 27 7 21
TERENGGANU 7 6 0 1 31 14 18
TENAGA 7 3 0 4 13 15 9
SAPURA 7 1 3 3 14 22 6
MAYBAN 7 0 3 4 12 21 3
UNIKL 7 0 2 5 7 25 2
NATIONAL player Faizal Saari was yesterday suspended for another Malaysia Hockey League match after the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) competitions committee met yesterday.
Terengganu Hockey Team's (THT) Faizal had shown the middle finger to umpire P. Elangovan during theirPremier Division match against Sapura, and he was suspended for one match against UniKL.
"However, the competitions committee felt that since he is a national player, Faizal should lead by example and that's why we have slapped him a two-match suspension and he will not play against Tenaga Nasional (today)," said competitions committee deputy president S. Satish Kumar.
This is not the first time the 23-year-old has been in troble, as he was red carded in the Razak Cup, and also dropped from the Asian Games line-up after getting into plenty of controversies before and after the World Cup.
However, he has proven himself as a striker in international tournaments and should he change his attitude on the pitch, he could prove to be an asset to Malaysia in the near future.
Nabil Fiqri, of Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC), also received a one-match suspension after he was red-carded when playing against Tenaga Nasional. He will miss the Maybank match today.
However, Nabil's folly is not expected to dent Double champions KLHC's winning streak.
"Instead of searching for goals and placing un-necessary pressure on the players, after six wins, I am more interested in the points right now. We need to keep the winning momentum against Maybank and then Sapura before the cruncher against Terengganu," said Dharmaraj.
TODAY: Terengganu HT v Tenaga Nasional (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); UniKl v Sapura (National Stadium 6pm, Pitch II); Maybank v KLHC (National Stadium 8pm, Pitch II).
SUNDAY: Terengganu HT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); KLHC v Sapura (National Stadium 6pm, Pitch II); Tenaga Nasional v UniKL (National Stadium 8pm, Pitch II).
MHL STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
KLHC 6 6 0 0 22 6 18
TERENGGANU 6 5 0 1 27 12 15
TENAGA 6 3 0 3 11 11 9
SAPURA 6 1 2 3 11 19 5
MAYBAN 6 0 3 3 11 16 3
UNIKL 6 0 1 5 4 22 1
FIVE teams in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League have invested heavily on foreign imports, but local players are the ones who have carried the load for the front-runners.
For starters, double champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) are unbeaten after six matches as penalty corner flicker Razie Rahim nailed eight goals and is now the current joint-top scorer.
Faizal Saari of Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) is chasing Razie, also on eight goals, even though he played one match less after being red carded for verbally abusing and showing the middle finger to umpire P. Elangovan when playing against Sapura.
The two locals are top-scorers in a league which has 22 foreign players.
And in Faizal's absence against UniKL on Sunday, THT found a new local hero to keep them afloat in chasing their first League title.
Syamiru Aiman, who will turn 21 on Dec 27, scored four goals against UniKL to give his side a 5-2 win. His sizzling form on a heavy pitch, saved the blushes for THT who have invested in five South Koreans as well as some of the best local talent in MHL.
"Syamiru played for Terengganu in the recent Malaysia Games (scored two goals in bronze playoff to help beat Penang 4-2) and was a regular in the first two games until my five Korean imports arrived.
"Against UniKL, since I did not have the services of suspended strikers Faizal and Firhan (Ashaari) Syamiru was given more time and he delivered the crucial three points for us," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
Syamiru's four field goals were scored in the eighth, 16th, 31st and 34th minutes while the fifth was delivered by seasoned international Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin.
"The pitch (in Kuala Terenggau) was heavy after a torrential downpour, and our penalty corners could not be executed as the push-out was slow to reach our Korean flickers, but Syamiru delivered for us with four field goals," said Sarjit.
As for Maybank, they benched their German import goalkeeper Moritz Knobloch against Sapura, and local boy Shahrul Azaddin played a good game to help the Tigers steal one point in a 3-3 draw.
A former coach, who declined to be named as there is a gag order from Malaysian Hockey Confederation president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, said teams are wasting their time and money on foreign imports.
"It looks good for the MHL to have foreign players, but in the long run, when the money dries up, teams which are developing local youth will be the survivers.
"There is a precedent, as Yayasan Negri Sembilan were the best with their imports, but when the money dried up, the team also died while teams like Tenaga Nasional are still active in the MHL," said the coach.
Tenaga are the only all-local outfit in the MHL, and they have give the rest a tough fight and are standing proud with three wins and three defeats at No 3 on the standings.
On another matter, Tengku Abdullah said that the draft of the new MHC constitution has been sent to the Sports Commissioner's office for endorsement.
"While I'm not sure if the minutes of the EOGM has been sent to the Sports Commissioner, the draft of the amended constitution has been submitted," said Tengku Abdullah at a football function in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The Sports Commissioner has said that the date for the MHC elections could not be set as he is still awaiting for the minutes of the month-old EOGM from the MHC.
MHL STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
KLHC 6 6 0 0 22 6 18
TERENGGANU 6 5 0 1 27 12 15
TENAGA 6 3 0 3 11 11 9
SAPURA 6 1 2 3 11 19 5
MAYBAN 6 0 3 3 11 16 3
UNIKL 6 0 1 5 4 22 1
