Thursday, February 21, 2013
SSTMI not invincible...
DIVISION One champions Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) have the upper-hand when they play Kuala Lumpur Sports School (KLSS) in the first-leg quarter-finals of the Milo Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru.
However SSTMI, last year’s double champions, are not invincible as they lost to a much weaker Anderson of Ipoh 2-3 in their only blemish this season.
“That was the timely wake-up call that my players needed as complacency was setting into the game. Now that we have retained one title, we will be gunning for the Milo Cup by going all out in the first leg, to ease the return encounter on Sunday,” said SSTMI coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
League runners-up Petaling Jaya City Council will meet SSTMI Juniors at the National Hockey Stadium, and even though they will not have two key players for both the last eight, they still have enough fire-power to advance to the semi-finals.
PJCC will not have Khairol Shafik Kasim, suspended for three matches after picking up two yellow cards in their final league encounter against Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School while Asraf Zulzali will have sit out two matches after being flashed a red card against Malacca High School.
The most balanced tie is between Anderson and Kelantan, as there is little to separate these two teams and both the legs are expected to be a close.
Kelantan lost play-maker Ashraf Mohamed Noor to a red card, but have many other talented players who can turn the tide on Anderson.
However, Kelantan play robust hockey and tende to lose their cool when chips are down, while Anderson have matured as the league progressed.
Anderson also hold the distinction of being the only team that has beaten Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School for the past two seasons.
The other encounter is between UniKL Young Guns and Malacca High School, with the form book favouring the University side.
In the league meeting, UniKL Young Guns won 4-1, but were a goal down at half-time.
UniKL will also play with a handicap, as Azrul Hasbullah and Meor Azuan Hasan will be watching the first leg from the stands after collecting maximum demerit points.
“We must not only win the first leg, but also hold a healthy lead going into the second leg as MHS are a determined side.
“It is also a question of nailing our chances as we have been goal-shy this season, and this caused us to lose out on the League battle,” said UniKL team manager Faiz Isa.
TODAY: Quarter-finals (first leg): Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School v KL Sports School (Taman Daya, 5pm); Anderson v Kelantan (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm); UniKL Young Guns v Malacca High School (National Stadium Pitch I, 5pm); Petaling Jaya CC v SSTMI Juniors (National Stadium Pitch II, 5pm).
However SSTMI, last year’s double champions, are not invincible as they lost to a much weaker Anderson of Ipoh 2-3 in their only blemish this season.
“That was the timely wake-up call that my players needed as complacency was setting into the game. Now that we have retained one title, we will be gunning for the Milo Cup by going all out in the first leg, to ease the return encounter on Sunday,” said SSTMI coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
League runners-up Petaling Jaya City Council will meet SSTMI Juniors at the National Hockey Stadium, and even though they will not have two key players for both the last eight, they still have enough fire-power to advance to the semi-finals.
PJCC will not have Khairol Shafik Kasim, suspended for three matches after picking up two yellow cards in their final league encounter against Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School while Asraf Zulzali will have sit out two matches after being flashed a red card against Malacca High School.
The most balanced tie is between Anderson and Kelantan, as there is little to separate these two teams and both the legs are expected to be a close.
Kelantan lost play-maker Ashraf Mohamed Noor to a red card, but have many other talented players who can turn the tide on Anderson.
However, Kelantan play robust hockey and tende to lose their cool when chips are down, while Anderson have matured as the league progressed.
Anderson also hold the distinction of being the only team that has beaten Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School for the past two seasons.
The other encounter is between UniKL Young Guns and Malacca High School, with the form book favouring the University side.
In the league meeting, UniKL Young Guns won 4-1, but were a goal down at half-time.
UniKL will also play with a handicap, as Azrul Hasbullah and Meor Azuan Hasan will be watching the first leg from the stands after collecting maximum demerit points.
“We must not only win the first leg, but also hold a healthy lead going into the second leg as MHS are a determined side.
“It is also a question of nailing our chances as we have been goal-shy this season, and this caused us to lose out on the League battle,” said UniKL team manager Faiz Isa.
TODAY: Quarter-finals (first leg): Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School v KL Sports School (Taman Daya, 5pm); Anderson v Kelantan (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm); UniKL Young Guns v Malacca High School (National Stadium Pitch I, 5pm); Petaling Jaya CC v SSTMI Juniors (National Stadium Pitch II, 5pm).
Monday, February 18, 2013
KL Sports School pick SSTMI...
DIVISION Two champions Kuala Lumpur Sports School (KLSS) pulled out the toughest rabbit in the Milo Cup draw, as they will face Division One champions Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) in the quarter-finals of the Junior Hockey League on Feb 22.
Division One runners-up Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) are expected to cruise past Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School Juniors, while UniKL Young Guns also have a relatively easy time against Malacca High School.
And Division Two runners-up Kelantan are also expected to have the better of Anderson of Ipoh.
The first leg will be on Feb 22, with the return-leg on Feb 24.
PJCC team manager Zanal Abidin was happy with the draw, but the traveling bothered him much.
“We were not worried about our opponents in the draw today (yesterday) because we are ready for any team. Our main concern was traveling for the away match, and being picked to play in Taman Daya (Johor Baru) is very troublesome and tiring.”
“Even though the draw to play SSTMI Juniors is good, we now we have to plan for the logistics to make sure fatigue does not come into the picture,” said Zanal.
In the League, PJCC could only edge SSTMI Juniors 3-2, but Zanal’s side has come a long way since.
As for KLSS, their semi-finals as well as final hero Jagveen Singh is the man to watch in the quarter-finals after scoring five goals in the League.
Jagveen scored crucial goals in the Division Two semi-finals win against Anderson Juniors (5-1) as well as the winning goal in the final against Kelantan (2-1) to hand his side their first JHL silverware after three attempts.
He has been steadily improving since voted as the Player-of-the-Final in the National Under-14 in 2010, when he also scored the winner against Perak (2-1).
KLSS team manager Zainal Ariffin said: “It cannot get any tougher than this for us (playing Division One champions) but we have to come to terms with it fast.
“The odds are stacked against us, but we will give it our best shot as we have nothing to lose. The first leg will be vital as we cannot let them take a big lead to keep our hopes alive in the second leg.”
Division One runners-up Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) are expected to cruise past Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School Juniors, while UniKL Young Guns also have a relatively easy time against Malacca High School.
And Division Two runners-up Kelantan are also expected to have the better of Anderson of Ipoh.
The first leg will be on Feb 22, with the return-leg on Feb 24.
PJCC team manager Zanal Abidin was happy with the draw, but the traveling bothered him much.
“We were not worried about our opponents in the draw today (yesterday) because we are ready for any team. Our main concern was traveling for the away match, and being picked to play in Taman Daya (Johor Baru) is very troublesome and tiring.”
“Even though the draw to play SSTMI Juniors is good, we now we have to plan for the logistics to make sure fatigue does not come into the picture,” said Zanal.
In the League, PJCC could only edge SSTMI Juniors 3-2, but Zanal’s side has come a long way since.
As for KLSS, their semi-finals as well as final hero Jagveen Singh is the man to watch in the quarter-finals after scoring five goals in the League.
Jagveen scored crucial goals in the Division Two semi-finals win against Anderson Juniors (5-1) as well as the winning goal in the final against Kelantan (2-1) to hand his side their first JHL silverware after three attempts.
He has been steadily improving since voted as the Player-of-the-Final in the National Under-14 in 2010, when he also scored the winner against Perak (2-1).
KLSS team manager Zainal Ariffin said: “It cannot get any tougher than this for us (playing Division One champions) but we have to come to terms with it fast.
“The odds are stacked against us, but we will give it our best shot as we have nothing to lose. The first leg will be vital as we cannot let them take a big lead to keep our hopes alive in the second leg.”
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