Ahmad Hazwan, Fadhli Shas to strengthen JDT II for challenge cup finals

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11  -- The Johor Darul Ta'zim II (JDT II) seeks the services of Ahmad Hazwan Bakri and Muhammad Fadhli Shas to strengthen the team to face UKM FC in their 2019 Challenge Cup finals second-leg at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, this Saturday.

The Malaysian Football League (MFL) yesterday approved the registration of two Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) players Muhammad Fadhli and Ahmad Hazwan to join JDT II.

Its team captain, Shakir Shaari said the presence of two experienced players from the JDT squad could help the other young players in their quest for the championship title.

"I think (Ahmad) Hazwan and (Muhammad) Fadhli have experienced players so I hope they can help other young players and we hope for the best from them.

"Last season, we lost in the semi-finals to UKM FC and were disappointed because we were hoping to win it. But I think it is a motivation for us to not repeat the same mistake and we can achieve success tomorrow," he said at the Challenge Cup pre-match press conference at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium here today.

JDT II brought a one-goal aggregate over UKM FC for their away match at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras following a solitary goal scored by Amirulhadu Zainal in the final first-leg on Oct 5.

Meanwhile, JDT II head coach Ervin Boban said the presence of the two players from the JDT squad could help fill in the vacuum in the squad as many players were injured including defender Bruno Soares, who was injured in the semi-finals against Terengganu FC II (TFC II), last September.

"Bruno is out because he had injuries, so we decided to have some help from Hazwan and Fadhli to give us more power, intelligence, experience and hopefully can turn the result for us. Of course, the result from the first match is an advantage but we are aware of UKM FC's strength and we need to be humble in this situation.

"The rest of the boys are ready, they know what they need to do, who they represent, and after the long season and battle with Sabah and Terengganu (TFC II), we end up finishing in second place and now this is another chance for us to finish this season with a good result," said Ervin.

UKM FC assistant head coach Juzaili Samion said the presence of the two JDT players did not put pressure on his squad but it was a challenge for the players to be more careful in their return leg match.

"We take this as a challenge. This is the second finals for UKM FC. For this match, we have made improvements and preparations as best as we can. We will make sure UKM FC dominates the game and gives their best tomorrow night," said Juzaili.

UKM FC was the runner-up of the inaugural edition of Challenge Cup last year after lost to TFC II on 2-4 aggregate.

-- BERNAMA