Crunch time for Kim Swee as Sabah's new head coach

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 27 -- Newly-appointed Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee wants to achieve a good result in his first assignment in the Malaysia Cup match against Petaling Jaya (PJ) City FC at the MBPJ Stadium, Kelana Jaya tonight.

He said all players need to be confident and bounce back immediately from the shackles of successive defeats in the recent Super League competition.

“After a week with them, of course we can't expect a big change immediately, this is quite impossible… we hope Sabah can bounce back after losing in several matches in the Super League last season.

"All the players showed a very positive attitude and were willing to accept all the changes I tried to make. This of course gives a very high level of confidence to enable them to showcase the true quality of their game, "he said in a statement today.

Kim Swee said there would be a change in the starting line-up for the Malaysia Cup campaign as the players were mature and experienced whether imported or local.

He explained that the change in terms of the pattern of play is believed would be able to be adapted by his men to achieve good results while trying to restore the confidence of the supporters.

According to him, PJ were not an easy team to beat, especially since they have the advantage of playing at home.

"In the Super League match record, Sabah lost twice to PJ, so my hope is for all players to prove that we can compete with any team.

"Of course I want to get a positive result in my first match with Sabah," he said.

-- BERNAMA