KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 – Last year’s meltdown after taking a comfortable 3-1 lead which ended with a 4-3 defeat to Terengganu in Alor Setar, still pains Kedah but the Red Eagles are not in the mood to let that happen again when the two square up again at the Darulmakmur Stadium on Friday.
That painful episode is still fresh in the minds of Kedah players and fans alike. The man who destroyed Kedah in their own den was Dominique Da Silva – who scored all four goals in a dramatic turnaround for a Terengganu win.
This time around, Dominique is no more with the Turtles. Still, Kedah’s Singaporean coach Aidil Sharin Sahak is taking a cautious approach – more so because the Turtles are wounded and have slipped to fourth place in the league standings after picking up a defeat to Sabah away and a draw against Pahang, also away in their last two matches.
On the other hand, Kedah defeated Selangor 2-1 away in their last match, which served as a confidence booster for the home encounter against Terengganu.
Áidil is not revealing much on his team for the Terengganu and wants to keep his match strategies against Terengganu close to his chest.
“I trust my players. They have not let me or the team down. Whoever is fielded knows his responsibilities. The win over Selangor would not have come at a better time for Kedah as we face another tough match (against Terengganu),” said Aidil from Alor Setar.
“Terengganu is a tough nut to beat. We still remember last year’s painful defeat and prepared for another tough and absorbing match. The players need to be fully focused and committed throughout the match.”
Kedah has set a hot pace at the top and is only one point behind leaders and seven-time Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) who lead with 17 points after seven matches. Terengganu, on the other hand, is in fourth place with 12 points. Penang is in third place with 14 points.
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