Turtles Regret Missing Golden Chances For Three Points Against Men In Blue

KUALA NERUS, Oct 5 (Bernama) -- Terengganu FC (TFC) interim coach Badrul Afzan Razali admitted to a tinge of disappointment when his charges failed to take advantage of the many golden opportunities to bag all three points in their Super League match against PDRM FC last night.

Badrul Afzan, who was assistant coach before being promoted for one season on Tuesday to replace former head coach Tomislav Steinbruckner who quit just days ago, said the 1-1 draw at home has sounded the first bell to give more homework to the forward line.

“Overall tonight, there was an improvement in our game. But looking at the finishing and strikers, I think there is a lot of homework to be done before the next game for the forward line.

“...it's really disappointing but, judging from the big picture, we have drawn five times. So, we have to improve for the next game," he said after the match against PDRM FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium (SSMZA) here yesterday.

He also admitted that El Salvadoran striker Nelson Bonilla is still not in sync with the Turtles’ midfielders.

“I don’t want to say they are not compatible yet, since in training we did hit a chord between midfielders and strikers. But he (Bonilla) needs a little more time to find the groove with the other players,” he said.

The Turtles squad’s goal came from none other than Bonilla in the 44th minute before the PDRM equalised through Chidi Emma Osuchukwu in the 53rd minute.

After 11 matches, TFC remained third in the league on 17 points, while PDRM FC moved up one rung to fifth position after collecting 15 points.

The mood was uptempo at the other end of the pitch, with PDRM FC head coach P. Maniam praising the game displayed by his lads, saying one point is like a victory for the men in blue.

Admitting to a mortal slip-up in defence in the first half, which Bonilla duly punished with an opportunistic goal, Maniam said his team took a risk with some changes to the playing system before getting back on track to take control of the game and getting the equaliser after the interval.

“We just wanted to hold them in the first half and then make a strong charge in the second half. Unfortunately, TFC scored first. So, I told the players to trust the process, to believe in themselves and teammates... we can carve a point here. We could even have won this game.

“This year we are doing well. We are there. We are a strong team and can collect points. Regarding our standing (in the table), we have 13 more games, so it is a slow process because this league is like a marathon,” he said.

-- BERNAMA