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Tuesday April 7, 2009

Wounded Kelantan baying for Negri Sembilan’s blood

By LOGANATH VELLOO

GEORGE TOWN: Kelantan have a score to settle with Negri Sembilan tonight.

Last Tuesday, Negri pulled off a 2-1 upset win over the East Coast side in a Super League match in Kota Baru.

The two teams clash again at the Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium today. But this time, the stakes are higher as they meet in the FA Cup semi-final first-leg match.

Kelantan feel aggrieved over what they perceive to be negative play by Negri in the Super League encounter.

Coach Peter Butler said yesterday: “Negri did not deserve to win as they came to Kota Baru with the intention to slow down the game and employ time-wasting tactics.

“The Kelantan crowd turned volatile because they did not come to watch negative play. I hope we get a strong referee for the FA Cup match tomorrow.”

The Englishman is confident that Kelantan would not fall to Negri’s time-wasting trap for a second time in a week.

In the league standings, only a point separates third-placed Kelantan and fourth-placed Negri Sembilan.

“Kelantan play an open, attacking game and that will be the way we play again in the semi-finals,” said Butler.

“I will not tell the players to get a 2-0 or 3-0 cushion from the home leg because we believe in winning every match, regardless of where we are playing. We want to win both home and away in the semi-finals.

“This season, Kelantan are more dangerous in away matches compared to at home. It could be due to the poor condition of our home pitch, which prevents the team from playing a fast, attacking game.”

Butler can also draw encouragement from his players’ fighting performance during last Saturday’s 2-1 league win over Kedah in Alor Setar.

Strikers Norfarhan Mohamad and Khalid Jamlus scored in the second half after the treble champions had taken a first-half lead through a Badrol Bakhtiar penalty conversion.

“Kedah are a good team with young players. They put us under pressure in the first half,” said Butler.

“But we outsmarted them tactically. Kelantan absorbed all the pressure before delivering two punches. Based on our second-half performance, we deserved to win.”

Kelantan have yet to lift either the Malaysia Cup or the FA Cup. Their odds of ending the 88-year drought will get shorter with a good result against Negri tonight.

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