PETALING JAYA: Whether he’s on the flanks or operating as a ‘’fox in the box’, Darren Lok is on a hot run with Sabah in the AFC Cup.
The 32-year-old has scored six goals in five matches in the competition, the latest strike via a penalty in the Rhinos’ 4-1 win over Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday.
The English-born Malaysian international is just a goal behind the leading scorer, Phnom Penh Crown’s Japanese striker Shintaro Shimizu who boast seven goals.
Darren is thrilled to have registered such a high strike rate to help Sabah reach the Asean zone semi-final of the competition.
But the down-to-earth star performer said his hot form is just a reflection of how well the team are playing at the moment.
‘’Credit must go to the team, as I feel we are playing some of our best football and going into every game with confidence,’’ said Darren.
“We know that the next round will be much tougher. There’s a high chance we could face one of the Australian teams but we have to believe we can compete with them. We must continue to be confident but not get complacent.’’
In all competitions this season, Darren has scored 13 goals, surpassing his previous best mark of 12 last season when he was with Petaling Jaya City.
Darren hopes to build on what has become a great first season with Sabah.
“I’ve enjoyed my first year with Sabah. We have a very good team, the players have a very strong bond and we’ve become a tough team to beat, especially at our home ground at Likas. It’s a tough place for teams to come here and take points,’’ he said.
