PETALING JAYA: At 28, Jimmy Raymond (pic) can be considered a late bloomer.
The player from Bintulu, Sarawak, only started gaining prominence with Kuching City at the age of 25. Since then, he has slowly worked his way into being the club’s first-choice rightback.
Thanks to his performances this season, he earned a spot in the Malaysian AFF Cup squad and got his first national cap on Sunday.
Jimmy played the entire game against Cambodia, but could not help Harimau Malaya get a win as they were held 2-2 in Phnom Penh.
Although he played a decent game on the right side of the defence – his workrate was good and he made several overlapping runs – Jimmy was left kicking himself as he felt he was at fault for the first goal.
The Sarawakian now hopes to bounce back when Malaysia take on Timor Leste at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
“Mistakes happen, and yes, I was a little disappointed about it. The next game against Timor Leste, if given the chance, I will put in a better shift,” he said.
“Against Cambodia, there was pressure in front of a full crowd, in an away tie. But we learn, we move on.”
Interim coach Pau Marti Vicente said he was happy with Jimmy’s first outing and said he gave a good performance.
“Overall, he played a decent game,” said the Spaniard.
“In football, it is tough to get wins or Cups but one of the biggest pleasures of being a coach is giving opportunities to players.”
Vicente is also giving the players chance to lead the team.
For the match against Timor Leste, Sabah centreback Dominic Tan will be given the captain’s armband, taking over from Penang midfielder Syamer Kutty Abba who wore the armband in Phnom Penh.
“I take this with pride. It is an honour to be the captain. I will guide the new and younger players in the squad,” said the 27-year-old Dominic.
“With coach Pau, everything has been done thoroughly, perfectly done.”
