TACTICAL DISCIPLINE, EARLY PRESSURE KEYS TO KUCHING CITY'S SUCCESS - AIDIL SHARIN

KUCHING, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- Tactical discipline and early pressure were the keys to Kuching City FC's success in their 4-0 win over Melaka FC in a Super League match at the Sarawak State Stadium last night, said head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak.

He said his players successfully executed the game plan well, especially the early pressure in the first 15 minutes of the match which allowed the home team to score the opening goal as early as the seventh minute.

"Credit must be given to the players because they executed what they planned. We knew Melaka came with the momentum of their earlier winning, that's why we put in the early pressure and it paid off.

"We cannot lower the tempo of the game. Consistency, communication and mentality need to be further improved because the next match is coming up in a short period of time,” he told reporters after the match last night.

Aidil Sharin said his team is now focusing on the players’ recovery aspects as well as tactical preparations ahead of the next match against Kuala Lumpur City (KL City) on Dec 24.

Meanwhile, Melaka FC head coach K Devan admitted that the difference in quality of imported players and the experience of local players was among the factors in his team’s defeat at the hands of Kuching City.

He also admitted that budget constraints also influenced the selection of imported players.

“Kuching City has six imported players with extensive experience so the home team’s composition is 60 per cent foreign players, while we only fielded three imported players in this match. It is certainly difficult to compete with them.

“Although we won against Negeri Sembilan 2-0 (in the previous match), I see that there is a significant gap in quality involving imported and local players for both teams,” he said.

The victory saw Kuching City FC jump to second place in the league with 24 points, overtaking KL City by one point.

-- BERNAMA