K. DEVAN CONFIDENT MELAKA FC WILL BOUNCE BACK

MELAKA, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Melaka FC head coach K. Devan remains confident that his team can bounce back in their upcoming fixtures despite falling 0-1 to DPMM FC in their Super League clash at the Hang Jebat Stadium last night.

He said his optimism was based on the likely return of several key players who were sidelined through injury, which he believes will strengthen the team’s overall play.

“In terms of tonight’s game, we did not lose our identity…the players controlled possession, defended well and did not give DPMM space to create chances.

bootstrap slideshow

“The only problem was that we failed to convert our chances, and luck was not on Melaka FC’s side,” he told reporters after the match.

DPMM FC sealed victory through a 36th-minute penalty converted by Jordan Murray, awarded after Melaka’s Irfan Zakaria was penalised for handball inside the box.

Melaka, however, were unable to take advantage of two excellent opportunities to draw level when Abdul Azim Rahim’s 26th-minute penalty and Danilo Augusto Magalhaes’s 68th-minute penalty were both saved by DPMM goalkeeper Haimie Abdullah Nyaring.

The coach said his focus now is on refining preparations ahead of their clash with Kelantan United on Oct 24.

Meanwhile, Brunei DPMM FC head coach McAllister James Reynolds expressed satisfaction with his players’ discipline and hard work in securing the 1-0 win, which also earned them three points.

With the win, DPMM moved up to ninth in the Super League table with four points, while Melaka remain in 10th place with three points.

-- BERNAMA