A winning attitude

Gombak are going along nicely andcoach Stewart is impressed by his men

Great Eastern-Yeo’sS-League 2009

Gombak United v Young Lions

Jurong West Sport Complex, 7:45pm

A S Dwight

sports@newstoday.com.sg

DESPITE Gombak United’s unbeaten start to the season, head coach Darren Stewart is continuously drumming home the point to his men to keep their feet on the ground.

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They entertain the Young Lions tonight in a Great Eastern-Yeo’s S-League 2009 clash at Jurong West Sport Complex and a win will see them go above leaders SAFFC, although the Bulls would have played a game more.

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What has pleased Stewart more than anything else is the “never-say-die” attitude of his team.

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Speaking yesterday just before a training session, the Aussie said: “The character of the players has been outstanding. In the game against the Super Reds (which Gombak won 1-0), we were getting a hiding in football terms but they stuck together.

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“You can have the best tactics and coaches in the world, but it means nothing if the players are not battling for each other.”

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One of the players leading Gombak’s charge is striker Agu Casmir. The Singapore international has a colourful reputation and it has led to many questioning his attitude and discipline.

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But Stewart said: “Agu’s attitude since he joined last season has been more that what a professional footballer should be. It’s a credit to himself.”

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What will please Gombak’s fans is that Stewart feels more is to come from Gombak. “Everyone in the team is honest. We know we can play better. Keeping possession is a big part of our game and we haven’t done well in that regard,” he said.

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While the Bulls and champions SAFFC are the two sides unbeaten in the S-League, Stewart does not even want to think of the title.

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“We are not naïve to think about that. At the start of the season we wanted to do as well as last season (5th). Maybe if we are in this position with three games to go, we’ll start thinking about it,” he said.

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The Young Lions drew their first three matches against the Super Reds, DPMM and Woodlands Wellington, before suffering a 2-1 defeat against SAFFC. No one expects them to beat Gombak, but Stewart expects a tough fight.

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“They had a few good chances against SAFFC in the last match and they have generally been playing good football. You can’t expect their young players to jump into the S-League right away and start getting results. Every team has the edge in experience over them,” he said.

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Stewart also praised Young Lions captain Isa Halim, who has shown “great leadership”.

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Gombak may receive a boost in their bid to go top of the league tonight.

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Today understands that Nigerian striker Kingsley Njoku has been signed as the Bulls’ fourth foreign player.

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Njoku, who played for the club in the last two seasons, has passed his medical and the Beep Test and may be registered in time to start tonight’s match.