In-form Balestier look to maintain rise

Syahrom Sulaiman
info@sleague.com

Balestier Khalsa are hoping that their fine form will continue on Monday when they take on a Woodlands Wellington side still recovering from a 4-0 mauling at the hands of Home United.

The Tigers, who in recent years have been dwellers of the lowlier positions of the S.League, can rise five places on the table with a win on Monday, and leapfrog the likes of Home, Geylang United and the Super Reds.

Tigers’ coach Nasaruddin Jalil insists though that the formbook will likely be thrown out the window when both teams take to the field at the Toa Payoh Stadium, pointing to a number of upsets in the Yeo's-Great Eastern S.League this term.

“The results in the S.League so far have been quite unpredictable. You have games where Home (United) lost to the Young Lions for example,” said Nasarudin.

“Actually after the (4-0) defeat, Woodlands will probably be fired up to prove themselves. We cannot take them lightly because there is still so much quality in their side.”

The Tigers’ recent results have shown that they are no pushovers themselves. A 2-1 win over Geylang United and a 2-2 draw against Sengkang Punggol have put the club in the right direction.

Coach Nasarudin stressed the importance of keeping up this momentum.

“We are definitely getting better as a team and it is good to see that the foreigners, whom we got as late as February, are slowly gelling with the rest of the players,” he said.

“We had our striker Ednardo, who just came back from injury, and he played the full 90 minutes against Sengkang. But it was important to have gotten those good results even when some of our key players were injured.

“It showed that we are still able to compete at a certain level and hopefully the results will still continue,” Nasarudin added.

One of the key players that will still be missing in action is midfielder Julio Eduardo. The Chilean played in the Tigers’ first two games of the season before he fell prey to a groin injury. Rhysh Roshan Rai though is an able deputy in Eduardo’s place.

For the Rams, the good news is that they welcome back Iranian striker Mojtaba Tehranizadeh from suspension.

Moji, as he is affectionately known in the club, was missed by the Rams in their game against the Protectors.

The striker’s return means that Woodlands’ matchwinner against league champions SAFFC, Jamil Ali, is likely to return to his usual position on the flank.