Preview: Senkang vs Woodlands Wellington

Jorg looking to raid old club for three points

Mohd Sham
info@sleague.com

Sengkang Punggol chief Jorg Steinebrunner will be looking to bite the hand which once fed him when his old club Woodlands Wellington pay a visit to Hougang Stadium on Thursday evening.

The affable German, who spent three memorable years with the Rams as head coach from 2006 until the end of last season, admitted to having a soft spot for the Northerners, but insisted that all nostalgic memories will be put to the backburner once the whistle blows come kickoff.

“I think me and Woodlands had three good years together especially after playing in a cup final and winning the League Cup,” said Steinebrunner.

“The fans were always very supportive as well so I had three very good years with the club.

“However, during the 90 minutes, we have to put all thoughts aside and focus on the match. It’s a case of us needing the three points as much as they probably needing it as well.”

Steinebrunner is maintaining a positive mantra despite his side propping up the table, and hinted that his side have not had the rub of the green in certain matches.

“Things have not been beneficial for us in games such as us having two goalkeepers sent off against Tampines Rovers as well the controversial first goal we conceded against Home United,” he elaborated.

“Even against SAFFC, if we had equalized at 2-1, you could argue it would definitely have not resulted in a 7-1 scoreline.

“The DPMM coach said that we were the toughest team he had played against so far in Brunei so it shows that we can perform well but at times, things have been going against us.

“We are working hard in training sessions but we have to be positive because if we start being negative, it will not be helpful to our cause at all.

“It’s all about believing in our strengths and forcing our luck and we are confident we can turn things around.”

The Sengkang gaffer also believes that a string of results can see his side propel up to mid-table security thanks to the precarious nature of the league table.

He added, “It’s important for any team to go on a bit of a run, but it’s a matter of a few wins for us to ensure we climb up the table.

“5th to 9th place and even to us is not so far apart. Woodlands are in front of us now but we have the team and the quality to change things and we have to do something from now on.”

Current Woodlands incumbent Nenad Bacina admitted that his side will have to pick up the pieces after their surprise 0-2 reverse at home against a rampant Geylang United outfit.

Bacina said, “The Geylang match was unexpected and we now have to recover in what is a big game for us.”

The Croat is under no illusions of the task facing his charges and is refusing to read too much into the Dolphins’ current league plight.

“It’s not my job to talk about the Sengkang team but I respect every team and they are no different,” Bacina commented.

“They have Indra Sahdan Daud, who needs to introduction in the league at all and is proven, and the likes of Noh Rahman, Aide Iskandar and Jerry Batholomeusz who are all ex- and current international players, so they do have some very good and experienced players.”

The former SAFFC stopper has acknowledged his side’s inconsistency is a source of frustration but expects his side’s form to pick up once the first phase of the season is drawing to a close.

He remarked, “Though we are playing well, I’m not satisfied with the number of points we have.”

“We are facing problems in consistency and we are trying to solve it but it’s something we actually spoke about during pre-season.

“We have new players who haven’t even been playing first-team football last season so we need time to gel as a unit.

“But with the first round of the season ending, we are looking to the 2nd and 3rd round of the season to do better as the players would have already been settled by then and playing together as a unit for a much more longer period of time.”