Bulls target top spot
Fabius Chen
info@sleague.com
High-flying Gombak United will be chasing a fourth consecutive win in the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League and sole leadership of the table when they travel to Yishun Stadium on Wednesday to face Super Reds.
The Bulls are currently second to SAFFC on goal difference but with the reigning champions not playing until Sunday, a win would see them comfortably atop the table for the rest of the week.
But the Koreans are themselves chasing a third win on the trot and will be anxious to narrow the 12-point gap between the two sides, not to mention avenge a narrow 0-1 defeat at Jurong West Stadium earlier in the season.
That first meeting came at a time when Super Reds were struggling to recreate the form that saw them finish runners-up in 2008, but there was enough about their performance to suggest they have the ability to turn the tables on Gombak this time around.
“I was really impressed with the way Super Reds played,” Bulls defender Goran Subara recalled.
“They are probably the best footballing side in the entire league.”
The 22-year-old Australian has made an impressive start to his S.League career since arriving in January, helping Gombak to five clean sheets in his eleven starts so far.
And in spite of the chance to go top after Wednesday’s clash against the Korean side, Subara insisted that his side is determined to take things one game at a time.
“There are still 20-odd games to go, so it’s still too early to talk about winning the championship,” he stated.
“But every game is important. If we want to challenge for the title, we have to be consistent against both the big teams as well as the struggling ones.
“We treat every game as if it were a final: we give our 100 percent and hope we can win.”
On the subject of league titles, Super Reds coach Jeon Kyeong Joon had no doubts about the significance of Wednesday’s game in terms of getting his side’s challenge back on track after a shaky start to the season.
Describing it as their biggest game of the season so far, he said: “It is a very important game for us as we have to hold back the teams above us if we are to have any chance of getting into the top three.
“When we played Gombak at Jurong West, we were still in preparation and not ready as a team but now I know the players better and they know the tactics better, so we will give a better performance on Wednesday.”
The Koreans will be riding a wave of confidence following a 5-0 demolition of the Young Lions but will be aware that Gombak are in fine goalscoring form as well, having scored 10 goals in their last three league outings.
It will be a test of Jeon’s ability to find within his squad that delicate balance between attack and defence.
“I believe that the best defence is one that works with the best attack,” he pointed out.
“We will mark the key players but won’t just be defending – we will move forward strongly too.”
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