Young Lions vs Gombak United

Young Lions aim to snap losing streak Fabius Chen info@sleague.com Second-from-bottom Young Lions face an uphill task if they are to avoid a fourth successive defeat in all competitions when second-placed Gombak United visit Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday. Terry Pathmanathan’s young side produced dismal performances in losses to Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown in the RHB Singapore Cup and Super Reds, 0-5, in their last Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League home game. Their latest defeat came at the hands of Brunei DPMM in Bandar Seri Begawan, although the 1-0 scoreline flattered the visitors and was thanks to an inspired display by goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud. The 18-year-old stopper will need to produce a similar display on Monday if the Young Lions are to get a result against a Gombak side which is looking to bounce back after going down to Super Reds in only their second loss of the season. Bulls head coach Darren Stewart was keen to take the result in his stride, insisting that he was delighted with the way his side has performed thus far in the league. “Look at any league in the world and you won’t find a team that does not get beaten; what matters, is how you recover after a loss,” he pointed out. “You have no God-given right to think that you’ll never get beaten.” The Australian added: “For now, we’ve exceeded all expectations. “There’s still a long way to go in the season but at the moment, we’re doing very, very well.” With a full-strength squad at his disposal, Stewart will be looking to Ojimi Gabriel Obatola, Agu Casmir and Kingsley Njoku to provide the goals at Jalan Besar, with the three accounting for 20 of Gombak’s 23 goals so far this season. It is a good thing for the home side, then, that their influential captain Obadin Aikhena will be back in the squad to face his former club after missing the DPMM game through suspension. The big defender from Nigeria has by far been the Young Lions’ stand-out performer of 2009 and is their top-scorer with four goals, a statistic that more than anything underlines their struggles up front. Also back in the reckoning for the Young Lions is national team midfielder Hariss Harun, who has spent the past year on the sidelines with an ankle injury. He played the first half of the national Under-23 side’s 0-3 friendly loss to their Malaysian counterparts on Thursday and his captain was eagerly awaiting his return to league action. “It’ll be a big boost for the team,” Obadin said. “But after being out for so long, he’ll need some time to find his feet.” The sides’ first meeting of the season was settled by a late Njoku goal, a defeat that the Young Lions skipper was determined to avenge. He commented: “The last time we played against Gombak, we lost due to our inexperience. “They are a good side but they won’t find it easy against us. The experience factor was one that the Gombak boss touched on as well, as he emphatised with his opposition’s position. Stewart said: “They’re a very young team, so you can’t expect them to perform well in every game.” In spite of this, Obadin was optimistic that Monday would see an improved Young Lions performance. “We’re going to have a good game,” he said confidently.