Cats beat Hougang United FC in ‘useful’ friendly

KUCHING (March 31): Kuching City FC head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak believes his team still have areas to improve after winning an international friendly last week, as his side gear up for their Malaysia Cup semi-final clash against Selangor FC.

The Cats recorded a 2-1 victory over Singapore outfit Hougang United FC at the Stadium Negeri on Saturday night, a match arranged to maintain momentum during the Hari Raya league break.

Aidil was positive about the result but admitted the overall performance was not at the level he expected.

“Despite it being just a friendly, it was a useful international match for us because the boys had a break for Hari Raya. We only trained for three days before this and that is not enough, but it was a good game.

“The boys tried their best, and everyone put in the effort,” he said after the match.

Aidil noted that the match was crucial for the players to maintain match fitness, especially with limited opportunities to play competitive fixtures during the break.

He also used the match to assess squad depth, giving several players valuable minutes as the team prepares for the possibility of absences among national call-ups.

“We don’t have many teams to play friendlies here, so the management did a good job to bring in an outside team. It is not easy because many teams already have their own plans.

“We are giving more game time for match fitness because we never know the condition of our national players when they come back. If there are injuries, we must be ready with replacements,” he said.

Looking ahead to the semi-final against Selangor, Aidil stressed that improvements are still needed, particularly in maintaining defensive solidity while enhancing attacking output.

“Every game we always have something to improve. Today we scored two goals but conceded one. Normally we don’t concede but score less goals, so this is something we need to balance,” he said.

He also pointed to the encouraging progress of new signings such as Jerome Mpacko Etame and Ahmad, who are gradually adapting to the team’s system.

“It is a good sign to see them adapting, but we cannot always rotate too much because we are fighting for the highest position. This match gave them the opportunity to show what they can do and fight for their places,” he said.

Aidil also expressed appreciation to Hougang for agreeing to the friendly at short notice, revealing that personal connections helped facilitate the arrangement.

“The head coach and technical director are my friends, so they gave full support for this match. It is good for us to have this kind of AFC-level sparring with an international team,” he said.

With only a few matches remaining in the season, he emphasised the importance of managing the squad effectively during the break.

“Teams like us and Sabah do not have many matches during breaks, so we have to manage it internally and push ourselves in training,” he said.

“We also hope the national players not only train but get matches during the break so they are ready when they return.”

Kuching City will face Selangor in the first leg of the Malaysia Cup semi-final on April 5.