KCFC shifted focus to the A1 League - Gonzalez

KOTA BHARU, Sept 21: Kelantan City FC (KCFC) is now shifting its focus to A1 Semi-Pro League rivals over this season's FA Cup campaign, said head coach Alfredo Gonzalez.

He said the team's current priority is to ensure players are at their best level to face Kedah in the A1 League competition, after a fierce first quarter-final FA Cup action against Kuching City FC.

"Honestly, my focus is not on this FA Cup because there are significant differences between us and Kuching City FC who have six or seven imported players as well as national players.

"These differences are unbalanced and it is impossible to compete fairly in a situation where they can bring down those players, especially when playing on their own ground in a draw", he told reporters after the first FA Cup quarter-final at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium here last night.

Gonzalez said the result of the series without a net at the match still provided valuable experience for his players, especially in testing their ability against Super League teams.

"Now we have to think about a match against Kedah in the A1 Semi-Pro League competition as the date for the second round of the FA Cup has not been finalized.

"The chances for us to win against Kuching City FC in the second game are quite slim as we already know that the team is in second place of Super League, while Kelantan City FC is a newly started team in the world of football", he said.

He said the match-up on Kuching City FC's site is expected to be a more fierce challenge for KCFC, especially with opponents playing in front of their own supporters in the semi-final ticket battle.

"I have to make sure the players are in the best position to deliver quality performances according to our capabilities and levels", he said. -TVS