Sarawak football gears up for crucial SUKMA opener against Perak

MUKAH: The Sarawak football team is fully focused on their opening match against Perak, treating every game as a final in their quest for success in the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2024.

The team’s head coach, Awangko Shahbuddin Pengeran Abu Bakar said the team is concentrating solely on the first match, not looking beyond it.

He added the team has been studying Perak’s gameplay, particularly through their performances in the President Cup, but remains cautious about underestimating their opponent’s potential to change tactics.

“We do observe how they play, however we can’t be too specific on the details. From time to time they may change their tactical outlook as well,” he told Sarawak Tribune on Saturday (Aug 10).

Awangko Shahbuddin said the three additional players from Kuching City FC have been a boost to the team’s quality.

He said that the players have added extra ‘life’ to the team.

“We need them as well, especially their experience. Plenty of our players, young players, have not had much exposure,” he said.

Explaining further, he said that the majority of the players in the current team are young and he hopes that the three experienced players would provide guidance to the younger players.

“Most of them are improving, even though (the players) have (just) completed Form 5, but they drastically are able to cope with what we want.

“We need (the) confidence but the first game is the catalyst because on the same day, there are other games as well,” he said.

Therefore, Awangko Shahbuddin expressed optimism due to the home game advantage.

“It is a home advantage, we will see how we are going to defend ourselves. We go step by step (because) they are also preparing,” he said.