Malay Mail out to bury playoff setback (NST)

THE FA Cup may not be as glamorous as the Malaysia Cup and Premier League
but for Kuala Lumpur Malay Mail, the tournament offers them a chance to
erase a bitter disappointment.
 Denied a place in Premier Two this season by a single goal, Malay Mail
will want to prove they would have been worthy contenders had they
qualified for Premier Two.
 They host Malacca in tonight's first round first leg match, which
unofficially kicks off the new soccer season.
 Beating Malacca would mean a second round match against `big brothers'
Kuala Lumpur and coach Lucas Kallang, formerly part of Alan Vest's Sarawak
team, is hoping his players will rise above the disappointment of the
qualifiers.
 "We were very disappointed with our failure but we have no one but
ourselves to blame. But that is in the past. The important thing is for us
to focus on the FA Cup," said Lucas yesterday.
 While Malacca are not exactly a Goliath in Malaysian soccer, their
status as a State side makes them favourites against Malay Mail.
 "We have to aim for a win as it will, to a certain extent, redeem our
failure in the qualifiers," said Lucas.
 The qualifiers involved Police, Armed Forces, Kelantan TNB and Malay
Mail.
 The newspaper team had one foot in Premier Two and only needed a draw
going into their final match against Forces.
 Unfortunately, Forces were equally determined to qualify and won 2-0 as
Malay Mail were left to rue what it could have been.
 "Advancing to the second round will prove that we would have been able
to stand against the best in Premier Two," said Lucas.
 Another interesting tie tonight will be the Perlis-Forces clash in
Kangar.
 Perlis, although a Premier Two side, are only playing in the first round
after the FA of Malaysia's council decided that defending champions Johor
should be seeded for the tournament.
 Perlis were ranked above Johor at the end of last season but sportingly
agreed to play in the first round.
 Johor FC, who stunned eventual Premier Two champions and Malaysia Cup
finalists Terengganu last season, will be looking to a second round spot
when they play Malacca Telekom at the Pasir Gudang Stadium.
 Police, demoted to the FAM League, will be aiming to upset Kelantan
while NS Chempaka take on Kelantan TNB in an all-club affair at the Paroi
Stadium.
                              (END)

Malay Mail's dreams dashed (The Malay Mail)

KUALA LUMPUR MALAY MAIL coach Lucas Kallang's worst fears came true
yesterday.
 Just a point away from making Premier Two this season, their dreams were
dashed at the BSN Sports Complex.
 After a goalless first half, Malay Mail failed to cope with the pressure
from Armed Forces in the second and conceded goals to Ahmad Nizan Ariffin
and Amir Abdul Ghani Mohamad Yusof in the 74th and 85th minutes
respectively.
 With the 2-0 victory, Armed Forces qualified for Premier Two by
finishing second in the standings with four points.
 Though they were tied on points with Malay Mail, Armed Forces had a
better goal difference.
 Kelantan TNB qualified for Premier Two by finishing top of the standings
with five points.
 They held Police 1-1 at Petronas Sports Complex yesterday.
 Lucas, a former Sarawak assistant coach, said: "We are very
disappointed. There was so much at stake for us in this match.
 "In the second half we were at a big disadvantage when Hasnul (Ramlan)
was injured after colliding with an Armed Forces player."
                              (END)

Malay Mail hoping for vintage show from Pavalamani (The Malay Mail)

KUALA LUMPUR MALAY MAIL, just one point away from making their Premier Two
debut, cannot take anything for granted against Armed Forces in their last
qualifying match at the BSN Sports Complex this evening (4.30pm).
 Coached by Lucas Kallang, a former Sarawak assistant coach, KL Malay
Mail are second in the standings with four points after two matches.
 Kelantan TNB, who top the standings on better goal difference, also need
a draw against Police this evening to confirm their place in Premier Two.
 KL Malay Mail will again be hoping for a good performance from veteran
goalkeeper M. Pavalamani, who has been in great form.
 He played a major role in the goalless draw with Kelantan TNB in their
opening match.
 Pavalamani was on song again when KL Malay Mail edged Police 1-0 on
Monday.
 The former Sabah and KL goalkeeper made some superb saves to keep the
Police strikers at bay.
 But Pavalamani, 35, cannot be expected to do the job alone today.
 The backline, led by Hasnul Ramlan, must cope with the pressure from the
Armed Forces strikers.
 "This is a great chance for me to see action in the M-League again,"
said Pavalamani.
 "We have all worked very hard and I am glad everything is going smoothly
for the team. Hopefully, we will maintain our performance in the last
match."
 But Lucas said his players must communicate better on the field.
 "Our main problem is that our players have yet to find their rhythm. The
teamwork is not quite there yet.
 "We must be better organised and the players must know each other's game
well if we are to make a bigger impact.
 "But we must first do well against Armed Forces. We will not be playing
for a draw as that could be disastrous. We have to play to win," said
Lucas.
                                (END)

Sham takes Malay Mail closer to Premier Two (NST)

KL MALAY MAIL ... 1  POLICE .......... 0
KELANTAN TNB .... 3  ARMED FORCES .... 2
 KL Malay Mail are just one step away from playing in Premier Two.
 Their 1-0 win over unlucky Police in a qualification playoff match at
the Petronas ground in Bangi yesterday has virtually assured them of
promotion.
 They only need to draw their next match against a struggling Armed
Forces to see their dream fulfilled. Armed Forces were beaten 3-2 by
Kelantan TNB in another yesterday.
 However, KL Malay Mail coach Lucas Kallang Leng wants his players to go
for a win against Armed Forces tomorrow.
 "Although we only need a draw to get a place in Premier Two, that does
not mean we can relax. There is still a lot of work to do and we must go
for a win," he said.
 The match, which was played in the late afternoon, saw an unsettled
Malay Mail struggle to get past the extremely fit Police defence.
 If not for the good form of Malay Mail keeper M. Pavalamani, Police
could have taken an early lead through striker Rohaizan Mohamed Ribi whose
fierce drives brought out the best from Pavalamani.
 Malay Mail got into their stride midway through the first half and
continuously pounded the Police goal finally breaking the deadlock in the
42nd minute.
 Mohamad Sham Mohamed scored from close range.
 The win ensured that Malay Mail finish in the top two of this season's
Premier Two qualifying.
 Kelantan TNB, who beat Armed Forces at the BSN ground, are the other
team who have a good chance of making in into Premier Two.
 TNB's goals were scored by Ahmad Faisal (15th minute), Zul Hassan (44th)
and Ruslan Ismail (68th) while Armed Forces scored through Mohamad Nizam
(36th) and Hassan Sazali (89th).
 Tomorrow, TNB play Police at the Petronas ground while Malay Mail play
Armed Forces at the BSN ground (4.30pm).
                              (END)

MM move a step closer (The Malay Mail)

KUALA LUMPUR Malay Mail are just a step away from qualifying for Premier
Two, which kicks off next month.
 The newspaper team only need a draw in their last qualifying match
against Armed Forces tomorrow to confirm their berth.
 After drawing 1-1 with Kelantan TNB in their opening match on Saturday,
KL MM overcame Police 1-0 at Petronas Sports Complex yesterday.
 With the win, KL MM are tied with Kelantan TNB on four points. TNB also
registered a victory yesterday when they edged Armed Forces 3-2 at BSN
Sports Complex.
 TNB top the standings with a better goal difference. Police and Armed
Forces are third and fourth respectively - with one point each.
 Only the top two teams qualify for Premier Two.
 Though reserve player Mohamed Sham Mohamad, who replaced Mohamed Sabri,
steered KL MM to victory five minutes before the end, goalkeeper M.
Pavalamani, who is a former international, had his hands full repelling
the Police bombardments.
 Despite the pressure from the Police strikeforce, led by former KL Razak
Cup player Affendy Hamzah, Pavalamani used his experience to advantage by
making a few great saves.
 KL MM coach Lucas Kallang, a former Sarawak assistant coach, gave the
thumbs up to Pavalamani.
 "He was superb. With his vast experience, Pavalamani made no mistake in
his judgments.
 "Pavalamani was tested a number of times but he coped with the pressure.
 "We hope Pavalamani can maintain his good performance in our last match
on Wednesday."
 But Lucas, handling KL MM for the first time, has reminded the players
not to get carried away with the victory.
 "Nothing is confirmed yet till we play the last match. All the four
teams still have a chance of making Premier Two.
 "Though we just need a draw against Forces, we are gunning for a victory
and I may change the first XI tomorrow," said Lucas.
 Police coach K. Thaiyanathan said it's still not over yet for his team.
 "I admit KL Malay Mail and Kelantan TNB hold the edge over us in making
Premier Two.
 "We should have at least collected a point today but our strikers blew a
few good chances.
 "In tomorrow's match against Kelantan TNB, we must make sure that we
convert the chances created."
                               (END)

Crucial ties for all four (The Malay Mail)

ALL four teams fighting for berths in Premier Two have an even chance
after their opening matches on Saturday in Bangi.
 The four - Armed Forces, Police, Kuala Lumpur Malay Mail and Kelantan
TNB - will go all out today as victory will enhance their chances of
qualifying.
 On Saturday, Malay Mail and TNB played to a 1-1 draw at the Bank
Simpanan Nasional Sports Complex, while Armed Forces and Police were
scoreless at the Petronas Sports Complex.
 Malay Mail had to come back from a goal down to earn the draw to stay in
the hunt after Kelantan had taken the lead in the 16th minute through
Morhim Abdullah.
 The newspaper team found the equaliser after substitute striker Mohamad
Sabri Mohamad Salleh was brought down by TNB's Ruslan Ismail in the
penalty box in the 83th minute.
 Former KL midfielder S. Mathen made no mistake from the spot.
 Today, Malay Mail will play Police at the Petronas Stadium, while TNB
will take on Armed Forces at the BSN Stadium. Both matches start at
4.30pm.
 The final day of the playoffs is on Wednesday.
 Today: Armed Forces v Kelantan TNB (BSN Sports Complex); Police v KL
Malay Mail (Petronas Sports Complex).
 Wednesday: KL Malay Mail v Armed Forces (BSN Sports Complex); Kelantan
TNB v Police (Petronas Sports Complex) - both matches at 4.30pm.
                       

Mathen rescues Malay Mail (The Sunday Times)

KL Malay Mail ... 1
Kelantan TNB .... 1

Police .......... 0
Armed Forces .... 0
KUALA Lumpur Malay Mail, hoping to find a place in Premier Two this
season, had S. Mathen to thank for helping gain a point in their opening
qualifying match against Kelantan TNB at the Bank Simpanan Nasional ground
in Bangi yesterday.
 With the clock fast ticking and Malay Mail trailing by an early TNB
goal, Mathen came to the rescue when he scored a penalty in the 83rd
minute. Morhim Abdullah had given TNB the lead in the 16th minute.
 The first half belonged to TNB and the took the lead when Morhim headed
the ball home from close range off a cross by Ruslan Ismail.
 TNB could have gone 2-0 up shortly after by ex-international and
Kelantan player Salim Mahmood failed to score from close range.
 TNB had difficulty sustaining their dominance and Malay Mail slowly
pulled themselves back into the match.
 They had several chances but the TNB defence refused to break until the
83rd minute when Mathen was brought down by Ruslan. Mathen easily
converted.
 In another match, Police and Armed Forces struggled to a scoreless draw
at the neighbouring Petronas ground.
 Police keeper P.T. Asogan was their hero yesterday as he kept ARmed
Forces at bay with his good anticipation and execellent saves.
 Police taken on Malay Mail at the Petronas ground tomorrow while Forces
go up against TNB at the BSN ground. Both matches kick-off at 4.30pm.
                              (END)