Brunei’s Wasps To Take On Selangor Tonight
By Dannie Abu Basrah

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Wasps will play their second Group A game in the 2005 Malaysian Premier League at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium tonight, hosting Selangor MK Land who are lying 5th position in the table after a 0-0 draw with state side Kedah in their opening match.

As for Brunei, their 5-1 win over Pulau Pinang NTFA last week was a big surprise, as the team was formed only less than a month before.

According to hattrick hero Oluseye Ajayi, NTFA were not actually a bad team, dominating the final 20 minutes of the game but failed to score as the Brunei defence put up a solid performance that night.

Although Brunei are sitting pretty at the top of the table, team coach Amir Alagic refused to get carried away because he knows that Selangor MK Land are a good side and were likely to put up a hard fight tonight, as they also need points to challenge for the top positions.

However, Alagic said that he would be more than satisfied if the match ends with a draw as any point is important at this early stage of the season.

He also urged supporters to come to the game in full force, not only to watch but also to cheer the team to victory, because he believes that loyal supporters would always be there for their beloved teams through their ups and downs.

One example in mind was the charity match recently between Brunei and the Singapore Armed Forces Warriors, which eventually ended with the home side losing 4-2; the small group of Singapore supporters was hugely outnumbered by local fans, but that did not stop them from being the louder of the two sets of supporters that night, constantly cheering their team on, while the home fans were silent practically throughout - except when Brunei scored.

It is sad to see that here in this country, fans would come to Brunei games when their team is up and winning, but when the team is not performing well, attendances would start dwindling.

Whatever may be the factors that contribute to this trend, it does affect the performance of a team, which is why coach Alagic stressed teams need support from their fans in whatever their situation.

Yesterday, a contract-signing ceremony was held by the Brunei Football Association (BAFA) for 16 Brunei M-League players, including nine team officials. Present on behalf of the BAFA President, Pehin Dato (Dr.) Hj Awg Hussein was BAFA Vice-President-cum-Chairman of the 2005 National Football Team Committee, Pg Hj Mohd Yussof bin Pg Hj Bahar.

Tickets priced at $5 for grandstand seats and $10 for covered seats at the VIP section are available for the game tonight. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News