KUCHING: Kuching FA will continue to play entertaining attacking football despite losing by a solitary goal to Felda United on Tuesday. Kuching FA was defeated in the Shopee FA Cup competition in what was a tantalising match between the upstarts against more seasoned and accomplished Super league team Felda United.
The home team succumbed to the 1-0 defeat after a last minute salvo from substitute Felda player Chanturu Supiah who broke the stalemate at the 92nd minute.
Kuching was a surprise package in the match up having held Felda to a goalless game literally up to the final minutes of the game.
The home team impressed home crowds with their fresh approach to the game employing the one and two touch games rarely seen in local sides with as little experience and exposure to the highest levels of football in the country.
Fans were seen to be at the edge of their seats cheering on the fledgling side, delighted with the style of play which saw the home side taking possession of the ball most of the time from the super league side.
“The team did everything that was asked of them and I couldn’t ask for more from them, we are immensely proud of their stellar performance despite the loss,” said President of Kuching FA who is also manager of the team and Tupong assemblyman Fazruddin Abdul Rahman after the game.
“We must take into consideration that this team is still very much a development team which we are building up to one day reach the Super League and the fact that we controlled the game particularly in the last 20 minutes or so of the game shows that we have what it takes to get there,” he said.
Fazruddin pointed out that absorbing attacks is not easy and can be dangerous at times as teams doing that may find themselves in trouble if the opposing side manages a goal or two in that spell of absorption.
He took cognisance of the fact that the team was without their talismanic forward Joeseph Kallang Tie who was out due to an injury
and praised the two forwards charged with the attacking duties with their enterprising play making nine shots on target and countless attempts to penetrate the opponents defence.
“As football goes we have to accept this defeat but as a manager I didn’t see it as just a defeat but more of a dressed rehearsal for future challenges because the team showed that we are now ready for the elite sides,” added Fazruddin.
Kuching FA will face Kelantan United next in the M3 League in an away game kicking off at 9pm in Kota Baharu on 7 April.
