Irfan Banishes Kota Baru Hoodoo With Win Over Kelantan

15 Mac, 2015



PETALING JAYA: Irfan Bakti has never won a Super League match – as a coach – at Kelantan’s Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru for six years.

So, when his band of Fighters, as Felda United are known, edged Kelantan 1-0 at the hallowed turf on Saturday, Irfan was in seventh heaven.

Liberian hotshot Edward Wilson’s 60th-minute goal not only gave Irfan his first win in Kota Baru in the Super League but also helped Felda stay atop the standings with 11 points – two more than second-placed Police.

The 63-year-old Irfan, who had previously coached Terengganu (from 2009-2011) and Selangor (2012-2013), admitted that the win “is just a small personal glory” in his coaching career.

“As a coach, I’ve always wanted to win in Kota Baru. It’s very hard to play there and I failed several times with my former teams ... so, to finally win here is one of the highlights of my career,” said the former international.

“We did our homework well for the match. We controlled the midfield and were comfortable winners. We could have scored more goals ... I think this was one of our best performances so far this season. Our defenders, Shukor (Adan) and Bojan (Miladinovic), were outstanding.”

But the coach was quick to remind his players that there’s still a long way to go in the Super League.

While the FA Cup action resumes tomorrow with the round of 16, last year’s finalists Felda won’t be around to this time. They were knocked out by Selangor on March 7. Felda lost 4-2 in the penalty shootout after both teams were tied 2-2 in regulation time.

So, Irfan knows the need for consistency.

“We need to be consistent ... the players have to remember that there are still 17 more matches to play in the league. We need to keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard,” he said.

Original source - K. Rajan, Star Online www.thestar.com.my