AS winning becomes a habit for Pahang, they now crave for more success.
After a trophy-drought of seven years, the Elephants, who previously used to win every football title in the country, have returned to their glory days by lifting the Malaysia Cup for the third time last year under coach Dollah Salleh.
Zainal Abidin Hassan took over from Dollah who has left to lead Premier League outfit Police this season. The 52-year-old, who has been with Pahang in various positions since 2004, duly stamped his mark at the helm by steering the team to their second FA Cup success by beating Felda United FC in the final.
"It is true what they say about winning... it is addictive and we are all hungry for success in the coming Malaysia Cup,” said Zainal after watching his side beat T-Team 3-1 in a friendly match in Kuala Terengganu earlier this week.
But Zainal said it will be a mistake for Pahang to underestimate the strength of the other teams in the Malaysia Cup.
“Felda and JDT (II) played in the lower league this season but we know what Felda are capable of as we had to work extra hard to beat them in the FA Cup final earlier, and they have proved themselves by earning a promotion to the Super League after only a year in the Premier League.
"As for Lions XII, everybody knows that they are almost unbeatable when playing at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, and they certainly have a reputation to protect as they were Super League champions last season.”
Zainal said Pahang also had a decent shot at winning the Super League title this season but a lapse in concentration late in the season proved costly, and they had to settle for third place behind Darul Ta'zim (1) and Selangor.
“At that time, perhaps we were still in a celebratory mood from winning the FA Cup and it did not help much that our list of injuries, especially to key players, was getting longer by the day.
“But we did learn our lesson and it is safe to say that we are not about to make the same mistakes again as we know it is a long, long road to another Malaysia Cup glory.” By Zainuddin Muhammad