HAVING successfully negotiated through the quarter-finals of the TNB Cup, Tenaga and Maybank are now set to face tough hurdles.
Tenaga progressed to the semi-finals by defeating Sapura HC 8-5 on aggregate and face league Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
Despite being labelled the underdogs, Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini reiterated that his team aim to make it to the final.
However, Nor Saiful is well aware that it is easier said than done.
“KLHC are a very strong team and move the ball better than us. They have several talented players and we need to make sure that we don’t make any defensive errors. But anything can happen over two legs,” he said.
The coach also lamented the fact that his players will get a much shorter break compared to their opponents. KLHC earned automatic qualification to the semi-finals after finishing second in the Malaysian Hockey League.
“A two-day break period is too short for my players to recover as we also have some injuries to deal with. KLHC got a 10-day break and they will be better prepared for the match, which is unfair.
“I believe we should have at least been given one week to recover,” said Saiful.
Meanwhile, Maybank booked their spot in the semi-finals after edging Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Maybank lost 3-1 in the first leg but bounced back to secure an emphatic 4-1 win in the reverse fixture.
And Maybank could not have picked a better time to record their first victory this season.
But Wallace Tan’s side can ill afford to be in a celebratory mood as they now face league champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) at the Kuala Terengganu Municipal Stadium today.
“It will be a very tough match and the fact that we have to travel all the way to Terengganu is going to make it even harder for us,” said Tan.
“But after struggling with injuries to some key players for most of the season, I believe that my team have finally found the rhythm. So no matter what, we will do our best.”
Today — S-finals, 1st leg: THT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); Tenaga v KLHC (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm).