KUALA LUMPUR: Young Tigers gave Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) a fright before going down 2-1 to the Charity Shield holders in a Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) match at the Batu Buruk Stadium in Kuala Terengganu today.
Playing at home in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), THT scored off South Korean import Jang Jong Hyun in the second minute. National skipper Marhan Jalil made it 2-0 in the eighth minute.
However, Young Tigers pulled one back in the same minute through T. Perabu's penalty corner conversion.
After that, they held mighty THT in a tight grip.
They failed to convert two penalty corners in the final minute, which could have earned them a point.
The Young Tigers are preparing for the KL Junior World Cup in December, and Perabu is shaping up nicely.
Perabu had also scored a brace in the 3-1 victory over TNB Thunderbolts.
"We have three penalty corner flickers in the Under-21 team, and two of them are playing with other clubs. This has given Perabu more chances. He is growing in confidence.
"He has power, and if he can be more precise, Perabu will become a good asset," said Young Tigers and national junior coach Amin Rahim.
Maybank had hammered Tigers 7-0 while Tenaga Nasional beat them 5-2.
"Maybank, Tenaga and THT are the three big teams in the MHL, and one can see the progress. Our first match was against Maybank, and we were hit for seven. My players narrowed the gap against Tenaga and then produced an all-around display against THT," said Amin.
Tigers will meet the three top teams in the MHL again in the return leg, and Amin hopes his charges will steal some points off them .
Amin's team completed their first round fixtures with four wins and three defeats. They are fourth with 12 points.
They will begin their second round campaign against THT on Saturday at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
THT lead the table with 19 points after six wins and one draw, while Maybank are second on 17 and Tenaga third on 16.
RESULTS
Men -- NurInsafi Sporting 2 Armed Forces 5, Tenaga Nasional 1 Maybank 1, Terengganu HT 2 Young Tigers 1.
FIXTURES
TODAY:
Women -- Young Tigress v KPT-UniTen (National Stadium II, 5pm), Negri Sembilan v Terengganu Ladies (Seremban II, 5pm), Mutiara Impian v CS Hockey Team (Bertam, 5pm).