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Wallace's boys fall again

The National Under-21 squad lost their fourth straight Britain tour match yesterday, but coach Wallace Tan believes this does not reflect their true form.

Wallace's boys, who are preparing for the India Junior World Cup on Nov 24- Dec 5, were in their first overseas playing trip in two years.

Malaysia's sole scorer was Fahmi Khalid in their 3-1 loss to Hampstead & Westminster yesterday.

Wallace said: "Our players displayed a good game in the first half, and even scored a penalty corner goal in the seventh minute.

"But the more experienced Hampstead & Westminster senior side clawed back in the remaining 30 minutes.

"Many of our players had also picked up injuries in the earlier three matches. I was left with no substitution choices but played with the same set of players in the third and fourth quarter.

"Overall, it was a good game from the boys, and the 3-1 score does not indicate the true picture.

"The English club side played much more aggressively in the third and fourth quarters. Some of my players picked up injuries in this game as well, and we could not sustain the first half momentum."

Akhimullah Annuar, Saifuddin Azli, Arif Shafie and Hafizi Zainuddin did not play yesterday, as they were on the crock list.

"After the Hampstead match, two more players were injured because of aggressive play from the opponents, and this is a worrying factor in the remaining matches on our tour."

The Malaysian Under-21 team will play Wales Under-23 tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the senior national team are in Cardiff to play two Test matches against Wales. The first match, which carries international ranking points, is today.

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