Star striker Amri wants Tampines to build on winning momentum
| TAMPINES ROVERS | GARENA YOUNG LIONS |
They've struggled for consistency this season.
But, on Wednesday night, Tampines Rovers notched their first back-to-back wins of the season when they defeated Malaysian side Felda United 3-1 in the AFC Cup, which followed a 4-0 win over Geylang International in the Great Eastern-Hyundai S.League earlier this month.
Stags striker Khairul Amri has called on his teammates to make it three wins in a row when they entertain the S.League's bottom side Garena Young Lions at the Jurong West Stadium on Sunday.
The 32-year-old, whose second-half brace gave the Stags the win over Felda at the Shah Alam Stadium, told The New Paper: "We have to keep the results going.
"At the moment, we are struggling with some injury problems, but we hope everyone can come back soon and we have to make it a priority to win every game.
"I don't care about the performance - we need the result."
Runners-up in last season's S.League, Tampines lost 2-1 to defending champions Albirex Niigata in the opening game of the season.
POOR FINISHING
But they bounced back with two wins in the league over Hougang United (2-1) and Balestier Khalsa (1-0), which sandwiched a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Philippine side Ceres Negros in the AFC Cup.
Their winning momentum was then stalled by three straight losses - twice to Vietnam's Hanoi FC in the AFC Cup (4-0 and 2-1) and to Warriors FC (1-0) in the S.League - before stopping the rot with the comprehensive wins over Geylang and Felda.
The Young Lions, meanwhile, are rock bottom in the nine-team league, having lost all six games, shipping 20 goals and scoring just four.
They have shown glimpses of promise in their last three games, only to be let down by poor finishing.
Amri, who played for the Young Lions last season as an overaged player, has warned his teammates not to underestimate their opponents on Sunday.
"Playing the Young Lions is very tricky," he said.
"They have not won a game yet, so they will go into every game as though it is a cup final.
"So we have to be cautious.
"But we must make sure we pick up the three points, so there will be even more positivity within our team."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now