September
20, 2004
After
losing the S-League crown to Tampines Rovers,
Protectors are desperate to make amends in AFC Cup
Having
surrendered their S-League crown, the Home United players now eye Asian glory
as the only way to make up for their season as they reflected on how their
title — won at a canter last season — had slipped from their hands.
At 1 stage
of the season, the 2003 Double Champion were 5 points clear of their nearest
challenger but they shockingly lost some matches which they should won such as
the 3-2 loss at the hand of the Tigers ensuring they could not close out this
season like last season
Home coach
Steve Darby said the players were really disappointed as they wanted badly to
win all 3 competitions in the S-League, the
The
Englishman said the team had felt that Albirex
Niigata had a chance to cause the Stags problems, but it was not to be &
the Protectors have lost the title now so he felt it is time to focus on the 2
remaining trophies.
Steve
Darby's men only have a few days to recover from the setback before the second
leg of their AFC Cup quarter-final against Olympic Beirut at Bishan Stadium but the Protectors have the slight advantage
of away goals over their Lebanese opponents, after snatching a 3-3 draw last
week in Tripoli, courtesy of a double from Indra Sahdan with other from Egmar Goncalves.
Englishman
Darby is not dismissing the Olympic threat though as he described the Lebanon
team as a team with a which a physical approach to their game as a result of
the physical size which even Egmar Goncalves would just be an average-sized player in their
team.
But in his
eyes they are certainly not a dirty team so the Protectors would have no choice
but to come out & attack them as it dangerous to sit back to invite them.
Also
winning the AFC Cup in his eye would be another step in Home United ambition of
becoming the best club in South-east Asia region having succeeded at the local
level after the league & cup double last year, the next stage is success in