DPMM FC head coach Jamie McAllister underlined the threat of the opposition following his side’s 1-1 draw against Tanjong Pagar United FC in the Singapore Premier League at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on Saturday.
The Gegar Gegar men were denied back-to-back wins for a second time this season after Salif Cisse cancelled out an own goal from Faizal Roslan in the first half.
Jamie, whose side earned a fourth successive draw on home soil, said, “We had so many good chances in the first half. We should’ve made it 2-0 but Tanjong made two changes at half-time.”
He continued, “The substitutes came on and made a big impact. Cisse came on and caused us problems with his pace and power and scored a great goal.
“In the second half, we had a lot of one versus ones and a lot of chances and maybe a penalty.
“I just said to the players to stay positive because we’re unbeaten in three (games).
“It’s another draw and yes it’s frustrating but like in football, never be too high after a win and never be too low after defeat and try to stay level.”
The Scotsman commended DPMM FC goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski after making crucial saves, including stopping a possible winner from substitute Syahadat Masnawi from point-blank range.
“(Kristijan) made some good saves but we had more opportunities to score. The two subs made a big impact. The pace and power caused us problems,” he said.
“But after 20 minutes, I thought we dealt with the threat and made some changes. We tried to counterattack from a mid block rather than press high.”
He concluded, “We have to be clinical but it’s another point.”
Meanwhile, Jamie’s opposite number Tanjong Pagar United head coach Hasrin Jailani said, “We got to see the hunger and desire from the players.
“I think the performance in the second half was much better than the first half.
“They go all the way until the final whistle so I was very pleased with the performance tonight.” – FADHIL YUNUS
