Alberts praises Crocs despite disappointment

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HEARTBREAKER: Sarawak midfielder Junior Eldstal reacts after the final whistle in the match against Pahang last Saturday. — Photo by Chimon Upon.

KUCHING: Sarawak may have missed another good shot at the Malaysia Cup final. But Robert Alberts remains positive.

The head coach for the Sarawak team insisted that the Crocs had a  good season and he praised their performance in the semi-final match here last Saturday.

Winning 4-2 on agregate, Pahang managed to hold Sarawak to a 1-1 draw here at the Stadium Negeri.

“Although it would be nice to qualify to the final and have a showdown with Kelantan, I think we performed better than our initial expectations for this competition,” said Alberts during the post-match conference.

He congratulated his players for their hard work last Saturday and hoped they would not get too disappointed in losing to a team like Pahang.

It takes quality, he continued, to face off with sides such as Pahang or Kelantan.

Tickets for the big match were sold out.

They were taken up in less than an hour on both days (last Thursday and Friday) when booths open as Sarawak fans went on a mad rush to fight for a chance to watch and cheer their beloved Crocs.

Commenting on plans for next season, Alberts said, “We are definitely looking into ways of strengthening the team. There will be new faces but nothing concrete have come up so far.”

Sarawak have yet to win the elusive Malaysia Cup.

Last Saturday’s match represented only the fifth ever appearance by the Crocs in the semi-final stage of the nation’s most prestigious football competition.