| Fadhil Yunus |
DPMM FC foreign import Charlie Clough highlighted the hard work of the team during pre-season training after the 1-0 victory over Home United FC in their opening fixture in the AIA Singapore Premier League at the Bishan Stadium in Singapore last Sunday.
The Gegar Gegar men preserved a clean sheet and were defensively sound at the back despite pressure from Home United during the late stages of the match.
“It was a good first game of the season. It was good to get the three points. The lads put a great shift in. We were under the cosh in the last 10 minutes but we defended well,” said Clough in a post-match interview with the Singapore media.
“It just shows how hard we worked in pre-season to be fit and strong enough for us to see out the 90 minutes,” he continued.
The central defender indicated that they came prepared to cope with their opponents’ attacking interest.
“They (Home United) put men forward. We knew they were going to do that but we worked on that in training. We defended well, the boys cleared it, headed it and blocked it.”
Asked whether the victory underlined the team’s intent to make a statement, Clough duly said, “Of course. We’re here to win the league.
“We worked hard during the pre-season harder than they (the players) have ever worked to be fitter and stronger, to come over here and to compete. We want to be at the top and that’s our aim this season,” said the defender.
