Geylang International vs Brunei DPMM

(27 October, Friday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Phoon Jia Hui

Geylang International defender Darren Teh is confident they can end the season unbeaten against Brunei DPMM when they face off in the Great Eastern-Hyundai S.League at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night.

The two teams have met thrice this season, with the Eagles coming out 2-0 and 1-0 victors in the league while sharing the spoils in a 3-3 draw in the group stages of The New Paper League Cup.

“Getting maximum points from those two games against DPMM earlier in the season has definitely given us the edge going into this game,” the 21-year-old admitted.

“That said, we cannot allow complacency to creep in because we are going into this game to collect nothing less than three points again.”

After a poor start to the season, Geylang now sit in fourth spot with three games remaining and Teh has pointed to the team spirit as the key reason behind their resurgence.

They come into this match on the back of a resounding 4-0 victory over Garena Young Lions which has seen them leapfrog Warriors FC in the standings.

“Our good run of games and the camaraderie within the team has boosted our morale,” he said.

“Considering the number of injuries we had to deal with, I think we have to be satisfied with both our performance and results. Going from sixth spot to fourth within the past month, every single player in the team has played an important role but credit also goes to the Prime League players who have stepped up and performed whenever called upon.”

A right-back by trade, Teh has been deployed on the opposite flank for the Eastern giants this season and he is enjoying the experience thus far.

“I would say I’m happy with my breakthrough season especially when I wasn’t getting as much game time at the beginning of the season but I’ve been playing more regularly now,” said Teh, who made his first league start for Geylang in their 2-0 win over DPMM on April 20.

“I’m also glad I got a chance to be part of the Under-22 national team. The S.League is a definitely a level higher than what I had previously gone through but I feel I’ve adapted well.

“The senior players (in the team) have also been instrumental to my progress but the learning process does not stop here and I’ll continue to learn as much to become a better player in years to come.”

DPMM meanwhile put in their best performance all season as they beat Warriors 3-2 in Bandar Seri Begawan under a week ago for their fourth win this term.

Azwan Ali Rahman struck a brace while Rafael Ramazotti got the other as the Wasps remain in eighth with 14 points from 21 matches.

With just two points separating DPMM and Balestier Khalsa in the table, this represents the perfect chance for Steve Kean’s charges to move into seventh with a win as they look to avoid finishing second from bottom.

Geylang International – WWLLW

21/10/17 Garena Young Lions 0-4 Geylang International

15/10/17 Geylang International 2-3 Tampines Rovers

23/09/17 Geylang International 1-3 Home United

15/09/17 Warriors FC 0-2 Geylang International

09/09/17 Geylang International 2-0 Balestier Khalsa

Brunei DPMM – LWWLW

21/10/17 Brunei DPMM 3-2 Warriors FC

16/10/17 Brunei DPMM 1-4 Balestier Khalsa

07/10/17 Brunei DPMM 7-1 Garena Young Lions

23/09/17 Hougang United 1-2 Brunei DPMM

19/09/17 Brunei DPMM 1-4 Hougang United

Head to Head (S.League)

24/07/17 Brunei DPMM 0-1 Geylang International

20/04/17 Geylang International 2-0 Brunei DPMM

11/08/16 Geylang International 1-1 Brunei DPMM

30/04/16 Brunei DPMM 1-2 Geylang International

20/02/16 Geylang International 1-1 Brunei DPMM