Written By: Kenneth Ho

After Hougang United crashed to a 1-0 defeat by Harimau Muda on Saturday evening, team manager Nicholas Low has called on the team to do some reflection and realise that they should do better.

While Low gave Harimau credit for taking their chance well to clinch the victory, he insisted that Hougang should have done better in the game after dominating possession.

“In this game today we weren’t able to win the second balls, we didn’t take our chances,” Low added. “So many shots made but we didn’t even make the keeper look good, all he had to do was stand there.”

“The boys know what they are capable of, we can beat the biggest and the best of them.”

However, Low was convinced that the players did not need a tongue lashing from the coaching staffs as they will realise that they needed to improve.

“When they watch the highlights tonight themselves, they will be reminded of how close they were [to getting sixth spot].

“They might wake up, we might thump the next team 5-0, I guess our inconsistencies has reared its head again but I think the boys need to be reminded that this is not a good feeling.”

Next up for Hougang will be Courts Young Lions, the team which has beaten them each time they met this season. However, Low dismissed any notion of the Young Lions being the Cheetahs’ bogey team.

“There is no such thing as a bogey team,” Low shared. “Yes, on paper and statistics it might show that way, but it is how you prepare yourself for the game.”

“I hope they get the message from this loss because bogey or not, a lot more is expected of them, especially this season when we done so well.”

Meanwhile, Harimau coach Razip Ismail was delighted that his side grabbed a second consecutive win that pushed his side to go above the Young Lions in the league table.

“The most important thing is the three points, two games collected six points, it is very good already. For the first time we move above Young Lions, I hope we keep on climbing, I mean, we have to work every hard,” Razip said.

“To me second last is better already, at least we maintain the position we had last year, we don’t finish last.”

While Razip was pleased his team managed to keep a clean sheet too, he admitted Harimau did not exactly enjoy the best of games and that they were helped by Hougang who were uncharacteristically poor.

“I’m surprised by the way we play, to me it is a poor game, but I am not surprised we won,” he explained.

“The way I looked at the opponents, it seems as though they don’t have the spirit to win the game; they wasted a lot of chances also but we took our chances well.“