Written By: Kenneth Ho
Brunei DPMM coach Steve Kean was naturally disappointed his side did not managed to make the RHB Singapore Cup final but he insisted that it was still a good season for the club.
The Wasps were defeated by Home United 2-0 in the second leg of the semi-final and lost 4-3 on aggregate. As a result, they will have to settle for a 3rd / 4th playoff with Global FC.
However, after claiming their first-ever league title just days ago, Kean shared that he felt it has been a successful season for the Bruneians.
“The first target was always the league… we had a few blips and bumps but we have to be pleased,” Kean said.
“We wanted to be the first club to win all three trophies available but we have to measure ourselves over the season and we have progressed well.”
Kean also believed the players suffered from the after-effects of winning the title, resulting in them putting a poor performance against Home in the first half.
“It was disappointing because we were sensational in second half; we created load of chances and the only chance Home had was their only goal,” Kean added.
“In the first half, we were pretty fatigue but in the second half we somehow found the energy to play.
Home coach Philippe Aw was delighted the club made its fourth consecutive appearance in the Singapore Cup final, especially since they suffered a disappointing year in the league and finished in sixth spot.
“We came into this season talking about grooming youth but it doesn’t meant we don’t want to win silverware,” Aw asserted.
“It took a while for us to find our feet. Of course if you look at the league position we are not happy with sixth but if you look at overall performance the boy have been fantastic.”
Aw now hopes his side can go on to win the tournament, and he added they will be fueled by the motivation to do so for the local clubs.
Besides DPMM’s title win, the other trophy up for grabs was The New Paper League Cup, which was won by Albirex Niigata (S).
“Everyone of us in the team know that everyone in Singapore is behind us; they want to see a local team winning it,” he said.
“But we want to win the final, even though the opponent is a foreign team we want to win something for ourselves.”