Fairoz Hasan has enjoyed a superb season at Geylang.

SINGAPORE, 14 AUG 2018 – With renewed vigour, Fairoz Hasan has been a revelation for Geylang International FC this season and he hopes to maintain that form when Home United FC visit Bedok Stadium on 15 August, Wednesday at 7.45pm.

BACKGROUND For years, Fairoz has never been seen as a source of goals despite being played in an attacking role.

But the forward has been in a rich vein of form of late, scoring seven goals this season – he struck only three last year – to record a career-high tally. Six of those have come in Geylang’s last ten games, mitigating the loss of injured star striker Shawal Anuar.

Fairoz explained that his upturn in fortunes has had more to do with an adjustment in mindset, especially since he knew that the Eagles would be missing seven-goal Shawal for the foreseeable future.

“Nothing much has changed, except maybe I have gained more confidence to score and started to believe in myself again and it’s a wonderful feeling,” Fairoz said.

“Shawal is one of the key players for Geylang and we did feel a void after his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“But we had to move on and continue playing as a team. I am always trying my best to score for the team as a striker, no matter what the circumstances are.”

Surprisingly, breaking into the national team is no longer a priority for Fairoz.

He will be targeting to score again against Home, having found the back of the net in Geylang’s last game to salvage a 2-2 draw with Brunei DPMM FC, but that is with the sole intention of helping his club climb the ladder.

“Breaking into the national team used to be my main aim, but my priorities may have changed after being in the industry for more than 10 years,” he added.

“I do hope that things get better for Singapore football and wish them all the best.”

The forward will have it all to do though, as Home are in the mood for three points after clinching the AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal championship and almost dished out a 1-0 defeat to the White Swans before Wataru Murofushi hit a late equaliser.

TEAM NEWS
Basil Chan will sit this out as he serves the last of his two-game suspension. Zainol Gulam is still a doubt so young goalkeeper Faris Danial could be in line to make his second start.

Home will have a relatively healthy squad to pick from, with Juma’at Jantan and Sirina Camara remaining sidelined with long-term injuries.

FORM GUIDE
Geylang: LLWLD
Home : WLDWD

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
17/06/18: Home 2-0 Geylang – Singapore Premier League
22/04/18: Geylang 1-4 Home – Singapore Premier League
04/11/17: Home 2-1 Geylang – Singapore Premier League
23/09/17: Geylang 1-3 Home – Singapore Premier League
28/04/17: Home 3-0 Geylang – Singapore Premier League

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR
Jufri Taha – Geylang
Up against Home, Jufri will need to be on his very best as he will go up against the likes of in-form Shahril Ishak and Song Ui Young.

The defender has played every minute in Geylang’s 2018 campaign so far and defends with fervour, while also provides an outlet in attack with his overlapping runs.

Shahril Ishak – Home
Despite being 34, Shahril continues to dominate the headlines for the right reasons. Defying his critics, Shahril has tallied a superb 16 goals and 13 assists in 30 appearances.

WHAT ELSE THEY SAID
Geylang forward Fairoz: “Home must be very proud and are in high spirits and morale, but we just need to put on our best performance, like how we did against Brunei DPMM.

“We need to have the strength and belief as anything is possible in football.”

Home Captain Izzdin Shafiq: “I’m very proud of my team, they worked hard from the very first day since we reported back for pre-season. It’s really a good achievement for the club and Singapore football to win the AFC Cup ASEAN Zone.

“I will continue to work hard regardless of whether I can get called up for the national team. It’s up to the national team coach if they want to play me, so my focus now will be playing well for the club.

“It’s disappointing (to draw with Albirex), but the entire team gave their all, we can only move on and look toward Geylang’s game. We need to do well in order to catch up with Tampines and extend the gap between us and Brunei DPMM.

“The team did well over the last few games, if we continue what we are doing, I’m sure we can do the job in the next game.”

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