Written by: Phoon Jia Hui

Tanjong Pagar United coach Patrick Vallee was a pleased man after seeing his side hold Tampines Rovers to a 1-1 draw at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday evening.

Noh Alam Shah cancelled out Sebastien Etiemble’s opener as the teams earned a point each in a tight encounter.

Vallee was particularly pleased with the contribution from his charges against a superior Tampines side.

“I am very happy, even if we draw 1-1,” the Frenchman said after the match.

“It is the effort of all 11 players, even the Prime League players. I am happy with the young players, M Arvin and Seah Si Hao, it is good exposure for them.”

“It was difficult to play against them [Tampines] as they want to bounce back [from their two previous losses]. They are a strong team with big and experienced players. I sincerely like the spirit of my team.”

He then lamented his side’s inability to put away the chances they created, believing the outcome of the game would have been different if they had done so.

“They tried to play football and build up something. There was just one regret, we could not kill them off after half-time opportunity from Monsef Zerka. If we had scored, it might be different,” Vallee assessed.

“With the spirit and quality, hopefully we can get more result. You can be good team and player, but if you don’t get the winning mentality, you won’t achieve anything.”

Although Vallee’s counterpart Salim Moin was distraught by the draw, he commended his players’ character and attitude throughout the match.

“We want to win very badly. A draw is like a defeat to me,” he said.

“The players are trying very hard and are giving full commitment and 100%. Unfortunately every opponent we have played, they are going to sit down and play counter attack as they know our tactical play.

“Despite that, they continued fighting and never give up. Even though we were down, you can see we created chances and managed to score a goal.

“We have to overcome the situation and keep going. 2014 is a very tough situation where every single team are well-prepared.”

The ex-international was also delighted with the impact Alam Shah has made since rejoining the club, as the 34-year-old scored the equaliser for his third goal of the season.

“I have always believed in Alam Shah,” Salim said.

“He is very experienced and always have self-motivation. He puts in good performances and scored good goals. As long he show me a good performance he will continue to play.”