The Yobs are an optimistic bunch. Perak fans consistently take heart from the fact that they remain the only team to have never been relegated from the Super League, but if you were to look deeper, you’d see frustration in every single one of them.
Over the last few years, they’ve never really started a season as major contenders for the league title, nor have they ever been able to turn on the style in cup competitions as well. Their last silverware came in 2006, and even that was the Charity Shield title; not one of the major three trophies.
Understanding the fact that the Perak squad has always been average, it makes absolute sense for Perak fans to hope for a miracle in cup competitions. Winning the Super League takes more than just magic; it requires squad depth and consistency. But when it comes to cup competitions, you can almost hope for that extra bit of luck to carry you all the way.
But here’s the thing. Perak have been equally shambolic in these tournaments, particularly the FA Cup. In 2005, they were runners-up in the competition and since then, they’ve never made it past the quarter-final stage. In fact, besides making it to the last eight in 2006, 2009 and 2011, the Seladangs have never exactly made it past the second round.
To be fair to them though, they’ve had tough fixtures in the last three editions of the competition. In 2012, Norizan Bakar’s side narrowly edged over ATM in the first round, before being knocked out by Terengganu in the second round. A year later, Azraai Khor’s men took on a Johor DT side that was led by Dani Guiza, eventually losing 1-0 in the first round. Meanwhile in 2014, they met eventual champions Pahang FA in the first round, only to lose the tie on penalties after the game finished 2-2.
Their luck in this particular competition has been awful, so much so that when the draw was made for this year’s edition, fans were expecting the team to be paired up against a top side again. Instead, there was a shift and they were paired against Shahzan Muda FC, a team that’s contesting in the third tier FAM League.
It would evidently make no sense for Perak to underestimate this team, or any team for that matter. The FA Cup has and will always produce its fair share of surprises, but Datuk M. Karathu’s men will take heart from the fact that their strong start to the season makes them massive favourites for the win.
Should they win, they will face either T-Team or ATM in the second round, depending on the outcome of that tie. With all due respect to both teams, these are potential opponents that Perak are equipped enough to deal with, as portrayed in their MSL win over ATM two weeks ago.
Like it or not, the onus is on them. They have a reasonable draw in the first two rounds of the competition and every victory will only boost their confidence for the following rounds. This Perak side, while lacking in experience, is extremely positive in nature and there’s plenty of talented youngsters pushing for a chance to impress.
But beyond that, the likes of Namkung Woong and Nurridzuan Hassan have already displayed incredible maturity thus far and if Chad Souza can start getting himself on the scoresheet more often, Perak could very well be the surprise package of the FA Cup this year.
Either way, it’s about time they banish their FA Cup hoodoo. And the ball is in their court.
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