It goes without saying that Malaysian football’s obsession with ‘short-term’ success, comes back to bite teams every now and then. This year, it was Pahang’s turn to face the music. Fresh after pushing JDT all the way in the Super League, as well as exceeding expectations in the AFC Cup, Pahang played host to their own version of ‘The Purge’ – only that the outcome was grimmer in this version, as some would say.
Barely two months into the Super League season, the party was over. They were struggling to win games. The new batch of foreign players were simply not up to the standards of their predecessors. The young lads were being slated by fans on a weekly basis. Club CEO Fahrizal Hassan also tendered his resignation after their FA Cup defeat to Sime Darby. Safe to say they were in absolute shambles, at that point.
Just like every other team that has been in a similar position, someone is always required to step up and lead the team by example. For Pahang, that man was Matt Davies. At the age of 21, he became the youngest player to ever captain Pahang and he carried the team on his shoulders, day after day, week after week. Coaches came and left, foreign players came and left, tactics were altered every now and then. The only constant in Pahang’s precarious season was Davies’ lion-esque combative spirit on the pitch – as most fans would completely agree.
Strangely enough, after months of flirting with relegation, Pahang were handed a major lifeline this morning. Football Association of Malaysia announced that it would be awarding them a default 3-0 win over Kedah, after the Red Eagles were found guilty of fielding a suspended player in their MSL bout, last August. This additional win effectively takes Pahang out of the relegation battle, with just one match left on the board.
“This is a major news for our squad. There was a collective sigh of relief when we heard the news. It’s been a difficult year, and this certainly helps take some pressure off, going into the last round of fixtures, this weekend,” he told FourthOfficial.com
“Having said that, I think we are one of the in-form teams at the moment, and we were quietly confident of being able to get the job done in Kuala Terengganu this weekend.”
He’s not blowing things out of proportions either. For everything they’ve been through this year, the Elephants have acquired 7 points from their last three league fixtures, including a resounding 1-0 win over Selangor. And Davies himself has been at the heart of everything, including for Malaysia, when he was called up recently. His delivery allowed Hadin Azman to score the equalizer in Harimau Malaysia’s 1-1 draw against Afghanistan. But while Davies acknowledged how crucial 2016 has been to his personal growth, he was characteristically modest about it as well.
“It has been a big year for me, personally. Being with a young Pahang squad, I felt like I had to mature a lot as a player and lead by example, more than anything. To be frank, this year has been such a different experience, when you compare it to last year. That was my first year in Pahang. But truth be told, I think it’s not just me. The entire squad has matured as a group this year. We have a bunch of talented lads and we’re all better off with the experience we’ve acquired,” Davies explained.
Now that MSL survival has been secured, Davies’ attention will obviously be switched towards the AFF Suzuki Cup, where he’s likely to play a huge role in Datuk Ong Kim Swee’s starting XI. But the ex-Perth Glory starlet insists that Pahang remain focused on their tie against T-Team this week. According to him, it’s an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to their fans, who’ve had to endure a tough Malaysian football campaign. As far as promises go, Davies claims 2017 is going to be a happier year for fans.
“Fans have had a tough year, certainly. I’d like to thank the fans who understood what this year was about and who continued supporting us through the tough times. I have a strong feeling that next year, we’ll be somewhere near the other end of the table. Then, it will be a more enjoyable year for them, and for us,” Davies promised.
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