Pahang will meet Kedah tonight at the Shah Alam stadium to finally find out who will lift the FA Cup trophy this year.
Having won the FA Cup twice in 2006 and 2014, Pahang’s head coach Dollah Salleh feels like their opponents, Kedah, are more experienced playing in the FA Cup final, and therefore have a good chance of winning the FA Cup final tonight.
The Red Eagles have won the trophy three times, in 1996, 2007 and 2008. They finished runners-up in 2010.
According to Dollah Salleh, most of the players in his team are new, and therefore have never played in such a huge, high-profile, match before.
“Kedah has been very consistent throughout the season, and they are a strong team.” coach Dollah Salleh told Fourthofficial.com. “Pahang, on the other hand, has been very inconsistent, we have our ups and downs.”
“Many of my players have never played in the finals, so I’m a bit worried. It’s a new and young team. But the players are high-level performers, and I think they can give a high-level performance tonight.”
“I have a 5-month old team, with a 22-year old captain, and we’d like to make some history tonight. I believe my team are mentally strong and prepared, and so we will be able to give Kedah a good fight tonight.” the coach assured.
When asked about the Pahang’s preparation process, coach Dollah explained that they take it one match at a time.
“We try to improve in every match. So far so good, I’m happy with the team’s performance. But of course, the final is a different ball game altogether. And we have to be prepared.” the coach added.
Despite his humility, the coach actually has an impressive track record when it comes to winning trophies. During his stint with Selangor in 2005, he led the team to winning the Malaysia Premier League, FA Cup, and Malaysia Cup.
Early in January, Dollah Salleh also took on a lacklustre-Pahang that finished 10th in the Super League last season.
12 matches later, The Elephants are perched high up on the second place, just below reigning Super League champions, Johor Darul Ta’zim.
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