KUCHING: Kuching FA won their first FA Cup game 4-2 on penalties after a gruelling 120-minute of play which ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
But with a crowd of fewer than 2,000 fans to watch the match against Armed Forces FC (ATM) at the State Stadium that afternoon, it was quite disappointing.
Is it because the game kicked off at 3.30pm? The stadium looked almost empty stadium with most of the crowd concentrated at the grandstand.
This happened despite free entry given to the public to watch the match – an effort made by Kuching FA to boost attendance.
Nevertheless, the lack of fans did not hinder the host team from putting up a spirited performance against the Armed Forces FC in the opening match of the Shopee FA Cup.
Kuching FA president, Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman was accompanied by his executive committee and members of the association to cheer on the players during the match.
“The players did prepare mentally for the possibility of a penalty shootout and the coaches had run penalty taking drills prior to the game,” disclosed Fazzrudin.
“As usual, the first game of the season is expected to be tough and regarded as the hardest one as the team needed to find their momentum and rhythm” he added.
Fazzrudin noted out that ATM did not make it easy for the homesters and the team needed 30 minutes to find their momentum after which they had seven good chances besides the near misses.”
“I’m happy that the boys did not give up and fought hard to the last minute. This fighting spirit and confidence after their first win will help us progress this season,” said optimistic Fazrudin.
The game also saw the exploits of import player, Yuta Suzuki for the first time and going by the reactions from the fans, the player is fast becoming a crowd favourite.
Playing as a holding midfielder and ball winner at the bottom of a midfield diamond formation, Yuta was pivotal in disrupting ATM’s movements, forcing them to play through the flanks.
The 28-year-old Japanese player will be a player to watch out for in the coming matches here and should prove to be a brilliant purchase by newcomers Kuching FA.
Kuching FA progress to the next round of the FA Cup but have yet to play their first match in the FAM League, a third tier competition in the Malaysian League.
Should the team progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup or win the league, they will gain promotion to the Premier League together with Sarawak FA squad.
