Football
Kelvin Leong 7y

Singapore duo Baihakki and Shahril wary of Malaysia recruit Darren Lok

The Singapore duo of Baihakki Khaizan and Shahril Ishak have warned of the threat posed by their Johor Darul Ta'zim II teammate, Darren Lok, in the Causeway Challenge at the Singapore National Stadium on Friday.

English-born Lok, who has dual parentage, played for Eastbourne Borough, a semi-pro club in England's sixth-tier Conference South League, before Johor brought him to Malaysia in May.

Despite arriving four months ago, Lok only got his Malaysian passport clearance last month, and he finally made his JDT II debut against Kuala Lumpur FA off the bench last month.

Even with only one competitive game under his belt, Lok has been included in Ong Kim Swee's squad for their friendlies against Singapore, and Afghanistan four days later.

Having trained alongside the new man, Shahril and Baihakki were full of praise for Lok at Singapore's Geylang training camp.

"When he [Lok] came to JDT, he was very quiet knowing that he was from England," Baihakki told ESPN FC.

"But he had no problem adapting to life in Johor, and was quick to put himself about and be among the locals.

"You can see his courage and the physical presence help his game, but his true quality is still a question mark because he just got his passport and only played a few competitive minutes for the club.

"But he seems to suit a one-touch passing game where he likes to go down the flanks. He's also quite a dribbler, and we must be careful of that."

Singapore captain Shahril was equally curious to see if his club teammate will excel at the international level. But he's confident that the Lions' defence have enough experience to deal with him.

Shahril said: "I think he is a quality player. Very stocky, very strong and very fast. But whether it's him [Lok] or any other striker, I believe our defenders have what it takes to deal with them."

Baihakki, who has represented both JDT and JDT II, believes it is to Singapore's advantage that V. Sundramoorthy has the opportunity to look at Ong's new-look Malaysian outfit. That prepares them for the possibility of the two nations playing each other in the knockout stages of next month's AFF Suzuki Cup.

"Good that we face this Malaysia team now because everybody is studying everybody else's strengths and weaknesses," said the giant centre-back.

"In a month's time [at the Suzuki Cup], everything will be out in the open with most teams prepared to do battle.

"So, it's not only good that the Singapore players get a chance to face him [Lok], but also the rest of the Malaysian team in case we meet at the Suzuki Cup."

Singapore are in Group A with defending champions Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines while Malaysia will be up against Myanmar, Vietnam and the playoff winners in Group B.

 

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