Joseph Kalang Tie is doing his best to fill the large boots of goal machine Paulo Rangel as the Malaysia international midfielder gets settled at new club, Terengganu, ahead of the 2016 Malaysia Super League (MSL) season.
The 28-year-old has moved from Sarawak for his second spell at the Turtles -- and has immediately found his scoring touch in the absence of Brazil's Rangel, who has joined defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim.
Joseph has scored in three consecutive pre-season matches, including Saturday's impressive 2-0 victory over PDRM FA. He also netted in the 2-1 loss to Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 21 and in the 3-0 success against UiTM on Jan. 19.
"It's a great feeling to score for the team but scoring in friendlies is different from scoring in an actual competitive match," Joseph told The Star.
"But it's a good start to score goals during the preseason ... scoring goals is something that I always wanted to bring into my game. I hope I can keep scoring when the season starts. We are still a work in progress."
Joseph won the 2011 Malaysia FA Cup during his previous spell with Terengganu from 2007. The Miri-born playmaker then moved home to Sarawak, helping them win the 2013 Malaysia Premier League title to earn promotion to the MSL.
Having earned only a handful of official caps since making his Malaysia debut in 2011, he remains on the fringes of the national team, but did play in an unofficial match against touring Liverpool last July. He was also an unused substitute in the AFC World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in September.
At Terengganu, he will reunite with some familiar faces from the 2011 FA Cup-winning squad, including goalkeeper Mohd Sharbinee Allawee and winger Ashari Samsudin as he tries to help the east coast club end a five-year title drought. They were also 2011 Malaysia Cup runners up, with Joseph as part of the squad.
"Terengganu are always a title contender in the M-League ... I hope we can win something again in my second stint," said Joseph.
The 2016 MSL season begins on Feb. 13