Football
Gabriel Tan 9y

S.League: DPMM raring to make amends for 2014 meltdown

Brunei DPMM FC will be desperate to ensure that 2015 will not be a repeat of last year when they were pipped to the S.League title by Warriors FC on the final day of their campaign.

Having held a comfortable lead at the top of the table for most of the season, it looked as though the Bruneian outfit would cruise to their first S.League crown.

But in a stunning meltdown, they won just one of their final five matches. DPMM's 2-1 defeat to Tampines Rovers in the last match of the season ultimately saw Warriors crowned champions of Singapore for a ninth time.

Nonetheless, with the arrival of a new season, DPMM are once again looming as genuine title contenders. Irish import Joe Gamble believes they stand an excellent chance of making amends for last season's disappointment.

"Winning the league this year is our number priority," he said. "With the coach [Steve Kean] staying, it is also a big factor for my big decision to stay another season. The type of players we've added will also make us a very competitive.

Gamble's sentiments were echoed by Bosnian centre-back Boris Raspudic, who said: "I feel sad for not winning the league last year and we would really like to try and win it this year. I think we will be stronger and better."

DPMM kick off their campaign on Sunday evening at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium against Harimau Muda, who finished bottom of the table last season.

However, Razip Ismail's charges are shaping up to be a much tougher proposition for their opponents this season, following the inclusion of several Malaysia U23 internationals.

Leading the list of returning faces expected to play key roles for Harimau Muda this year are left-back Nazirul Naim -- who previously had a brief spell in Japan with FC Ryukyu -- forward Syahrul Azwari and precocious utility man Ariff Farhan.

Brunei DPMM FC Probable Lineup: Wardun Yussof (GK), Awangku Fakharrazi, Brian McLean, Boris Raspudic, Azwan Saleh, Rosmin Kamis (C), Joe Gamble, Azwan Ali, Adi Said, Rafael Ramazotti, Craig Fagan.

Harimau Muda Probable Lineup: Farhan Abu Bakar (GK), Ashmawi Yakin, Wan Ahmad Amirzafran, Syawal Nordin, Nazirul Naim (C), Amirul Hisyam, Shahrul Igwan Samsudin, Ridzuan Abdunloh, Akhir Bahari, Faizat Ghazli, Syahrul Azwari.

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