Hougang United will look to continue their good form in TNP League Cup when they face Singapore Recreation Club (SRC) in their final Group A fixture on Thursday night.
Having claimed four points from their first two matches, the Cheetahs need only one more to progress to the semifinals.
On paper, this seems almost like a foregone conclusion. Their semi-professional National Football League (NFL) Division 1 opponents have been at the wrong end of 4-0 and 5-0 hammerings by Geylang International and Brunei DPMM respectively.
But Fairoz Hasan, who captained Salim Moin's men in the last two games, ruled out any chance of complacency.
"We will not want to just settle for a draw but will go for a win," Fairoz told ESPN FC. "We should never underestimate our opponents as they may fight their hardest in their last group game.
"We need to focus and work as hard, as we did in the earlier group games, to qualify for the semifinals."
The 26-year-old forward hopes they can replicate the gutsy display of their previous game, where they came back from two goals down against Geylang to score a last-gasp equaliser to force a 2-2 draw.
"I applaud the team for the amazing fighting spirit shown in the last game," said Fairoz. "We had a never-say-die attitude and we hope to have the same mindset in the next game."
Hougang began their League Cup campaign in style after a 1-0 win over holders Brunei DPMM in their opener, which surprised many as the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League bottom side had won only once in the 11 preceding games.
However, the month-long break before the tournament appears to have done them good. A slew of new players were signed to boost their ranks and they have worked well together so far.
Fairoz believes the team's perseverance is behind their resurgence, which he hopes will continue even after the Cup.
"We tried to learn from our mistakes and made a couple of changes," he said. "All the players are eager to fight for the team and we are hungry for the win. Thankfully, the results are reflective of our efforts so far.
"We will aim to rise up from here, not only for the League Cup but also for the second part of the S.League. All the players are ready to come back stronger for the second half of the league."
Fairoz relished the opportunity to take the armband -- in place of regular skipper Nurhilmi Jasni -- for the first time in his Hougang career.
"I certainly did not expect to be the captain," he said. "In my three years at Hougang, this is the first time I am captaining.
"It is a huge responsibility to bear, but I did not shy away and took up the challenge. I felt I had to work harder for the team and, at the same time, continuously encourage the rest.
"It felt just like when I was in the army -- leave no man behind and never say die!"
Hougang United Probable Lineup: Ahmadulhaq Che Omar, Yuki Uchiyama, Kenneth Chang, Tengku Mushadad, Faizal Amir, Fairoz Hasan, Carlos Delgado, Taufiq Ghani, Fazli Jaffar, Muhaymin Salim, Vuk Sotirovic.
Singapore Recreation Club Probable Lineup: Al-Aminnur Ibrahim, Zulkarnain Malik, Shariff Samat, Precious Emuejeraye, Faliq Sudhir, Prakash Manikam, Firman Hanif, Nurul Islam, Zamri Kamal, Anders Aplin, Michael Hemmingway.