PETALING JAYA: Terengganu’s Sony Norde (pic) was supposed to be one of the Super League’s major characters but he has fallen flat because of a minor setback.
The winger, who was expected to be the Turtles key man when he signed up early this year, has had to deal with poor form and hamstring injury, which saw him missing the game for a month.
He started the first six matches of the season but failed to register a goal or assist.
Against Kelantan United on March 31, he suffered a hamstring injury and had to miss the next three league matches.
He returned to action as a substitute against Pahang on April 28, but Terengganu lost 2-1.
With the league on a break to make way for the SEA Games, the Haitian international has been putting in the hours during training to restore his status in the team.
“I had to play with an adductor injury in the first few games. Then, came the hamstring injury and I had to take one month off,” said the 33-year-old, who played for Melaka for three seasons from 2020 to 2022.
“I’m not happy with how I have performed, but as a professional, I’ve to move forward.
“I’m fully recovered now and eager to give my best when we play against Sabah at the Likas Stadium on May 19.”
Norde said they need to buck up and hopes a win over Sabah would revive their fortunes.
“Terengganu do not deserve to be eighth in the league because they are a big club. We are working hard to rectify our mistakes,” he said.
“We have a good squad, but we must play with desire and passion. Right now, we can see unhappy faces in the team due to our position in the league.
“We’ve to reduce silly mistakes like making unnecessary passes, not running enough to compete, conceding easy goals and not focusing 100% when taking chances. All these cannot happen in a team like Terengganu.”
Norde hoped the team would regroup under new coach Tomislav Steinbruckner.
“This team is new. Only local players have been long here. All the foreigners except Jordan (Mintah) and Habib (Haroon) are new. The coaching staff is also new,” he said.
“It will take time to understand and adapt but we are getting there. We want Terengganu to be a force to be reckoned with again.”
