PETALING JAYA: Comeback stories are built on belief, and that is exactly what Brunei are clinging to as they prepare for one of the toughest nights of their season.
The Borneo side trail Terengganu 3-2 on aggregate heading into the second leg of their FA Cup round-of-16 tie at the Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak today, with a place in the quarter-finals against Kuala Lumpur on the line.
It is not the position they wanted, but goalkeeper Samuel Somerville insists the squad are refusing to dwell on the deficit.
“The main message from coach Jamie (McAllister) has been about belief,” said Somerville.
“We know the aggregate isn’t an ideal situation, but there’s only one goal in it. We also believe in the quality we have within this squad and the threat we can pose, like we showed in the first game.
“We have players who can hurt teams, and if we can play with the confidence and intensity we know we’re capable of, we can put them under pressure.’’
Somerville admitted defensive lapses proved costly in the first leg.
“We know defensively we have a big responsibility. We were disappointed with the goals we conceded in the first leg because they were too soft and came at important times,” he said.
The return of defender Clark Robertson has given the camp a lift ahead of the crucial second leg.
“The return of Clark is a big positive — he’s an important player for us. We’ve learned from the first game and done a lot of work on the training pitch to improve from it.
“Now it’s about being disciplined, communicating well and staying switched on for the full 90 minutes to give the attackers the platform to go and do their jobs,” added Somerville.
