Bazic takes five days to impress

PENANG: When he arrived in Malaysia on Friday, Petar Bazic gave himself one week to prove his worth to the Penang E&O officials. He needed only five days. 

The Serbian was tested in a friendly match against Kedah on Saturday and , despite Penang's 0-2 loss, came through with flying colours. 

He has signed a three-month playing contract with the Super League outfit and could make his league debut against Malacca Telekom tomorrow. 

“He is still getting used to the climate here but what we saw of him is enough to convince us that Bazic will be an asset,” said Penang coach Josef Herel yesterday. 

The FA of Penang had registered the former Red Star Belgrade youth and FC Unirea striker before the Dec 31 transfer deadline but insisted on taking a look at the player first before offering him a contract. 

“The FAP are still sorting out the player's ITC (International Transfer Certificate) but I have been told that Bazic is likely to be cleared in time for Saturday's match,” added Herel. 

Penang's other foreign striker, Velibor Vujic of Croatia, has been a flop and his contract is unlikely to be continued when it expires at the end of March. 

“Bazic's presence will definitely boost the team's attack against Malacca Telekom,” said Herel.  

“It will be a difficult tie just like any other league match this year. But we need the three points badly to move up the table as well as maintain our unbeaten home record.  

Besides Bazic and Vujic, the islanders' other two foreign signings are Brazilian defender Mario da Silva and Slovakian midfielder Safranko Jan.