KOTA KINABALU, March 13 — Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee wants to take advantage of the current three-week long FA Cup competition to improve the team’s weaknesses, especially on compatibility among the players before their next Super League match against Melaka United on April 5.

He said the 2-0 win in their FA Cup match against Respect FC last night was a good thing for the team, but the former national coach was still not happy with the performance of the players, saying compatibility among them was a concern.

"In terms of results good for us to qualify for the next round but as for performance, there are still many weaknesses. There were a lot of changes from the main squad to give opportunities to other players but yet to get a better rhythm than I expected.

"(In) this match, compatibility was still lacking, many of the main eleven players were not in the team. In these three weeks I hope they rise up and show more compatibility before playing against Melaka,” he told the post-match press conference here.

In the match at the Likas Stadium, Sabah FC opened the scoring through midfielder Ummareng Bacok in the 50th minute, followed by a goal by defender Nazirul Naim Che Hashim who completed a beautiful pass from import player Park Tae-soo from South Korea in the 85th minute. .

Meanwhile, commenting on the selection of his player Dominic Tan into the national squad, Kim Swee said the defender should take full advantage of the opportunity to improve his performance and gain experience at the international level.

"A very good opportunity for Dominic (Tan), he has proven to us in the previous two matches that he can play well which gives him an opportunity to be with the national team for the Asian Cup qualifiers,” he said.

On March 10, the new Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon named 30 players, including Tan, to face the FAS 2022 Three-Nation Series in Singapore in preparation for the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in June.

Malaysia are scheduled to face the Philippines on March 23 and hosts Singapore on March 26 in Tier 1 International Friendly matches at the Singapore National Stadium, before meeting Singapore League team Albirex Niigata on March 28 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. — Bernama