After scoring back to back wins in their first two matches of the new Minister of Education League Cup 2015 season, Gambang Sports School coach Azman Ismail is ready to declare that they have the quality to win the tournament this year.
What made their identical 4-0 victories in their first two games of the year all the more exceptional was the fact that they were against top sides in the league.
After dumping newly crowned 2015 Charity Shield winners SMK Mutiara Impian from Penang the previous week, Gambang then went on to blast former champions SMK Tunku Anum of Kedah this time round.
“I know what I said previously that it is still early season yet. But from the quality of play, I believe that we have the ability to win the crown this year,” said Azman.
“It might just be the first two games of the new season but the players showed a lot of cohesiveness which is important. They have been playing together for a year and it showed.”
And this week the team, who was crowned Charity Shield winners in 2014, showed no mercy against a struggling SMK Tunku Anum side when they found the back of the net through Ahmad Irfan Mohd Noor in the second minute, Muhammad Aiman Syakir Mohd Zulkifli (33rd and 61st minute) and Mohamad Khussaini Adli Mohd Yusof (43rd).
While the win enforced Gambang’s position at the top of the Super League table with a perfect six points from two matches, the loss for SMK Tunku Anum further pushed them down to second from the bottom with just one point from two matches.
This weekend, the Gambang boys will travel to Kuching where they will take on basement side SMK Tabuan Jaya, who has yet to pick up a point.
“The target is of course to win the full points even though we will be playing away,” added Azman.
In the meantime, defending champions SMK Bukit Nenas of Terengganu continued to struggle where they have only picked up one point from two matches to be stranded at sixth in the standings.
After losing to SMK Mutiara Impian in their first game of the season, SMK Bukit Nenas was held to a 1-1 draw by SMK Za’ba of Negeri Sembilan last week.
Despite taking the lead off Muhammad Aliff Sudin in the 62nd minute, SMK Za’ba struck the equalizer through Nur Aiman Nashriq Yuslan right at the end for both teams to share points.
In the meantime in the Premier League, SMK Putera of Kelantan thrashed SMK Tun Hussein Onn of Johor 3-0 with goals coming off Muhammad Alim Ashraf Zailani in the 29th minute, Ahmad Azraf Ahmad Azam (46th) and Muhammad Azuhal Aiman Abdul Rahman (60th).
Pahang’s SMK Seberang Temerloh were also big winners when they overcame SMK Gunung Rapat of Perak 3-0 off a brace from Wan Mohamad Afiq Wan Azmi (58th and 64th minute) and another from Mohammad Fakrul Aiman Ahmad Roslizan (69th).
UNDER-14 RESULTS
SUPER LEAGUE
Gambang Sports School (U14) 4
SMK Tunku Anum (KEDAH) 0
SMK Za’ba (NEGERI SEMBILAN) 1
SMK Bukit Nenas (TERENGGANU) 1
CURRENT SUPER LEAGUE STANDINGS
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
| SSM PAHANG (B14) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| SMK ZA’BA (SSN N.SEMBILAN) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| SMK SEKSYEN 11 (SSN SELANGOR) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| SMK MUTIARA IMPIAN (SSN P.PINANG) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| SMK SYED HASSAN (SSN PERLIS) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| SMK BUKIT NENAS (SSN TERENGGANU) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 |
| SMK TUNKU ANUM T.A.R (SSN KEDAH) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 1 |
| SMK TABUAN JAYA (SSN SARAWAK) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
PREMIER LEAGUE
SMK Tun Hussein Onn (JOHOR) 0
SMK Putera (KELANTAN) 3
SMK Seberang Temerloh (PAHANG) 3
SMK Gunung Rapat (PERAK) 0
CURRENT PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
| SMK DATUK PETER MONJUNTIN (SSN SABAH) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| SMK SEBERANG TEMERLOH (SSN PAHANG) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| SMK PUTERA (SSN KELANTAN) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| SMK SERI TITIWANGSA (SSN WP KUALA LUMPUR) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| SSM TUNKU MAHKOTA ISMAIL (B14) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SMK SERI KOTA (SSN MELAKA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| SMK TUN HUSSEIN ONN (SSN JOHOR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| SMK GUNUNG RAPAT (SSN PERAK) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
