MHL : Maybank to lose Fadzil’s service for playoff

Maybank will not have the services of defender Mohd Fadzli Anuar in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) third-place playoff match against Tenaga Nasional at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Johorean will be getting married on the same day.

Coach S. Velappan said that Fadzli played exceptionally well against league champions Ernst and Young in the semi-final second-leg match last Sunday and his absence against Tenaga would be sorely felt.

“The final and third-place playoff matches were initially scheduled for Dec 21 and Fadzli set Dec 27 as his wedding date. But at the draw, the MHF (Malaysian Hockey Federation) changed the date because of a clash with the Asean University Games (Dec 15-21),’’ Velappan said.

Velappan said that Abdul Sukur Adam would take over Fadzli’s role in defence. The other defenders in the team are K. Gobinathan, Engku Abdul Malik Engku Mohamed and Azrul Effendy Bistaman.

He added that Maybank were unlucky to lose to Ernst and Young in the semi-finals.

“We lost the first-leg match 1-2 but fought back to level the aggregate score at 2-2 in the second leg, only to concede a golden goal. My players are all fired up to get the better of Tenaga to finish third,’’ said Velappan.

The two matches in the league between Maybank and Tenaga both ended in 2-2 draws. The Tigers finished fourth in Division One and Tenaga were placed one rung above.

“We expect another tough match on Saturday. But the pressure will be on Tenaga as they have to salvage some pride after failing in the defence of the overall title,’’ said Velappan.