The Football Association of Brunei Darussalam(BAFA) has been suspended by FIFA for governement interference in its affairs, soccer's world governing body said Wednesday.

"It started with a decision by the Brunei naive authorities to dissolve BAFA and to replace it with a new federation in December,2008," FIFA said in a statement.

The suspension which applies globally, means Brunei and it sclubs are unable to take part in international competitions.

One Brunei club, DPMM, currently plays in Singapore's S-League, but will no longer allowed to do so.

The suspension will only be lifted when BAFA is reinstated by the government.

FIFA's executive committee, meanwhile, said it was closely monitoring the situation within a number of other associations, including Iraq, Kuwait, Togo,El Salvador and Peru. 

Last night's league clash between DPMM and Tampines Rovers ended in  afrustrating 2-2 draw in a match which saw both teams enjoy their fair share of chances but fail to capitalise on them.

The result maintains the four point gap between the two sides, with Tampines still at second and DPMM two spots below at fourth- though the Bruneians are tied on points with Home United.

It was end to end action in the first few minutes with both teams scoring a goal a piece.

Striker Shahrazen Said provided DPMM with a dream start in their first home game in a more than a month when he netted with a low shot after receiving a cross from Algerian partner Abdel Hamid Berguiga in the third minute.

But the scores were level two minutes later when striker Hhairul Amri curled in a free-kick.

French defender Benoit Croissant brought down Croatian midfielder Ivan Jerkovic in the box in the 25th minute but no penalty was given. P.Pandian did not hesitated to point to the spot five minutes later though when Shariff Abdul Samat was judged to have handled the ball in the area - though curiously enough he was shown a card.

Croatian midfielder Ivan Jerkovic made no mistake with the ensuing penalty kick, sending Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny the wrong way much to the fans' delight.

Tampines nearly equalised when Qiu Li's right footed volley from outside the box sailed just wide of the post and the other end, DPMM FC dfender Safari Wahit almost scored with a cheeky back-heel after receiving a pass from Jerkovic a minute later but Hassan was up to the task.

In the ensuing play,Shariff test DPMM goalkeeper Wardun Yussof three minutes later with a header off a free-kick in the 43rd minute.

Midfielder Aliff Shafaein tested Md Wardun three minutes later after the restart with a scalding free-kick from just outside the right touch-line, and though he was denied, Tampines found the goal they were looking for in the 53rd minute.

During a counter-attack, Li was judged to have been brought down in the box by captain Rosmin Khamis and Pandian once again pointed to the spot - with Khairul having no trouble scoring his second of the night. 

The loss of three key Tampines Rovers players hasn't diminished any of Vjeran Simunic's respect for DPMM's S-League opponets tonight.

The Hassanl Bolkiah Stadium will play host to the clash between Vorowan Chitavanich's second-placed Tampines and Simunic's DPMM whi loe to rungs below at fourth, with the gap between the two sides only four points - though the Bruneians have a game in hand.

Playing their first match without captain Fahrudin Mustafic who moved to Indonesian Super League side Persija Jakarta last week,the Stgs will also be without Ridhuan Mohamad who is now plying his trade for Arema Malang where he has joined Alam Shah.

But despite's the trio's absence, Simunic was adamant the Stage are still a force to be reckoned with, and that was proven by their ease at disposing off South Korean outfit Super Reds 3-1 in their last game to move within eight points of leaders SAF FC.

T say that the tie is a decisive one for both teams is an understatement especially since the game kicks off a run for three straight home games for DPMM and a win tonight wil surely serve as ample inspiration.

"Tampines for me is Singapore's most famous team," gushed Simunic when met last week.

"There have been three famous Singapore clubs in the last 10 or 15 years; Tampines league titleholders SAF and Home Utd- with Gombak making a name for themselves over the past 3 years.

"I know Tampines are hugry for a trophy since they have gone three years without one.

"I also know they will do everything they can to finish runners-up even if they can't win the league this year.

Their Chinese striker Qui Li, is a strong edition to their team and their goalkeeper Hassan Sunny Hassan Sunny olays for the national team and is one of the best goalkeepers in the area.

"They have also good players in defenders Benoit Crossant and Zulkarnaen Zainal, the latter plays for the national team," added the 53-year old mentor.

Though he had no qualms about ladling praise for tonight's opponents, Simunic was equally as willing to dish out complimets to his own players.

After winning four out of five of their league matches since the ban, Simunic feels that his players have done well to step up their game.

"Govic's fitness is improving everyday and he is playing well behind Algerian striker Abdel hamid Berguiga and Shahrazen Said.Tehy are playing very close to each other and have a good understanding," he said.

"Hardi is another crucial player for the team.His only problrm was fitness becuase he did not have a lot of time training for the start of the season, but he is alright.

"I am also seeing good changes in Azwan.

Touching on the fact that tonight's game will mark the team's return to the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium after more than a month - their last home game was on August 17 - Simunic was confident that the fans will flock to the 30,000-capacity venue. 

"After Hari Raya I am sure the people will be hungry for football,"said Simunic."We deserve 10000 fans and I am expecting that number.It has been a long time since we have played at home.Thie year , the people have been enjoying football in Bandar,and I am happy we have the most number of fane attending our games since the other teams only attract four or five thousand.

Only we play 3-5-2, all the other teans play 4-4-2, so it is very attacking football.Our target has always been a top five finish in our first season and very soon we will be sure of it," he added. 

Forced to compromise because of the lengthy bans handed down to all three first-choice defenders, DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic had nothing but priase for his players.

Arguably the side's darkest hour, the first half expulsion of the entire backline in the league on August 2nd had many thinking that DPMM's season is over.

But after winning four out of their five S-League games since the ban,Simunic feels that his players have done well to adjust.

Skipper Rosmin Khamis has won plaudits for his display at libero in the team's past two games, the experienced midfielder adjusting well to playing at the heart of defence replacing Rene Komar.

Playing as a defender for the first in his life when the team beat Balestier Khalsa, left winger  Sairol Sahri looked equally at ease slotting in for Pg Sallehuddin at leftback.

Right winger Hj Md Subhi and midfielder Suhaime Yusof have been doing an admirable job filling in for Yusof Salleh at right back, with Safari Wahit also making an impact on the right of defence.

"It was easy to convert Sairol and Rosmin into defenders," said Simunic yesterday.

"I am happy with all three players (Sairol,Romsin and Subhi), they are playing good," replied the coach when asked which player he was the most impressed with.

""Rosmin has the vision needed to play as libero ... He can see what is happening at front and at the back of defence.

"From right wing to right back and from left wing to left back, all their positions can be exchanged within the space of 10 metres - they know how to play compact," he added.

Another player who had made a name for himself the past few games has been midfielder Md Helmi Zambin, the 22-year old being taught now to play on either flank.

"Helmi is from the same group of players that came with us this 2009 season alongside with Abu Bakar,Safari and Suhaime - I trust them alot.

"Many times we have played without Hamid, Rene or Jerkovic but we have still come with good results.Little by little I am making what I have promised, a good squad of 18 players," he emphasises.

Two players who are seeing increased playing time are Hardi Bujang and his teammate in midfield, Croatian Drazen Govic.

Simunic said that their fitness is no longer a concern and both have played key parts in the team's recent run of good form.

The team has not been training for the past three days because of Hari Raya and Simunic was interviewed at the Empire Hotel and Country Club's pool, where he spends most of his afternoons. 

Drazen Govic's second goal in the league for DPMM FC couldn't have coame at a better time.

His striker in the fifth minute was all it took to fire the club to third in the league, and they are now one-point off second placed Tampines Rovers who they will face on Sept 29.

Though he scored the only goal against the Sinagpore Under-23 side, the Croatian was quick to shy away from praise despite earning the club just their third away win in the league.

"I am very happy about scoring beacase it was an important match for us- especially when we face Tampines next," said Govic after the match. 

"But for me, it is not important who scored, what matters is three points.

"I do admit the goal was important since it was the only one goal in the mTCH.

"Its good that we have won our last two away games but now we have three important home  matchesto play starting with Tampines," added the 28-year old midfielder who used to ply his trade at Croatia's first division club HNK Sibenik.

If Govic was feeling down to eartg about his performance last night, his coach was certainly cloud nine when asked to comment about his team's display.

"It is a fantastic result since we have picked up 12 points out of a possible 15," said DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic last night.

"Even in my dreams I never contiuing on picking up so many points since we are not playing our full team - it's like miracle!

"I expected a hard game and I was right, we have to fight from the first second to the last.

"The Young Lions are very strong and they came off good results lately with their new coach ... They attacked our last line all night and it was hard for us since we were playing without all out first-choice defenders," he added.

Simunic stated that he felt Young Lions captain,Obadin Aikhena was definitley their best player and that the Bruneians had troubled in the second half as a result of constant long balls to their 1.92 Chinese striker Yang Mun.

DPMM FC return to the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium after a break of more than a month when they face Tampines Rovers  13 days time can't come a much better time for DPMM.

They will be without the services of defender Safari Wahit since the right back was shown his fourth yellow last night was also substituted five minutes from time. 

Boosted by only their second away win in the league, DPMM FC will be taking to the synthetic grass of the Jalan Besar Stadium to prove that last Thursday's result against Balestier Khlasa was no fluke.

Facing the Young Lions, DPMM's head coach Vjeran Simunic feels there is something to that his men to prove.

With the Singapore League Cup champions sitting atop of the league three times this season, those lofty heights now look to be forgotten, largely in part due to their poor away form and bans handed own to all of their three first choice defenders.

They have seven games left in the league and their main target have always been in the top five finish.

"This will be a very interesting month, two months for our fans, and we need them to be united and with the team," said Simunic yesterday.

"Every point is crucial right now, and for me, a draw would not be a problem.

"We have a reputation as one of the favourite teams in the league and we must defend this reputation, despite the fact that half of the team has changed now.

"We have always to defend our position in the league and we will fight until the last minute to do so.

"The team have to play the best as possible.Anything can happen and our goal is still a Top 5 finish," stressed the 53-year old caoch.

Simunic said the team were boosted by the away win against Balestier, a significant result since they were playing new faces in defence.

The coach said he would stick to the same line-up in defence, with skipper Rosmin Khamis playing as libero and flanked by Sairol Sahri on the left and Safari Wahit on the right.

"Yes we are always confident after victory and especially more so after the Balestier game which we won with a new defensive line-up-so we have confidence with the defence," said Simunic.

"We need to be compact because now DPMM are a new team.

"For the first time in my career I am in this situation,having to convert midfielders and attackers into defenders.It is hard, but I have tried and I am very satisfied with what I have done in the last 15 days.

"It will be avery dangerous game against Young Lions and they are a team I always respect since they are the future national team.

"We always play a tough game against the Young Lions and I expect tonight's game to be the same," he added.

The coach added that none of his players were injured and that defender Suhaime Yussof had recovered from an ankle injury and would be on the bench for tonight's match.

DPMM FC picked up only their second away win of the league last night when they beat basement dwellers Balestier Khlasa at the Toa Payoh Stadium.

Incidentally, the Singapore League Cup champions first savoured S-League victory against the same opponents when they edged Balestier at the same venue on March,19th.

DPMM FC have Croatian Ivan Jerkovic to thank for the three points, the midfielder curling in two free-kicks and providing the decisive pass to Algerian striker,Abdel Hamid Berguiga for the second.

With the team facing all sorts of problems in defence heading into the match and losing their Singapore Cup tie aaginst Thai side, TTM Samut Sakhon 7-3 agreegate last month, their head coach said last night's victory was important.

"Like I predicted, it was a very hard, hard game,"said Vjeran Simunic yesterday.

"The win was great beacuse we were able to put our frustrating Singapore Cup campaign behind us.

"We were a little bit confused in the first few minutes,it was anew team, new defenders," said the 53-year old coach referring to the fact that the team's backline was composed of two midfielders playing as defenders.

"It was the first time in Sairol's life that he had played as a defender and I played Rosmin as a libero.

"But after we let in the goal, we became better and we were able to come back in the game and eventually win it," added the Croatian.

Before the match the Croatian tactician had warned his players to beware of Balestier's three imports strikers.

Jun Jin netted the opener for the hosts after a corner kick in the 22nd minute.

Jerkovic had earned a name for himself because of his vision and one such pass from the ex-Pelita Jaya player in the 62nd minute found Berguiga in space, with the 35-year old striker handing the Bruneians the lead after dribbling into the box and firing from close range.

The Croatian ensured the visitors of all three points when he scored an identical free kick in the 79th minute.

With DPMM FC's next game against the young Lions on Tuesday, Simunic said that his side have their work cut out for them, especially since the Singapore national team's coach Raddy Avramovic has now taken over the club's reins from Terry Pathmanathan 

They may be down but definitely not out.

DPMM FC's head coach Vjeran Simunic has promised that his team will do all they can to overcome a 3-1 deficit when they face Thai side TTM Samut Sakhon in the second leg of the RHB Singapore Cup quarterfinal clash at the Jurong West Stadium tonight.

Once again, Simunic has singled out his side's defences as their weaknesses - and rightly so.

Gaps in the team's backline saw Bekonbo dribble past two players in the 16th minute and score from inside the box to open the scoring in the first leg, with Safari Wahit not even attempting to tackle the striker.

All three of DPMM FC's first choice defenders will play no part in the rest of the season after receiving lengthy bans for pleading guilty to charges of violent conduct during their match against Home Utd.

"If you look at our past four games since we have lost the trio, we have let in 15 goals," said Simunic in a telephone interview yesterday. 

"Whatever it is, we will still go out there and try to perform our best against the Thais.

"I know our players will keep fighting I have to find the correct formation and defensive line.

"But our defence is not compact and Subhi and Suhaime are actually midfielders.

"The Thais are a very nice team but I am sure the scoreline in the first leg would not have been the same if we competed with our first choice back line.

"I might have to change our formation to 4-4-2 because we do not have the same players who are used to playing in our usual set-up," added the Croatian. 

Simunic said Safari is a doubt heading inot tonight's game since he had a flu.

Shahrazen is also not sure to play since he returned to Brunei after the first leg to be with his wife who is delivering his second child, and he is unsure whether the striker will be able to return in time for the second leg.

"But I have confidence in Abu and Hamid, so it is not a problem if Shahrazen does not play.

"If he comes to help us it will be good, but if not we can still manage to make a team without him," added the 53-year old coach.

Abu scored the goal which pulled the Bruneians back to 2-1 in the first leg after receiving a pass from Hamid, so Simunic's trust in the duo is not unfounded.

Brunei DPMM suffered a setback in their bid to lift the RHB Singapore Cup when they slumped to a 3-1 defeat to Thai team TMM Samut Sakhon in the 1st leg quarterfinal encounter at Stadium Jalan Besar Stadium last night.

 Following the 3-1 defeat, Brunei DPMM will be going into the 2nd leg with a two-goal deficit on Monday, Aug 31st at Jurong West Stadium. 

TTM Samut Sakhon's imports were on the mark, in a fiercely contested match-up. Paul Bekombo scored in which half while Aly Camara added another, a minute from the final whistle.

Paul Bekombo broke the deadlock on the 16th minute to take the lead for the Thais.

The missing trio of Rene Komar,Pg Sallehuddin and Yussof Salleh were dearly missed as DPMM were constantly under pressure by Bekombo and Camara.

After the interval, TTM Samut Sakhon stretched their lead to two goals thanks to the Cameroonian,Paul Bekombo.His second goal came on the 61st minute.

The match finally came alive when Abu Bakar Mahari pulled a goal back on the 76th minute when his effort beat goalkeeper Kritsakorn Kerdphon of TTM Samut Sakhon.

In search of an equaliser, Brunei DPMM's backline looked vulnerable on the 89th minute, TTM Samut Sakhon restored their two-gaol lead from Aly Camara to secure a two-goal advantage going into the second leg. 

DPMM FC will try to stop Thai side TTM Samut Sakhon from wrecking too much havoc with their passing game in their Singapore Cup first leg quarter-final at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore at 7.30 today.

A loss was the last thing on DPMM FC's head coach mind when interviewed yesterday,preferring to focus on tonight's opponents.

"I do not know much about team apart from the fact that they play very good passing game like every Thai side," said Vjeran Simunic

"But we will try our best to play our game and come up with a good performance.

"We do not know much about the team but we will know tgeir stregths after tomorrow's first leg.Until then we can only suppose,he added.

The Croatian said that of the knew things he knew about TTM Sakhon- one of the two Thai teams to have reached the quarters of the Sinagpore Cup and one of the non-Singaporean clubs to do so - was that they were champions of the Thai Premier League in 2005 and currently 9th on the league table.

Abdel Hamid Berguiga booked DPMM FC their berth in the last eight after the Algerian's goal in the 76th minute of their match against Pelita Jaya of Indonesia saw them record a surprise 1-0 win at Jalan Besar on April,29th.

"Yes,I remember that game," said Simunic about the result.I remember that goal too and I am expecting him to score again," added the head coach.

Simunic also said that Shahrazen will feature in tonight's game.

The striker did not play against Geylang Utd last week because his wife is expecting their second child.

Though she had not delivered yet, Shahrazen flew last night and will return to Brunei after tonight's first leg encounter and hopefully will be available for the second leg on Monday. 

DPMM FC might have felt robbed of a point during their 4-3 loss to Geylang United in Saturday's night league action, but at least they can take some positives away from their sixth loss of the season.

The Singapore League Cup champions came back from two goals down at halftime to even the score at 3-3 in the 79th minute with goals from defenders Suhaime Yusof and Safari Wahit - and it was all down to their formation.

But though substitute Hafiz Rahim would break their visitor's hearts in the 82nd minute when he scored from inside the penalty area after receiving a pass from Kim Jae Homg on the left by-line, it was the fact that the visitors gave the Eagles a run for their money that troubled their coach.

"I would have settled a point at that stage," admitted Mike Wong, referring when DPMM had tied the scores up.

"They changed tactics after the break and used the long ball which created problems for us and alowed them to come back into the game," he observed.

According to the S-League website, DPMM head coach Simunic claimed that his three men at the back were unable to contain the threat of Geylang - forcing him to switch to four at the back instead of three.

In his post match comments last night, the 53-year old Croatian said the defence was a big problem for the team once again since the players he had right now were inexperienced.

Despite those comments, credit has to be given to Safari, who has scored three goals as many games, and Suhaime, who was a menace all night long during the team's 3-2 win against the Super Reds and opened his account for the club with the equaliser last week.

Accustomed to playing 3-5-2 for the past few seasons, the new tactic worked - though the long ball ploy was a consequence of the decision.Simunic was adamant that it was his men who had the upper hand in the second half, creating more chances than their opponents but only managing to convert two of them.

Even the S-League's match report said that "the Eagles were let off the hook thanks to some wayward finishing by DPMM FC who scored twice, but probably could have had at tleast as many gaols had they been more composed in front of goals."

The side's stunning 3-2 come back from behind win against the Super Reds, where DPMM scored twice in the last five minutes to smuggle all three points, was also attributed to a change in tactics.

"I changed the formation 6 times during the match and we scored when we are playing four at the back,"said Simunic before the Geylang match. 

"It shows the team can rotate and play in different formations," added the Croatian.

Hopefully DPMM can show that same flexibility when they take on Thai side TTM Samut Sakhon in the Singapore Cup on Friday.

Then they face two crucial away games against Balestier Khalsa on Sept 10 and the Young Lions five days later. 

Brunei DPMM failed to occupy the second spot in the league after they were beaten 4-3 by Geylang Utd at Bedok Stadium last night.

Playing firat out of their three matches away before facing Balestier Khalsa(September 10) and Young Lions five days after, DPMM were stunned as early as in the fourth minute by a Masrezwan Masturi's goal.

Geylang, who were playing without their Slovakian defender,Ratislav Belicak due to suspension added another goal in the 20th minute from Masrezwan, his second of the night.

With two goals down, DPMM coach Simunic substituted Azwan Salleh and brought in Abu Bakar Mahari in the 28th minute to sharpen his attacking upfront.

The change materialised after DPMM managed to close the gap in the 39th minute to make it 2-1 from Algerian Abdel Hamid Berguiga.

However, the celebration was cut short six minutes  later after Baihakki Kahizan scored for Geylang's third to make it 3-1 before halftime.

After the breather,Suhaime Yussof scored DPMM's second in the 64th minute before Safari Wahit levelled the make it 3-3 in the 79th minute.

DPMM's hope for at least bringing a vital point back  was shattered after Haafiz Rahim scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic yesterday said that he considers tonight's opponents to be their toughest test as they prepare for a trio of crucial S-League games.

Brunei's only professional football side taking on Geylang Utd at the Bedok Stadium at 7.45 pm and a win will see their advantage over the Eagle soar to 12 points.

They will face Balestier Khalsa on Sept 10 and the Young Lions 5 days later.

"They are always important games but I feel that Geylang will be the most important," said Simunic yesterday.

"They are a good team, one of the big four in Singapore and have the won the league before so I have a lot of respect for them.They have few new players in the side now and their team have changed quite a bit, so we will see what will happen.

"As usual, we will try our best - but we should not expect another miracle," he said, an obvious reference to the Super Reds game when the team scored twice in the last 5 minutes to steal three points.

But if they are to repeat that feat again, they cannot rely on the services of their talismanic striker Md Shahrazen for the goals.

The 2006/7 top-scorer of the MSL season did not fly with the team to Singapore since his wife is due to give birth to their second child this week.

Influential winger Sairol Sahri also might not play since Simunic said he is till recovering from a shoulder injury he picked up during the Woodlands game.

"If I have a full team it would be easy to challenge for the first or second spot," grumbled Simunic.

"Sairol is still a doubt and we will decide tomorrow to play him, but I am hoping to use him for one half.

"I do not understand Shahrazen's decision not to folow us but I respect it," he added.

But the Bruneians know they have their work cout out for them since the Eagles have not lost at home their 3-0 defeat to SAF on May,24th.

DPMM will be encouraged by the news Geylang's Slovakian defender Ratislanv Belicak will palay no part in tonight's game due to suspension.

"We are going to miss.He controls the backline really well and there will be some reshuffling," admitted Geylang's head coach Mike Wong on the S-League website.

"In trial games we have experimented a bit and we've found that the three we will be playing there at the back against DPMM, Haruki, Walid and Adrian Dhanaraj, are the best combination." 

DPMM FC's fighting spirit is well and truly alive.

Down twice last niht against Super Reds, the National Stasium came alive in the second half to encourage their beloved DPMM to a 3-2 win against the Kouth Korean outfit - who have now ended their six-game winning streak.

The Bruneians now sit second in the league with 43 points, 12 points behind SAF FC.

"We were close to losing this game but we managed to turn it around, am I am really happy with our defenders - many of whom were playing for the first time in their positions," said DPMM's head coach Vjeran Simunic. "We have been unbeaten in this stadium for one year and three months beacuase I do not acccept our 6-1 defeat to Home Utd."

The Singapore League Cup champions always knew they were in for a fight against last season's runners-up, especially since all three of their first choice defenders were handed lengthy bans by the Football Association Singapore(FAS) this week after the trio admitted to charges if violent conduct during thr match against Home Utd.

And with DPMM ex-midfielder Jeon Kyeong Joon coaching the side, the Bruneaians knew they had their work cout out for them.

Their fears were confirmed as early as the seventh minute when the Super Reds captain Yu Hyun-Koo netted after connecting a cross from the right to score a low shot inside the box past Wardun.

One of the positives of the first half, and indeed the whole game, was left back Suhaime Yusof the former MS ABDB player, coming up with numerous convincing tackles and surging runs forward.

A menace on the left, the snealy South Korean midfielder Kwon Jin's through pass to Park Han Seok saw Wardun produce a fine save in the 20th minute, doing well to block a second shot after he parried the ball to another Super Reds player.

The Super Reds' pace was causing problems all night long for DPMM and the home side found it hard to find a way through their defence  - prompting Simunic to substitute defensive midfielder Hardi Bujang for the elegant Algerian striker, Abdel Hamid Berguiga just before the break.

He had an immediate impact, delivering a quality cross inot the box just seconds after his introduction.

Replacing the injured Sairol Sahri, Helmi Zambin justified Simunic's trust in him by scoring his first goal of the season just after the hour mark after a throw-in on the left by Azwan.

Helmi effortlessly glided past his first defender and unleashed a shot which bounced off another.

Unfortunately for Knag Su Ho in between the psts, the ball landed straight at Helmi, who netted a powerful low shot to the right.

DPMM's joy was shortlived though as Choi Dong Soo handed the Super Reds the lead in the 70th minute when he took advantage of some atrocious marking inside the box to home a Yu free-kick on the right.

Looking defeated, a few of the home fans started trickle out of the stadium thinking that the match was over - especially considering how their team were playing.But it was 2-2 in the 85th minute when Berguiga towered over the entire Super Reds defence to head home from close range after a superb cross-field pass from an unmarked Suhaime.

With the tides now turned and mistakes creeping into the Super Reds game, the stadium took on a single voice of its own and their chanting urged their team on.

Their hoarse throats were justified when Safari Wahit was first to the ball during a scramble in the box three minutes later, the centre back scoring his second goal in as many games and working the crowd even more into a frenzy. 

DPMM FC head coqch Vjeran Simunic has issued a warning tot the rest of the teams in the S-League on the eve of DPMM's match against Super Reds at the National Stadium tonight.

They might not have three of their first choice defenders for the rest of their campaign but the other sides in the 11-team league will be ill-advised to consider the Bruneians' season over.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) handed the club a devastating blow last Thursday when it banned Croatian libero Rene Komar for 15 months, captain Pg Sallehuddin Damit for a year and defender Yusof Salleh for six months after the trio admitted to charges of violent condux=ct during the league match on the 2nd August.Simunic beleives it is the dawn of the new era of the club.

"I want to tell something to all the teams in the league,when you lose three defenders you cannot play serious football," said the Croatian when he met team's training session yesterday.

"Many teams expect us to go down and though we might have our problems off the pitch, what has happened has happened, and from that Woodlands game we are going to start anew.

"It was bad luck we lost all three first choice defenders since we play a 3-5-2 formation I would rather lose a striker or a midfielder.

"But like I said before, I want to make a squad of 18 good players

"We have changed after the Woodlands game, many people have said it has been one of our best," added the Croatian. 

"So I promise now, we will fight for every game and ignore what has happened in the past.Our target is still a Top Five finish," he emphasised.

According to the 53-year old coach, the key to victory against the Rams was the pressure that the side's two strikers applied on their opponents' two centre-backs which prevented the rest of the team from pushing up.

Simunic added that the team had working hard to convert right winger Hj Subhi Abdillah and defender Suhaime Yusof into a right back and left back respectively.

He aslo explained that Croatian midfielder Drazen Govic have been taxed too much during the Woodlands game and might not recover to start tonight.

Left winger Sairol Saari is aslo doubtful after picking up an ankle injury during training, so Simunic expects the bench to step up once again.

As for his comments on the South Korean side, he warned his players to give last year's S-League runners-up the respect they deserve.

"The Super Reds are a strong team,real professions who provide a good fight and play much better in the second half.

"I am sure they are coming here for a win," he added.

So the solution

"So we must run the whole match and fight the whole match ... Start 200 percent and finish 200 percent!," he said. 

DPMM's defensive spine have been handed long bans from the S-League and all FAS-sanctioned competitions beacause of their violent conduct during the team's S-League's match against Home United on August 2nd.

According to a Press Release by the FAS last night, the FAS Disciplinary Committee handed Croatian libero Rene Komar a staggering 15-month ban, with captain Pg Sallehuddin facing a year-long ban and right back Yusof Salleh forced out action for six months.

After Pg Sallehuddin was shown his second yellow for dissent just seconds after receiving his first for whar referee K.Kalimuthu judged was a foul on a Home United player in the 39th minute, the game was stopped for nealry half an hour after certian DPMM players aggressively confronted the referee.

Though he wanted to abandon the match, Kalimuthu decied to playon, but only after Rene and Salleh were shown their marching orders as well since he thought they inverstigated the fight.

The FAS announced last Friday that it was charging the trio for bringing the game into disrepute-  facing charges fro violent conduct against Kalimuthu.

The three players all admitted to the charges against them, though they were not present to the hearing.

Komar admitted to the charge of violent conduct when he confronted Kalimuthu, manhandled and punched him.

Pg Sallehuddin admitted to the conduct when he confronted Kalimuthu in an aggressive and threatening  manner and shoved the ref.

Yusof also admitted to violent when he confronted and mishandled him.

The FAS' statement told the trio can appeal the decision within 7 days.

The ruling goes to prove how fast things can change in football.

Leading the league in three different times, confidence was riding high and they even had their eye on a treble - hoping to win the s-League and the Singapore cup as well.

But after yesterday's nightmare, it will now take a miracle for DPMM to turn that dream into reality. 

DPMM FC shrugged off the loss of half of their first eleven players to beat Woodlands Wellington 2-0 in the league last night.

Drazen Govic's second match at the National Stadium was a night to remember, the newly signed Croatian midfielder opeened his account with a shot from outisde the box in the first minute.

Playing without goalkeeper Wardun Yuosf, midfielder Rosmin Khamis and Algerian striker,Abdel Hamid Berguiga, the fans might have been fooled into thinking that the DPMM side that started last night would be playing second fiddle to the Rams.

But that was definitely not the scenario, a face which was emphasised after Govic's goal stunned the crowd of 4,372 - most of whom were still finding the seats when the 28-year old player netted.

Libero Safari Wahit scored the team's second in the 53rd minute, taking advantage of a confusion in the box to poke the ball home after a Hardi Bujang corner from the left.

"We played wonderful tonight!200%! We could have destroyed Woodlands:, enthused DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic."

"I promised that Govic would be a success and now look what happened.

"I want to thank the fans who made it today to support the team.I can see a lot havr not come today, maybe they thought we would have let in six goals again," added the Croatian.

The Bruneians dominated most of the game, with left winger Sairol Saari an important contributor to the side after passing a late medical test.

Sending in several crosses inot the box and regularly earning corners during his numerous forays down the left flank, the winger was really a headache for Woodlands in the half.

Hemi Zambin had a chance to net in the 27th minute but his shot inside the box after striker Md Shahrazen had pulled the ball back produced a good save from Rezal Hasan.

Ivan Jerkovic tested Rezal in the 41st minute with a curling free-kick while the goalkeeper parried away to safety in the last action of the half.

The Croatian's midfielder's long range attempt in the 52nd minute off a corner saw Rezal box the ball out for another corner, with Safari scoring seconds later.

The game shifted down a few gears in the latter stages, with fatogue taking its toll on both teams.

The Bruneians started to rely on their short passing game to work the ball around, their one twos delighted the crowd.

Despite DPMM's best effort to find the gap in the Woodlands defence again, Daniel Hammond marshalled the back four to perfection after Safari's goal and he was invicible in the air.

Simunic has admitted that Govic is not yet fully fit, his his passes to create space and aerial ball winning ability marked him out as a player to watch out for. 

With five of their first eleven not available for selection, DPMM FC 's league match against Woodlands tonight will force the team's fringe players to pick up the slack.

Not only are captain Pg Sallehuddin and defenders Rene Komar and Yuosf Salleh out suspended since the trio were shown red cards during last week's game,midfielder Rosmin Khamis will also paly no part in tonight's game after picking up his fourth yellow card of the season.

Striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga is back in Algeria to celebrate his engagement.

"What can I say?I just promise that we will fight," said a resigned DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic when met during the team's training session at the National Stadium yesterday.

"All the hard work of one year was lost in 29 minutes, but I have nothing to say about the referee," added Simunic, referring to Kalimuthu's decision to send the entire back line to an earley shower after they were judged to have instigated a fight during the game against the Home United team.

A Press release by the Football Association of Singapore(FAS) yesterday stated that Pg Sallehuddin,Yusof  and Komar face charges for violent conduct against the referee, and the FAS Disciplinary Committee will convene on Thursday to hear the case. The gloomy atmosphere surrounding yesterday's training session did not seem to affect right winger,Hj Subhi Abdillah Bakir, who was one of the players willing to talk to the Press.

The captain for tonight's midfielder will replace Yusof Salleh as right back."This is the furst time I am playing in this position.It will be hard for the whole team since we are missing many key players,"said Hj Subhi.

"We will be up against a full strength Woodlands but we promise them to give a food fight," he vowed.Safari will deputise for Komar as libero while Suhaimi will take the place of Salleh on left back.

Azwan Salleh and Hardi are expected to play in the centre while Md Maududi and Helmi Zambin will serve as left winger and right winger respectively.

Thought they are going into the match without a number of players,DPMM will be thanking their lucky stars that influential midfielder Ivan Jerkovic is not one of them.

The Croatian came back from a month-long absence due to an appendix operation on July 18th."Many of our players are not here but what can we do?"asked Jerkovic."Nothing, Just try our best-the same thing we do every game.

"I feel very good after the operation and I did not think I could recover first.There is no pain in the stomach ... the doctor did a good job," he added.

His compatriot and the club's newest signingDrazen Govic was equally as positive when met yesterday.

"I think we showed that we are the better team in the first 39 minutes against Home Utd and now we have to show how strong we are without the key players," said the striker.

"We must try our best to get three points and it is important since Tampines are now second and we need to catch up with them.

"I think I am fititng in well with the team and as for my partnership with Shahrazen,i think once you know how to play football you can play anywhere.It is no problem," added the 28-year old player who used to ply his trade at Croatia's first division club HNK Sibenik.

To some in the DPMM camp, Sunday's night 6-1 loss to Home Utd in the league is part of a big scheme to see them fail.

Red cards shown to all three defenders in the 39th minute nearly led to fan riot at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium. The supporters then went on to pelt the referee and Home players with bottles and abuse as they entered the tunnel at the half time break and again later when the game ended. 

Soon after DPMM skipper Pg Sallehuddin Damit was shown his second yellow for dissent, his teammates surged towards referee K.Kalimuthu in protest and it resulted in an aggressive confrontation.

Kalimuthu believed it was Rene Komar and Yusof Salleh that started the mess, and after deliberating for nearly half an hour, reached a compromise with club and match officials that the game can only be resumed if the libero and the right back followed the DPMM's left back to the dressing room.

Indiscipline by certain players was given as the reason refress Kalimuthu had to send off the entire back line, but Komar felt that was not the case.

"The sending off was ok, but three cards? There were pushes and bad words, so ok.But all the things that led to that?Salleh's  foul?Funny - a yellow card for a foul that does not exist," said Komar.

"Red to our captain for complaining.If he cannot complain then who can"The referee was on a mission to destroy us, not one game but for the rest of the season," he added.

"The referee is a disgrace and a thief.This is the biggest shame of refereeing in history.Even before he showed his card to Salleh, he showed his intention to kill us," said the Croation.

"Put his picture up and question his ethic and moral.You can already see the pattern that he gave many wrong decisions before the red cards.He was on a mission to kill our team and he made an excellent job,"

Pg Sallehuddin also mirrored his teammates views.

"I actually did nothing but I just stood firm next to the referee afrer the first yellow card," he said.

"Then I realised that he put his hand in his pocket and gave me a second yellow.I can see that the referee is one-sided," he added during the halftime break.

Home head coach PN Sivaji was pleased with Sunday's win, but admitted that the triple sacking took some gloss off their performance.

"The game started off looking very good as both sides played competitively," Sivaji told the S-League website. "DPMM had their chances, but we hold on preety well. In truth the game could have gone either way.

"But the red cards became a deciding factor.It took out the pleasure of the game, and it was unfortunate for this to happen, but our boys responded very well after the break."

His counterpart Vjeran Simunic was -understandably - incensed with Kalimuthu's handling of the match, and he indignantly claimed his team did not deserve the defeat.

"I have never seen that referee in my life before, I don't know where they got him from," said the DPMM head coach after the match.

"But even without three players, we showed we are a good team and were definitely a better side in the first 45 minutes," added Simunic. 

If their victory in the competition was the club's greatest moments, then Sunday's defeat which shattered their undefeated home record that had stood for a long time is definitely their darkest. 

Home United went on a goal spree to bear hapless DPMM 6-1 after three DPMM defenders were red-carded for unsportsmanship conduct on referee K.Kalimuthu in the first half of the match yesterday.

DPMM's captain Pg Sallehuddin was red-carded in the 40th minute followed by Yusof Salleh and Rene Komar in the 41st minute.

Home United opened the floodgates in the 42nd minute through Valery Hick from a free-kick.DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic made a tactical change in  the second half by bringing in Suhaimi Yusof for Sairol Saari. However the change didn't work very well in the first seven minutes and Simunic made another change by bringing on Abu Bakar Mahari to replace Rosmin Khamis.

Few minutes later DPMM were down 2-0 with a goal scored by Ludovick in the 69th minute after Hj Md failed to make a clearance inside the penalty box. 

Ludovick once again scored in the 72nd minute before completing his hattrick a minute later.

Home United scored again in the 78th minute.DPMM's consolation goal was a penalty by Ivan Jerkovic after Helmi Zambin was brought down inside the penalty box.

Home United's Fadzuhasny scored in injury time to make the final score 6-1. 

DPMM FC's new signing Drazen Govic will be making his home debut against Home United at thw Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium tonight.

Govic made his S-League debut against SAF FC last Thursday.

He played the whole 90 minutes and almost scored on his debut.If it wasn't for the SAF goalkeeper,Shahril Jantan who had to be at the full stretchto deny Govic,the Croatian hitman could have win the game against SAF.

Govic spent most of that game behind the other attacking players and was only pushed forward with intent only in the closing 20 minutes or so.

The attacking midfielder, who was signed from Croatain first division club HNK Sibenik, even managed to lay some nice passes while developing a keen understanding with his new teammates. 

DPMM head coach, Vjeran Simunic, is delighted with the performance of his new signing.

"At present, I'm very happy with Govic's performance. I believe that he will get better from game to game. Hopefully he can performa just like how he did against SAF or better tomorrow(Sunday)," said Simunic yesterday. 

The DPMM coach would like to see his new signing perform together with influential midfielder, Ivan Jerkovic.

Simunic also stressed the importance of winning tonight's home game.

"We have to win this game because we had two consecutive draws away from home against Gombak and SAF," said the Croatian coach.

He is also looking forward to keep their 100% home record intact and to put pressure on teams above them especially after 2nd placed Tampines were beaten 3-0 by Albirex on Thursday.

"I think we are in a comfortable positionwith Tampines losing their last game and they will have to face defending champions SAF tomorrow night(Sunday night)," added Simunic.

The Croatian coach expects tonight's game to be a tough one as every team will now want to take the first points from DPMM at their own stadium. 

"Our opponents are a string team and they inflicted us with our first loss of the season back in May but we were not a complete team back them as we were missing five key players. Sunday's game will be different as we will have a full squad.

"They have also good imports like Peres, the Brazilian who has scored seven goals," said Simunic.

"We may have got maximum points at home but then I think the team are tired as we have played a lot of games.We will have try our best and not allow our opponents to snatch any points."

"I hope we can put up a good performance for our fans," continued the 53-year old Croatian.

Simunic is also banking on the fans to come and support the team.

DPMM are currently placed fourth in their 12-team table on 37 points. 

Brunei DPMM FC's chances to climb up to third remains open if the players show thier best this Sunday.

That are the advice given by the team manager,Pg Waslimin when the team will be up against Home United this Sunday at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

"Our team only separated two points behind of Gombak Utd that already played 22 games.It is our chance to take their spot but the players have to work extra hard," said the team manager.

"We have to respect the visitors and definitely, they will have high hopes in getting a shock result," said the team manger.

PN Sivaji boys beat Sengkang Punggol 2-1 in their last game and will stick to their form and their confidence are even grow after they beat DPMM in their last encounter in Home Utd ground.

Whoever they play, Pg Waslimin have high hopes on the team to beat the guest team and also to revenge their defeat Home Utd in their last encounter.

Mnetioning on their team's progress, the team manger is happy with the goalkeeper,Wardun Yussof and showed a consistency performance in every game.

On the other hand, he also hopes the new midfielder,Drazen Govic will be able to work out much better with his teammates as communication is very important.

Drazen Govic replaces the Korean Og Ddog Yi, and made his debut against SAF FC last week.

"Although he is still new to the team, Govic has to work hard to know the team well. His performance in the previous game looks ok and it will be better if have better communication with the team," said Pg Waslimin.

With the standard of the team, Simunic has the ability to make small changes in the squad against the Sivaji boys and to keep the 100% win at home.

The midfield will be the major role with the combination of Jerkovic-Govic-Azwan-Rosmin will be seen as effective in tomorrow's game.

DPMM FC and Singapore league leaders, SAF FC played out to a 0-0 draw at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium in Singapore in what the Bruneians head coach said was a fair result for both sides.

The visitors could not notch their fourth win over the Singapore League Champions in their second league encounter of the season,but Vjeran Simunic said he was not too worried about picking up all three points after triumphing in their previous three matches.

"I am very satisfied with the draw since it is not easy to win against the best team in Singapore four times," said Simunic yesterday.

"I think it was a deserved draw for both sides.We have now become a nightmare for SAF since we won three times against them," added the Croatian.

Despite the draw, the defending champions continue to enjoy a nine point lead over DPMM, who remain fourth in the league.

As expected, the club's newest signing Drazen Govic made his debut in last night's match and Simunic said he was happy with 28-year old midfielder's display.

"He did all that I asked of him and I am pleased with his performance since he came without much preparation," said Simunic. "I an sure he will get better from game to game."

DPMM's next game is against Home Utd at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on Sunday. 

DPMM FC will he hoping for their fourth win over S-League leaders SAF FC when the two sides meet at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium tonight.

The defending champions enjoy a nine point lead over the Bruneians and DPMM knows how crucial tonight's match becuase of their poor form away from the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

DPMM have not managed an away win since their 1-0 result over Balestier Khlasa on March,19 picking up only 4 points in their last 8 away matches - an alarming statistic and that has to be changed if they want to keep in touch with the league leaders.

But the Warriors are aware that DPMM have been their bogey team in this season, losing their league encounter in Brunei 2-1 and falling to the same opponents twice in the League Cup, the second a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss in the final.

Because of this, DPMM's head coach believes the pressure is on the home team tonight.

"They are a dangerous team, the best in Singapore now," said Vjeran Simunic yesterday.

"They have a a lot of national players and it is not easy to beat them, but we have done it three times already and the pressure will be on them," he opined. 

Simunic confirmed that the club's newest signing, Drazen Govic will bake his debut on tonight's match, and the midfielder will play behind strikers Shahrazen Said and Abdel Hamid Berguiga.

Though he admitted the 28-year old Croatian might not be fuly fit, Simunic was confident that his compatriot would make an impact at the club.

"He is a little bit not on form because his arrival was rushed, but he is a professional and I have known him since I was in Croatia," said Simunic."I have kept all the promises I have made so far, and I promise he will be a good player for us."

Shahrazen scored two goals in the team's comeback 3-3 draw against Gombak last week but Simunic said he won't be worried if the striker cannot add to his seven goals.

"Shahrazen is on god form, the team's top scorer now, but for DPMM it is not important who scores - what is important is we create chances," said Simunic.

If they can do that,they will certainly give SAF's head coach more cuase for concern.

"They are a very disciplined side...)and they will certainly keep us on our toes," Richard Bok told the S-League website adding he was expecting DPMM to rely on quick counterattacks whenever they get the chance. 

Brunei DPMM FC's attacking force has been boosted with the new signing of Drazen Govic who will be featured in the upcoming match against SAF FC on Wednesday, July 29.

Following the release of Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi. Brunei DPMM roped in the 187 cm tall Govic after playing for Croatian's first division club, HNK Sibenik.

The signing of the attacking midfielder was finally completed the night before their match against Gombak Utd, and if the ITC had arrived 20 minutes earlier, he would have been featured in the Gombak game.

In an interview with the 28-year old Govic at the training ground yesterday, he said: "I am happy to be with DPMM and I hope I can help DPMM achieve great feat in the S-League."

"I just arrived in Brunei 15 days ago. I still need a bit of time adjusting to the style of the team.But I know that I will be fully prepared to face SAF FC on Wednesday."

The players in the team are fantastic. Brunei DPMM are a good team and we can achieve great things together," he added.

Govic and coach Simunic are actually no strangers.Govic played under Simunic around five years ago with Club Zadar.

On adapting to life in Brunei, he said: "Rene and Ivan helped me a lot to adjust myself to the life here. They have been great. I have been constantly communicating with the coach as well.So I feel at home already." 

With the team 2-0 down after an hour, thoughts of giving up were creeping into the mind of Shahrazen Said during their league match against Gombak Utd on Thursday which ended 3-3.

But after looking around the pitch at the Jurong West Stadium in Singapore and seeing the faces of his teammates the striker knew he had to keep fighting.He scored the goal which would make it 2-1 in the 71st minute and ana injury time equaliser to ensure that the Bruneians wouldn't leave Singapore with three sttraight defeats.

"If you ask me if I felt like giving up than yes, there were those feelings," admitted Shahrazen yesterday "The fighting spirit was still strong though, but the face of the rest of my teammates, I knew I had to keep going on.I could see that they still wanted to fight, they did not look like giving up.I didn't think I would score two goals though, that was good luck."

Cementing his status as the team's top scorer in the league with seven goals, Shahrazen hopes that Thursday's night display will usher in the form which made him one of the region's most feared strikers two years ago.

After getting praises from club supporters on the Internet, he's inspired to repeat his performance during the 2006/7 Malaysian Super League (MSL) season which saw him end the camapaign tied with another player with 21 goals. "I was really happy with the comments I have seen online which says that Thursday's performance reminded them of the 2006/7 season.I don't want to guarantee any numbers, but I know if I focus and put my mind to it eveything is possible.My partnership with Abdel Hamid - who scored Thursday's other goal - is very good.I think it is 90% of what we are capable of."

DPMM FC will face league leaders SAF FC on Wednesday, where Shahrazen will be up against league top-scorer with 18 goals, Aleksander Duric. 

DPMM FC came from behind to record a much needed 3-3 draw against Gombak United last night in  amatch which saw the Bruneians score all their goals in the last 20 minutes.

Trailing as early as the third minute after Nigerian, Emmanuele Emujeraye scored the first,the visitors found themselves down 2-0 in the 59th minute when compatriot Gabriel Obatola netted his first of two goals.

Undaunted, DPMM mounted a comeback and saw striker Shahrazen Said find the net in the 71st minute, with Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga levelling seven minutes later. However, a controversial penalty by Obatola saw Gombak take the lead in the 85th minute, only for Shahrazen to come to the team's rescue with a goal in injury time.

With Gombak just one point behind DPMM, the Croatian saw the draw was crucial in maintaining their position.

"I am absolutely happy with the result, very satisfied," said Simunic yesterday.

"Considering we did not have three important players, the result yesterday is like the same as a victory for me ... We should be proud.

"We wanted one point because we wanted to stay third, and Gombak are too good of a club to lose four straight games," added the head coach.

Praising his players for their never-say-die attitude despite trailing by two goals the 53-year old said that he was not impressed by the refereeing at the match which cost them all three points.

"I want to talk about his decision but I do not think I should. Maybe you should speak to the players and ask them what happened," said Simunic. 

Vjeran Simunic's boys have to be more cautious and to be in their best if they are to win the match tonight against Gombak in the Jurong West Stadium tonight.

Brunei DPMM and Gombak are only separated by a point and the clash tonight will be a big test for both teams.

On paper, DPMM have their advantages as they won their previous encounter but DPMM will miss three key players for this clash.

Rosmin Khamis got his marching orders in his last match against Albirex Niigata at home, while Pg Salehuddin, the skipper is suspended after receiving his fourth yellow in many matches.

"This clash will be a big test for us. But I am confident with high spirits, we will give a good challenge to upset the home team," said team manager,Pg Waslimin.

Meanwhile, the team manger also stressed that his players have to be more cautious and to retain their reputation as they are throughout the league to bring home full points.

He said, the league is in the mid-season now and the teams are getting tight now and DPMM have to be able to resist the opponents and be able to double their effort to win points.

With the three key players missing, Simunic has no wary in playing Gombak tonight, while the return of Jerkovic in midfield in the previous game, has made a big impact in mobilise the midfield and eventually scored the winner last week.

DPMM is still waiting for the International Transfer Certificate(ITC) of Drazen Govic who recently signed for DPMM.As of now, his ITC has not arrived yet to be eligible for this game.Simunic hopes that his ITC will arrive so that he could play for DPMM soon.

"If the players could keep their composure, the team will be able to bring back full points," said Pg Waslimin.

Meanwhile, Gombak Utd coach Darren Stewart has challenged his players to face their biggest test yet this season, as they head into tonight's match on the back of three consecutive losses.

"Facing up to these three losses is going to be the biggest test for all of us in the club.So the next game we've got will be tough,whoever it is against, although I'm sure DPMM will make it real easy," the 43-year old Australian Gombak coach told the sleague.com 

He may not be a striker but Croatian midfielder Ivan Jerkovic is ready to take over as DPMM FC's main hitman.

The top scorer for DPMM FC so far this season, Jerkovic, who has scored seven goals - four of them coming from the league and the other three in the League Cup - placed a perfect shot into the back of the Albirex Niigata's net on Saturday night to help the Bruneians sealed all three points.The 2-1 come from behind victory also helped DPMM keep their 100% home record intact.

"I'm definitely ready to carry the team.As a foreign player, I have to show and offer something different. Govic (the new striker expected to sign with DPMM this week) and Abdel Hamid will cause a lot of trouble for defenders but they will be tightly marked too.

"Take Saturday's match for example, Abdel Hamid was surrounded by Albirex's defenders the whole match.So I decided to help in attack," Jerkovic told the Brunei Times in an interview yesterday.

DPMM FC may bank on him for goals, but Jerkovic does not feel any burden saying: "Football is my life.I played against Albirex and didn't feel any pain.

"The most important thing is we are playing as a team.We are like a family together," said the 30-year old Jerkovic.

The midfielder was out for a month after undergoing an operation on appendicitis in June.He was only included in Saturday's line-up afterpassing a late fitness test.

Despite trailing league leaders SAF FC by 10 points -Jerkovic believes they can still win the S-League crown in their debut season.

"At the beginning of the season we were only aiming for a Top Five finish, but now seeing how much we have achieved we are aiming for at least a Top Three position," said Jerkovic. "It is very difficult because this season is still very long but we are going to concentrate on winning other trophy - this time the Singapore Cup where we are already in the quarterfinals," added Jerkovic.

Asked about DPMM's plan to sign compatriot Drazen Govic, Jerkovic said: "He is a big player. I've known him back in Croatia as we played in the same team for three years. He will have to pass fitness test before he can join us."

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic, meanwhile believes that Saturday's victory has put DPMM in the title race. 

"All teams in the S-League are equally strong.SAF had the advantages in the early round as they played the bottom teams first. But their defeat to Super Reds last Friday is good for the league as now more teams can challenge for the title," said Simunic.

"We have to play so many games this season .Being a small team we will be able to play better in a shorter competition but I'm hoping to include more players to make the team bigger and to cover for injured and suspended regular first team players."

The Croatian coach said that he was a bit worried of fielding Jerkovic on Saturday."I was worried that he might get injured in the game.I'm glad everything went ok. He is a string player, both physically and mentally."

The coach was also happy that his halftime talk managed to push his players to stage a comeback - having gone into the break a goal and a man down."I told them that I trusted them even with a man down and they could win it by at least a 2-1 scoreline.And they did it just that."

But Simunic will lose three key players for the next match against Gombak Utd on Wednesday - with Rosmin Khamis who was sent-offagainst Albirex,skipper Pg Sallehudin and Hardi Bujang all suspended for their visit to Jurong West Stadium in Singapore.

"I thought that we weren't that aggressive on Saturday ... Albirex were just as aggressive as us," said Simunic." Now we will miss some key players for our big game on Wednesday," he added.

Albirex manager Bogdan Brasoveanu, meanwhile, was disappointed to go down to 10-man DPMM on Saturday - having taken the lead through Tetsuya Kishida in the 40th minute.

"We did extremely well throughout the game but we just couldn't kill it off in the key moments," said Brasoveanu after the match.

"I think the fans here did just well to encourage DPMM FC's revival in the second half.It is good for DPMM as the fans in the stadium were like the 12th man on the field," added Brasoveanu. 

Ten-Man DPMM FC came alive in the final 20 minutes to grab a 2-1 win over Albirex Niigata to extend their unbeaten run at home in the league last night.

Ivan Jerkovic was a late inclusion in the line-up after passing a last-minute fitness test and the Croatian was DPMM's hero yesterday - scoring a late goal to hand the Brueneians all three points.

Jerkovic, who had an operation for appendicitis in June and was out for a month, netted in the 79th minute to stop DPMM's two-match losing streak.

Abdel Hamid Berguiga had drawn three defenders before sending a cross into the box which was headed away by an Albirex defender only to land in front of Jerkovic, who struck it home.

"I was ready to play even though I had not touched the ball for a month," said a delighted Jerkovic.

DPMM hardly threatened the visitors goal in the first half.Albirex used their speed to outplay their rivals and almost got infront as early as the 19th minute when Kenji adachihara skipped past three defenders to unleash a powerful striker only to be denied by Wardun.

Midfielder Rosmin Khamis was then given his marching orders in the 38th minute after a second bookable offence.

To make matters worse for the home side, the ensuing free-kick from just outside the box -taken by Akira Takase - sailed past DPMM's wall and could be parried away by Wardun Albirex substitute Tetsuya Kishida was the fatest to react - reaching the ball first to score for the visitors on the rebound.

Making of their numerical advantage Albirex started to control the match. The Japanese outfir created plenty of chances but failed to add to their tally.

In the 45th minute Azwan was brought down in the box, but the referee just waved away DPMM's appeal for a penalty.

Albirex started the second half brightly - exploiting the space in the DPMM's defence to find their second goal.

The visitors also defended brilliantly to frustrate DPMM.

The Bruneians finally woke up when Abu Bakar Mahari, who was replaced striker Shahrazen Said on the hour mark, hit the goal post in the 70th minute after beating the goalkeeper.

With a new found confidence, DPMM started threatening Albirex's goal as they piled up the pressure on their opponents.

The efforts paid off in the 75th minute when Hj Md Subhi Abdilah equalised with a well struck voleey from just outisde the box.

Four minutes later Ivan jerkovic made it 2-1 and DPMM never looked back.

"We had to risk Ivan today and he turned out to be the hero.He knew that this was a big game and we had to win," said Vjeran Simunic.

"It was a good gamble and it helped to motivate the team."

Last night's victory helps DPMM to leapfrog Gombak Utd into third place. The Bruneians now have 35 points, but Gombak Utd, who have a game in hand, could move back to third if they can beat Tampines today. 

DPMM FC yesterday moved to closer to signing Croatian midfielder Drazen Govic from Croatia's first division HNK Sibenik.

Govic, who has been on trial with the Brunei club since last week, yesterday trained with the team at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium as DPMM prepared for their league match against Albirex today.

DPMM hope to sign the Croatian midfielder before the transfer window closes on July 24th.

Oh, who scored 12 goals for the Super Reds last season has not been at his best this season and has also found the back of the net only twice for DPMM.

Pg Hj Md Waslimin, the DPMM team manager, told that the the club had been given Oh a good chance to prove himself but he couldn't adapt to the team's style of play.

Govic meanwhile, said that he was very keen to join with the team.

"Ive been around town and think that this is a fantastic country.The club has a very ggod stadium too," said Govic after their training session yesterday."It is very different here and the weather is very hot.I hope that everything will proceed smoothly and I will be part of the team." 

When asked about this latest development, DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic said: "I don't know what the club will choose to do but Ddog Yi is not training with us anymore."

Simunic however, does know about Govic - having coached the player in Croatia.

"I do know Govic personally because I've coached him for five years back in Croatia," said Simunic yesterday. "Now it is up to him to pass the fitness test in Singapore so that he can return to Brunei to play with us."

The coach also rates Govic highly saying: "He is a very good player and probably one of the most famous to come here.He can almost be considered as one of the best players there in Croatia's first division.A lot of clubs want to sign him."I don't know why he decided to come here.Maybe it is more adventurous here," he added.

Having said that Simunic then turned his attention to today's game against Albirex Niigata.

"We want to concentrate on the game at the moment.I'm thinking of starting two strikers for the match," said the Croatian coach.

He expects the game to be difficult even though DPMM have not lose at home all season.

"We may not have lost at home this season but then we have to respect Albirex as they are a very good team.We had a tough 1-0 win the last time we met them in the League Cup," said Simunic.

The Croatian coach is also happy with the performance of his bench after the League Cup and is confident  that they are ready for tonight's match.

But there is one major problem for Simunic today.

"Defender Yusof Salleh is currently down with a fever so I'm thinking of putting Safari to start in his place," continued Simunic.

Albirex Niigata coach Naruo Naoki, expects a very tough game with the Bruneians.

"We just have to do our best as they have not dropped any points at their home ground," Naoki told the S-League website. 

Albirex Niigata wlll have a full squad for their visit to Brunei today.

DPMM FC have lost two of their previous games in a row - both away from home , first to Sengkang Punggol and then Tampines Rovers - and are looking to return to winning ways against the Japanese outfit. DPMM are currently placed fourth in the 12-team table on 32 points. 

The late afternoon rain did not prevent DPMM from practising yesterday as they prepare fro Saturday's showdown with Albirex Niigata in the S-League at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

After going down to Sengkang Punggol and Tampines Rovers by the same scoreline of 2-1, the team look positive to bounce back against Albirex at home ground where they have been unbeaten all season and look to keep that run intact.

"I expect that we will have a tough game against Albirex as they are a really skilful team and even their fitness level is very high," said Vjeran Simunic coach of DPMM FC, after yesterday's training at the Jerudong Mini Stadium.

"In the game against Tampines, we played well eventhough we were missing some key players so we just have to reproduce the same kind of performance eventhough we didn't win the match," said Simunic.

The Croatian feels that the other players are also starting to improve and step up during matches even without the key players.

When asked if the weather in the country will play a role in the team's performance, Simunic replied, "Hopefully it would rain.It is good because it is refreshing and its a lot cooler but I guess it wouldn't ffect our play so much."

Simunic is also hoping more people will come and support the team.

"It was the same problem in the previous game but hopefully we can still get a good turnout to support the team," continued Simunic, who is encouraging all DPMM FC supporters to wear face masks to protect them so as not to take too much of a risk due to the Influenza A situation in the country.

DPMM will welcome the return of Rene Komar and influential winger Sairol Sahari.

Ivan Jerkovic has fully recovered from an operation ,He's been working on his fitness level to be able to join his teammates next week.

"I don't believe it myself but I feel good about it. Hopefully I would be able to make a comeback before the match against Gombak," said Jerkovic. "I would want to start the match but I'll have to see how it goes on the firld.If I can't take it then I'll just have to let the coach know."

After their home fixture, DPMM will go for two tough away matches in Singapore.They play Gombak Utd on July 23rd and the SAF FC on July,29.

Simunic hopes his players will have the right attitude and perform better to repeat their performance against Albirex in their last match in the League Cup in which they won 1-0. 

Brunei DPMM FC failed to occupy the second place after they succumbed to their second consecutive losses in the league losing 2-1 last night.

Two goals from Tampines Noh Alam Shah shattered DPMM's unbeaten record playing at Jalan Besar.Playing without the suspended duo Rene Komar and Sairol Sahri last night, DPMM are now 10 points behindthe Singapore soldiers are are behind od second placed Tampines and Gombak.

Thr match which was telecast live on RTB 2 brought by DST group, might see a mixed reaction from the local supporters after knowing that a win against Vorowan's side could actually catapult DPMM into second spot.

DPMM nearly opened accounts in the 15 minute through 35-year old Hamid Berguiga but he failed to slot the ball in after Tampines goalkeeper Hassan Sunny made a brave save to deny the visitors the opening goal.

However, the Tampines supporters were stunned in the 39th minute after Md Shahrazen Said made no mistake hy handsomely heading the ball into the net from an Azwan Salleh's corner kick giving DPMM a one goal lead.

But the celebration was short-lived two minutes later,Noh Alamshah levelled the score with a header after a blunder from Azwan which led to the goal.

Tampines' Bennoit Crissant was yellow-carded in the 48th minute after he made a harsh tackle on Shahrazen resulting in Shahrazen being substituted by Hardi Bujang.

DPMM FC should have scored in the 71st minute through out-of-form Korean,Oh Ddog Yi after being on a one-to-one situation with the goalkeeper but shot miles wide off goal.

Oh's solo effort,however, frustrated DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic when he shot wide with only the goalkeeper infront of him. The winnin goal for Tampines came in the 85th minute with Noh Alam Shah once again putting his name on the score-sheet with a nice header beating Wardun.

The score ended 2-1 in favour of Tampines Rovers. 

Vjeran Simunic has another major headache when DPMM clash with in-form Tampines Rovers at the Jalan Besar Stadium at 7.30 today.

Rene Komar, the rock of DPMM's defence, will miss the game after collecting his fourth yellow card in the game against Sengkang Punggol on Monday.

To make matters worse Sairol Sahari, DPMM's attacking fullback and the team's dead ball specialist will also be suspended for the match while Ivan Jerkovic is still not recover fully from his appendix.

"This is bad news for us because once again we will without three key players for the game," said DPMM head coach Simunic yesterday.

"But Ipromise the fans we will try our best and put up a challenge against a very strong team. This is a very crucial game for both teams as we both want to score points to challenge for the title," added Simunic.

"Right now our opponents can beat anybody as they have a full squad. This is going to be a tough game as our team are hurting because we can't perform our best without some of our players," continued the coach.

"Anything can still happen in the game and hopefully we able to grab all three points."

The DPMM coach will have to make some changes to get the best from his men and has decided to start Yusof Salleh in Komar's position.

"This is going to be a big challenge for hism as it is very difficult to not have Rene in the line-up,"said Simunic during the interview. 

The Croatian said that Safari Wahit too would not be joining the squad for this game but they would be welcoming back midfielder Hj Md Subhi and Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga- both having served their one game suspension in the previous match.

Both teams, however, have 32 points - with Tampines having a better goal difference tha DPMM.

Thus, tonight's game is a must win for both teams as victory will push them to second place, one point ahead of Gombak but seven points adrift of the defending champions, SAF FC.

Jalan Besar is a very lucky venue for DPMM as they have not lost any of their matches there and even grabbed their first silverware this year, the Singapore League Cup, at the venue. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic predicted that the loss of three key players would affect the team and he was proven right last night,losing 2-1 to Sengkang Punggol last night.

As the Croatian trainer expected, the absence of midfielder Hj Subhi Abdilah Bakir and striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga due to suspension played a pivotal role in deciding the match's outcome at the Hougang Stadium, with midfielder Ivan Jerkovic also missing out due to recovery from his appendix.

With former Singapore national team skipper Aide Iskandar orchestrating a mini-revival after taking over the reins as caretaker coach, the Guinean midfielder Abdoulaye Diallo got on the scoresheet in the 42 minute when he latched onto a through ball and scored after taking advantage of a lack of concentration by the DPMM backline.

Canadian midfielder Murphy Wiredu recovered from a hamstring concern to start the match and scored in the 63rd minute off a corner with DPMM midfielder Sairol Sahri netting one of his trademark free-kicks nine minutes later to give the visitors a lifeline.

But though DPMM would find the net again, Simunic said they were unlucky it was ruled out for offside.

"I did worry about this game because we didn't have three key players and we wouldn't be able to perform as usual," said Simunic yesterday.

"Without those players it was a real problem for us - though we were unlucky to see our goal disallowed.

"We are a strong team with our first eleven but we have to work on getting bench players like Dodi and Helmi into the team.

"Shahrazen was a little sick but he played ... We needed him," said the 53-year old Croatian, adding that his charges looked mentally tired last night.

Helmi took the place of Subhi in last night's match, with Tutong-native Abu Bakar Mahari deputising for Berguiga.

Simunic also disclosed that the team will be without Rene Komar in the next gameagainst Tampines Roverson Friday due to suspension.

Despite last night's loss, the side's third of the season, they remain fourth in the league with 32 points. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic admitted he is having problems sleeping thinking his line-up for their league match against Sengkang Punggol at the Hougang Stadium tonight.

Croatian midfielder maestro Ivan Jerkovic is still recovering from an appendix operation last month, and midfielder Hj Subhi as well as Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga will play no part in the game after getting their suspensions of yellow cards.

Though Simunic would hand striker Abu Bakar Mahari a start, he was not sure who would fill in the slots in the middle of the park.

"There is no Subhi...It is a nightmare because he has been one of our best players in the past few games," said Simunic yesterday in a telephone interview.

"I know Abu will replace Hamid but I am not sure who would take Subhi's place.I will decide tomorrow(Monday) morning

"We are without three beacause players because Jerkovic is still recovering. It is a big damage for us," added the Croatian head coach.

Despite the trio's loss,Simunic said that he had once again hoping for a good performance from his players.

Simunic noted that a win tonight would be crucial because the Bruneians need the points to leapt past Gombak to second in the league, only 4 points behind SAF if they win tonight.

"A win is very important because we need the points tonight not only to leap second on the table but to pressure SAF by only 4 points," said Simunic.

"Sengkang are a good side and they have just changed their coach.They have also one of the best players in Singapore, the Singapore national team captain Indra Sahdan Daud.

"It will be a tough game but DPMM will eb going there to provide a fight," added Simunic.

The Croatian also said that he expected the Canadian duo of midfielder Murphy Wiredu and striker Anthony Bahadur to playa key part in the game for the Singaporeans, with Japanese defender Hiroyuki Yamamoto also sure to impress.

However,Simunic will be pleasntly surprised to learn that Yamamoto and Bahadur are carrying hamstring niggles and might not play, and defenders Nor Rahman and Nor Azli Yusoff both suspended according to S-League website.

"DPMM FC have clearly shown that they are no push-overs and their coach has done a good job," said Aide on the S-League website.

"They have good players and also have a few good local players and the main thing about them is that they are a very hardworking side.

"We had our chances the last time we played them but we didn't finish them off. We have to take our chances and scoring goals is the only way to win games," added Aide, who used to captain the Singapore team himself. 

DPMM FC will be looking to extend their magnificent run of form when they face S-League basement dwellers Balestier Khalsa tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

After beating Geylang Utdlast Wednesday 3-0 at the same venue, DPMM FC are looking to keep on the heels of their opponents as they lie in third place in the S-League, just two points adrift of leaders Gombak FC and a point behing defending champions SAF FC. The team have been great on home soil as they have gain all three points so far at home."We respect our opponents and know that it will not be an easy game at most of the teams are looking to beat us and get good results since we are the new team in the league," said DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic.

"We have to concentrate on getting points but every game will get tougher as we are missing some of our key players. Every game from here on is important as we need the points to have any chance of winning the league.We just have to keep the same attitude and try to get the best results," added Simunic.

Simunic is expecting more supporters to come and to support the team and they will be heading out to Singapore for two away matches after this game.

DPMM's next game will be on July 6 against Sengkang Punggol at the Hougang Stadium, Singapore. 

It looks like things couldn't be going any better for DPMM FC, winning last night's Singapore League game against Geylang United FC 3-0 just days after lifting the Singapore League Cup.

Though DPMM FC remain in third with 29 points, the win pushes Brunei's only premier club to within one point of second-placed SAF FC.

After a good start by the visitors, they seemed to lose confidence after midfielder Azwan Salleh scored a stunning goal from well outside the box in the 21st minute in what was the first chance for DPMM FC.

Playing as a supporting striker just behind Algerian forward Abdel Hamid Berguiga and South Korean Oh Ddog Yi, Shahrazen's pass to Azwan saw the 21-year old player waste no time in pulling the trigger - his cannonball from 30 yards destined for the back of the net.

Suddenly it was the Singaporeans who were on the back foot, losing possesion of the ball far too easily and looking shaky with their passes.

It was only on the counter-attack that they looked the most capable of scoring, with captain Noor Ali capping off such break on the half-hour mark but seeing his shot saved by Wardun Yussof at the near post to notch Geylang's first sot on target.

A DPMM counter-attack a minute later showed the fans just why the club signed Berguiga, the Algerian faking a defender who fell over himself before forcing Yazid Yasin in between the Geylang posts into a save.

Proof that the visitors were a changed side 9 minutes fater restart when Yazid surprised the stadium which landed at the feet of Berguiga.

But after holding off two defenders, the 35-year old striker was extremely unlucky to see his shot sail past Yazid, but not the post.

Geylang's Hafiz Rahim would come up with the game's next shot on target, hitting the post in the 55th minute from a tight angle.

The Eagles lacked quality needed to break down on aorganised DPMM back-line and were made to pay with the goal of the game in the 69th minute.

Intercepting a poor pass in midfield, Berguiga's quick thinking saw him launch a shot from nearly 40 yards out on the left flank, which amazingly found the net only beacuse Yazid was well off his line.

Comfortably in control of the game by now, DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic decided to replace captain Pg Sallehuddin Damit with Suhaime Yussof - a move which had an immediate impact.

Realising that Oh was in space, the defender delivered a prefectly weighted pass to the speedy South Korean, who obliged by leaving his defenders eating dust and scoring past Yazid after bringing the ball nearly one-third of the field's length.

The home side's slow and methodical play might not have won them any new fans last night, but it is a formula which is paying dividends.

"The team are growing everyday and we must maintain pressure on the leaders until the league's end in November," said Simunic in his post-match comments.

"We are changing our image now and we are scoring more.I am especially happy with Azwan's goal," said the DPMM coach. 

"our fans really helped the tired players. The players were emotionally empty after the victory in the League Cup on Friday but thanks to the fans, they were able to win tonight's game," he added. 

The team went on a lap of honour around the stadium after the match, with some lucky fans being thrown jerseys and souvenirs from the players.

The Brunei team's next match is against S-League basement dwellers Balestier Khalsa at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas next Wednesday, where nothing but all three points will satisfy the home crowd. 

Brunei DPMM FC's import Ivan Jerkovic will be out of S-League action for a month after a successful surgery at RIPAS hospital for appendicitis three days ago.

The inspirational midfielder will thus miss the match tonight against Geylang Utd at home.

When met at the hospital yesterday, Jerkovic said: "I am doing fine, the operation went well and I am recuperating. The doctor said I can be recharged maybe tomorrow or the next day."

"The unbearable pain in the stomach happened the night before the Singapore League final," he recalled.

"Just watching tv in the hotel room in Singapore and not being able to play a role in the final was hard on me.And now I cannot play at least a month.I hope I can recover as soon as possible to be in the squad again," he expressed.

Meanwhile, Brunei DPMM FC's coach Vjeran Simunic said, "Ivan Jerkovic is one of the key players in the squadand its a tremendous loss for the team.We might play eight games without Ivan." 

"Azwan Salleh will be given the task to start in place of Ivan and we will be putting three strikers on the field namely Od Ddog Yi, Abdel Hamid and Md Shahrazen," he said. 

The fearsome defender Pg Sallehuddin is back in the lineup to hold off Geylang Utd offence together with Rene Komar and Yussof Salleh.

Both sides have met twice in as many matches. The first  encounter was on March 12 in the league where both teams fought out on a goaless draw and in the recent S League Cup quarterfinal, Brunei DPMM came up victorious 5-3.

"We respect Geylang, they are a very good team.It will be a tough game," Simunic added.

"After capturing the League Cup, DPMM's morale is high and we want the local fans to come up in full force to support the team.I hope to see the stadium filled to the brink with cheering fans. Anyone who love or are crazy about football must come to the stadium."

"It will be a crucial match tonight as Brunei DPMM are trying to close the gap on current league leaders Gombak Utd and also to extend our points from Tampines whom are just a point behind." 

Hundreds of DPMM FC fans greeted the newly crowned Singapore League Cup champions at the Brunei International Airport yesterday afternoon with ecstatic celebrations not seen since the national football team lifted the Malaysia Cup 10 years ago.

DPMM FC's 4-3 win a penalty shoot-out against seven time league champions SAFFC in the final on Friday night saw the Bruneians becomes the first foreign team to lift a trophy in Singapore football,and some of the fans had been waiting since the morning to welcome their heroes back from the city-state.

With the scores level at 1-1 at the end of extra time at the Jalan Besar Stadium, goalkeeper was the team's saviour after blocking shots from Japanese Masahiro Fukasawa and defender Razaleigh Khalek.

South Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi missed his penalty after Wardun saved to set up a nervy final few seconds, but captain on the night Rosmin Khamis proved his worth with the winning penalty after Wardun had saved Razaleigh's attempt.

Under criticism of late for his less than confident display between his sticks, especially with his decision making in the air, the DPMM goalkeeper kept his cool during the shoot-out to guess it correctly and save the last two shots.

"I am really happy to have played such a big part in the win," said Wardun yesterday.

"I knew I could do it I did not feel the pressure during the penalties because it was not the first time I have been in a shoot-out.

"I did some research on SAF and I watched vidoes of their quarter-final match which also ended in penalties, and that helped a lot," added the goalkeeper.

Deputising for suspended cpatain Pg Sallehuddin Damit- who was part of victorious Malaysia Cup team who midfielder Hj Md Subhi  - Romsin said he had no doubts about scoring the winning penalty.

"I was confident I could do it.The thought of missing never crossed my mind,"said Rosmin.

"What's next? We've already won one trophy, now its two more to go," added the midfielder, referring to the league and the Singapore Cup in which the team already enters the quarter-finals.

Though the defender Rene Komar was named the "Man of the match" after a commanding performance that saw him score the equaliser three minutes after Aleksander Duric headed home the opener in the sixth minute - and come up with numerous headers to starve off a relentless aerial attack from SAF -  the Croatian admitted he was hesitant to be involved during the shoot-out.

"I've never taken a penalty before in my life! If I took it, maybe we would have lost," said Komar with a laugh.

The defender might regard his humble attitude as one of his best attributes but the same cannot be said of the team's head coach Vjeran Simunic, who has been dubbed the 'Jose Mourinho of Singapore football' for his often controversial comments. 

But it is a safe bet to say it would be difficult to find a single fan yesterday afternoon who would admonish the Croatian for his misgivings, the 53-year old coach keeping his promise that he would bring success to this generation of DPMM players.

"I am very proud to have won the competition and it is like a dream come true for me," said Simunic.

It is my destiny to be together with this team because I saw the talent this group of players had ... They followed my ideas and it is a very deserved win.

"They were very hungry to be a successful team.

"Many teams from South Korea, Japan and China have tried to become the first foreign team to this competition, if not any competition in Singapore but failed. This is a wonderful gift for the people of Brunei. 

"Despite missing three key players we played a nice game and it was an excellent job from the players, beating SAF for the third time," he added. 

"We will enjoy the celebrations for now but on Monday it is back to training and to our next target - winning the league and the Singapore Cup," said the coach.

Whatever the outcome of those two competitions, Friday's night win in what is the Bruneian's debut campaign will highlight the fact that this already looking like a season that has exceeded all expectations. 

Vjeran Simunic is confident DPMM FC can win their first silverware in the S-League when his men will face SAF FC in the League Cup final at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore at 7.45pm today.

"We are the best team in Singapore now," said the Croatian in a television interview after DPMM FC defeated Woodlands Wellington 2-1 in the first semi-final on Monday.

"We are already champions because we have beaten SAF FC twice this season," he later added.

In their previous meetings,DPMM FC came out victors with a 3-0 drubbing of SAF FC in the group stages of the tournament.DPMM also defeated them 2-1 back in April at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium in the league.

Bit if DPMM were to lift the League Cup tonight then they would have to do it without their skipper PG Sallehuddin and star striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga - who were both suspended. 

Mush as Simunic has tried to brush off the issue, not having the due around will cause much concern among his players as they take to the field.

Pg Sallehuddin's ability to command and rally his fellow Bruneians has been key to their uncompromising performances in the backline, as is the wealth of experience he brings as he approaches the final years of his lengthy career.

His importance at the back is matched only by Rene Komar who has been a hit with the Bruneians ever since he was brought to DPMM by ex-coach Ranko Buketa in 2005.

With Pg Sallehuddin out, Komar will be required to perform double duty at the back as he attempts to shield goalkeeper Wardun Yussof, who appears a little shaky lately.

Wardun will need to raise his game out the resurgent attacking line of Aleksander Duric, Park Tae Won, John Wilkinson and Ahmad Latiff Khamaruddin.

At the other end, Simunic can expect more headaches over whom to pivk as stand-in for Berguiga, with neither option looking particular suited to his palate.

Between Abu Bakar Mahari, whom the coach has regularly lauded but never started, and Oh Ddog Yi - in whom he appears to place little trust after openly sidelining him in recent weeks - the decision appears fraught in a net of personal issues.

The key to victory for the Bruneians could well lie in Croatian midfielderIvan Jerkovic, who leads the goal charts in this competition going into the final with four to his name.

Remarkably, three of the four goals came from dead ball situations, including a penalty against Geylang in the quarter-finals.

In that light, SAF will need Masahiro Fukasawa to deliver a top-draw performance in his holding midfield role to keep the former Pelita Jaya man under the leash, even as the rest of the midfield push on for attacking opportunities.

The Jerkovic-Fukasawa duel will in all likehood be the central battle and decides of tonight's final. 

DPMM FC became the first foreign side to reach the Singapore League Cup last night with a 2-1 win against Woodlands Wellington at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

Vjeran Simunic's men now need just one more win to complete a fairy-tale ending to the tournament - where they have been the surprise of the 19-day competition and cemented that reputation by beating the 2007 League Cup champions last night.

They will face either defending league champions SAF FC or Home United FC in the final on Friday, with the two teams facing each other in the second semi-final today. 

Though they are on a high after last night's win, DPMM will find themselves without two key players on Friday as captain and defender Pg Salehuddin and Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga - who scored the winner in the 56th minute - have been ruled out of the final.

Despite the loss of the duo, DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic was in an upbeat mood during the post match interview and was confident of beating SAF FC if they made it to the championship match.

"We are already champions because we have beaten SAF FCtwice this season," declared the Croatian.

"I am sorry we didn't score six or seven more goals because we had the chances ... It could have been 8-2."

"I am also sorry to have lost two of our players and I am sad that people will not be able to see a full strength DPMM FC in the final," said Simunic, who blamed the referee for forcing Berguiga to an early shower.

After a cagey first few minutes, Berguiga came up with DPMM's first chance in the 11th minute but his volley from outside the box was comfortably saved by the Rams goalkeeper Rezal Hassan.

The Bruneians got on the scoresheet in the 26th minute when Ivan Jerkovic lashed a free-kick into the topright corner after midfielder Ismadi Mukhtar as adjudged to have fouled Berguiga just outside the box.

DPMM have been gaining a reputation as a physical team as of late but it was their opponents who won that honour last night, coming up with four yellow cards in the first half alone.

Striker Oh Ddog Yi spurned a golden chance to double DPMM's lead two minutes later after the restart when Shahrazen Said squared a pass from the right only to see the South Korean shoot well wide off the right post.

But they got their two-goal cushion 13 minutes later when Berguiga finished a move he started, passing the ball to Sairol Sahri on the left and scoring with a header from the resultant cross to put the Bruneians' one foot into the final.

It could have been 3-0 in the 62nd minute but once again Oh's finishing was lacking, unsuccessfully trying to chip the ball over Rezal during a one-on-one situation.

Two minutes later Pg Sallehuddin was shown a yellow card, and the resigned look on the skipper's face left no doubt of disappointment at not being able to play in the final.

A mazy run by Shahrazen seconds later which saw him dribble past three players on the box could have killed the game but once again, finishing was to blame.

It was only in the 68th minute that Woodlands found their first shot on target, aheader from Iranain striker Mojtaba Tehranizadeh off a corner from the left which was saved by Wardun in between the DPMM posts.

But there was no stopping Tehranizadehin the 73rd minute when he caught the DPMM backline asleep and scored after dribbling past two players.

Croatian defender Rene Komar would prevent an equaliser from midfielder Jamil Ali in the 82nd minute to set up a tense last few minutes in which DPMM were forced to play with 10 men with Berguiga's dismissal three minutes before time.

But despite the number disadvantage, their defence stood firm and they are now only one win away from being crowned champions of the Singapore League. 

Brunei DPMM FC will continue their fairy tale debut in the League Cup up against Woodlands Wellington tonight in the first semi-final match at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

On paper, it is a fair match between the two teams after securing wins at their home ground respectively when the two teams clashed in the S-League.

In a match played at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium back in March, Brunei DPMM scored two goals from Sairol Sahri and Ivan Jerkovic and Woodlands Wellington managed to net one goal from Ismadi Muhamad Mukhtar.

However,Brunei DPMM FC lost with the same score they played in Woodlands Stadium in May  Mojtaba Tehranizadeh and Jamil Ali were on the score-sheet for Wellington's and Brunei DPMM 'wonder boy' Abu Bakar Mahari earned himself a goal.

Nicknamed the "Wasps" by the local supporters and fans in Singapore, Brunei DPMM won their first two matches in the group stage beating Albirex Niigata 1-0 before thrashing SAF FC 3-0.

Brunei DPMM collected 6 points after 2 straight wins and advanced to the quarter-final match next facing Geylang United. Once again played at Jalan Besar where they never lost there. And the fact was proven after they won again in a thrilling 5-3 goals feast, which was televised 'live' in the RTB 2 channel.

Brunei DPMM FC's midfielder, Ivan Jerkovic and Jamil Ali of Woodlands lead the League Cup leading scorers with three goals each. Striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga scored two goals.

DPMM FC booked their berth in the semi-final of the Singapore League Cup last night with a 5-3 win over Geylang United in a game that will live long in the memory of the Bruneian club's fans.

The highest scoring match in this year's tournament, the goal-feast at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore saw end-to-end action, three penalties and two goals scored in the in the space of two minutes - not once but twice.

Supporters of Brunei's only professional football club will be hardpressed to remember the last time their team scored five goals, and indeed, it was a feat which was last repeated during the side's 5-1 home win against NS Naza in the Malaysian Super League back in 2007.

But last night it was all about hunger for the ball in the opening exchanges- and Geylang were starving for it.

Closing down well and winning the midfield battle, Geylang got on the scoresheet in the 9th minute when striker Hafiz Rahim found the opener with a simple nod after receiving a header from the left.

Croatian midfielder Ivan Jerkovic hit side netting in the 15th minute after running on a pass from Hj Md Subhi in DPMM's first real chance of the match. 

Four minutes later defender Rene Komar did well to clear off the line a lob from Hafiz, a menace to the Bruneians' back-line throughout the first half. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic made an inspired substitution in the 33rd minute, replacing midfielder Hardi Bujang with striker Oh Ddog Yi.

It was a move which paid immediate dividend as the team would score two goals in the space of two minutes to turn the tides.

DPMM FC equalised in the 35th minute through Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga who found the net with a header after connecting on a Hj Md Subhi cross from the right.

Hardly a minute later, the influential Jerkovic played a pivotal role in the team's second goal, laying the ball off to compatriot Komar who gave the team the lead with a curling shot from outside the box - easily the bes goal of the night.

However, Komar would turn from hero to villain seven minutes after the restart, bringing down midfielder Syed Thaha in the box.

Midfielder Baihakki Khaizan made no mistake from ensuing the penalty, and suddenly it was game on again.

Undaunted, DPMM FC got in front again in the 58th minute when Jerkovic tapped in  a header from Berguiga which glanced across the face of the goal.

But the team's celebrations were short lived when Geylang midfielder Yasir Hanapi scored with a shot from inside the box after DPMM defenders failed to deal with a corner.

Oh's persistence won the team a penalty in the 66th minute when Slovakian midfielder Miroslav Latiak brought the south Korean down in the box, and Jerkovic bagged his second from the penalty box.

Rosmin Khamis provided the icing on the cake with another calmly taken penalty in the 90th minute to seal the win.

In his post-game comments Simunic said that the game was one of the biggest in the club's history, and it looks like they passed it with flying colours.

They will face Woodlands Wellington in the first semi-final which will be played at the same venue on Monday. 

Most of Brunei DPMM FC will be out in full force to face Geylang Utd in the quarter final clash at Jln Besar Stadium tonight in a bid to book a place in the semi-final of the Singapore League Cup.

Several members of Brunei DPMM FC's first team risk suspension by picking up second yellow cards in tonight's game, however the club will not be holding out on the match. Only Azwan Salleh will not be playing tonight because of picking two straight yellow in two previous matches.

Head coach Brunei DPMM FC,Vjeran Simunic said," our first team picked up plenty of yellow cards in the previous games but we will play cautiously, we will play with full force."

Group B runners-up, Geylang Utd qualified for the quarter-final with a 3-0 win against Young Lions, however they lost in their first match against Tampines Rovers with the same margin.

Brunei DPMM cruised into the quarter-final with a 1-0 win against Albirex Niigata and a 3-0 victory over SAF FC.

Simunic said,"It will be a tough game, both teams are evenly matched. Geylang has vast experience.They have trio imports in Ricky Harris, Lloyd Butler and a good stopper in Japanese Haruki Seto."

"Brunei DPMM will do their best and gto the next round," he added.

The coach who comes from Croatia said, "Brunei DPMM FC has surprised teams in the S-League with its impressive performance and now all the Singaporean teams are looking to dethrone us."

On the question of whether Brunei DPMM will be able to compete the reason after the recent problem of BAFA putting the team in limbo, the coach said, "the problem has been settled and Brunei DPMM can play until the end of this season." 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic believes his team's performance in last night's 3-0 Singapore League Cup win over reigning champions SAF FC was twice as good as their last victory over them.

With a goal a piece from Croatian midfielder Ivan Jerkovic and striker Shahrazen Said in the first half ensuring a 2-0 lead heading into the dressing rooms at the Jurong West Stadium, forward Abd Hamid Berguiga's striker in the second half saw the Bruneians record a historic win which earns them into the quarterfinal of the competition.

Their 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata few days ago saw them pass first hurdle and finished as top in Group A to qulaify for the knock-out stage of the tournament.

Berguiga's goal in the 75th minute could not have come a better time, with the experienced Algerian under fire from his coach of late for not finding the net more regularly.

But when interviewed after the match, Simunic could find no fault with Berguiga - or anyone else on the team it seemed.

"I don't know what happened to them (the players), they must have gone crazy! ... They ran a lot, they could have scored more goals," said Simunic in a telephone interview yesterday.

"They played twice as good than the home game against them, and tonight's result is something all Bruneians must be proud of.

"I am very happy with Hamid, he worked very hard for the goal...The players were all excellent.Even Wardun played wonderfully! SAF also played well,they had two good chances which hit the post," added the coach.

The Croatian thought they will face Geylang Utd in the next round, the probabale runner-up of Group B.The final Group A match pits SAF against Albirex on Monday night to decide which team faces Tampines in the last eight.

Prior to the match Simunic said he felt  the seven-time league champions SAF would be out for revenge after losing in April. It did not look like they got any last night. 

Vjeran Simunic yesterday said that DPMM FC's 1-0 win against Albirex Niigata in their debut Singapore League Cup match on Tuesday night has secured the club of its future in the S-League.

BAFA have been given until the end of the month t get reinstated by the Registrar of Societies(RoS), and though the possibility of that was always slim, DPMM FC's head coach believes that their win at the Jalan Besar Stadium against the Japanese outfit has now shown S-League officials that they cannot afford to be without the club in the league.

"I know now we can finish our season," said Simunic in a telephone interview from Singapore yesterday.

"I heard about it from DPMM FC management ... We don't need to worry about the rest of our season and the BAFA problem again.

"The S-League don't want to lose a very important member of the league and we have proved ourselves to be worthy after the win," he added.

"Now we are not sure if we have qualified for the next round or not, but we did a good job and now have to prepare to face SAF FC in our second match on Friday," added the Croatian.

With Simunic blaming Singaporean media for biased reporting after team's goaless draw against Woodlands in the league last week, he felt that his fears were rested after the feedback he got from certain journalists after watching the game televised live.

Simunic said there have been reports of the team resorting to playinh physical and dirty game.

"Now I am happy because some journalists have called and said we are not a rough team," said Simunic.

"Now I see it is true what I have said, that some people worry about us being at the top of the league and want to change that.

"But because of the match was televised, it has shut many people's mouths because they have seen how we play.

"If you look at the Albirex game, the referee should have shown their number nine (Akira Takase) his second yellow but he just gave him a warning. Anyway I don't want to speak too much, my team has already spoken on the field and I am very proud of them," he added.

On the defensive for the most of the match after a Hj Md Subhi goal in the 24th minute earned them the lead,Simunic said it was not because of any instructions he gave his men during the half break.

"I don't know why they were defensive. Maybe the team thought they had a 1-0 lead and had to hold on to it for the win, and we especially wanted a victory because i=of the situation which we had before we challenged Albirex," said Simunic, referring to the uncertainty surrounding their future in the league.

"Albirex are a very dangerous and fast team and we knew if we went all out they were capable of punishing us.

"We did not score a second goal but created five or six chances.I am veru unsatisfied that Hamid had two good chances but waste it.

"Hamid now has very bad luck because he had not scored in four games... I am waiting for a goal," he added.

Though Shahrazen had three early chances to find the net, he found his finishing to be lacking.

The head coach also explained his decision to substitute  midfielder Azwan Salleh for Hardi Bujang in the 56th minute saying that it was because he did not want Azwan to pick another yellow after already being shown one in the first half.

"Also, I trust Hardi, and although he cannot play the full game he can finish nicely," said Simunic.

"Azwan will start against SAF FC and Dog Yi will be on the bench.I am not going to change a winning team.

Hamid and Shahrazen will start game, and I am satisfied with Shahrazen's performance.I will never touvh him even though if he does not score.

"Somebody is always going to score in the game ...The other day it was Sairol and now it is Subhi, I do not need only Hamid,Shahrazen or Abu to score." 

Hj Muhd Subhi Abdilah Bakir goal in the 24th minute of DPMM FC's Singapore League Cup match against Albirex Niigata last night was enough for a hard fought 1-0 win in a game which the Bruneians were largely on the back foot.

Despite the Japanese outfit's dominance of territory and relentless pressure, Albirex never seriously threatened the visitors and lacked the creativity to break down the Bruneians' backline.

Albirex's quick passing posed a problem for DPMM and they countered that by showing the tempo down whenever they got the ball in order to disrupt their opponents play- a tactic which enjoyed success.

The Bruneians started the game brightly, with striker Shahrazen Said carving three chances in the opening quarter of an hour but fading after that. 

Albirex's midfielder Taisuke Akiyoshi went on a spell-bounding run in the 16th minute and his shot on goal forced DPMM goalkeeper Wardun Yussof into making his first save of the night. 

DPMM FC were looking unsure on the ball, moving it around the park aimlessly and unable to win the midfield battle.

That must have urged Croatian defender Rene Komar to take it upon himself to make a difference, coming up with a surging run forward which led to the goal.

Passing the ball to compatriot Ivan Jerkovic, the midfielder's perfectly weighted through pass to Hj Muhd Subhi on the right was rewarded with calm finishing from inside the box.

Scoring with a low shot past Albirex's goalkeeper Yo***o Matsu***a, astute defending in the second period ensured DPMM of the win in a ahlf which Albirex were in the driver's seat from start to finish.

Unmarked just outside the box, Akira Takase had a chance to equalise on the half-hour mark but his shot did not trouble Wardun.

Striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga - who opened his account for the club when he bagged the equaliser for DPMM for DPMM in their 2-2 league match against Albirex two months ago - was guilty of wasting a golden opportunity to add to the team's lead minutes later, his cheeky chip saved by Matsu***a after another through pass from jerkovic put the Algerian through on goal.

Four minutes after the break, Ryohei Maeda produced a free-kick which saw Wardun rooted to the spot, but the midfielder was unlucky to see his shot bounce back off the bar.

The 69th minute saw Berguiga botch another attempt to add to their lead, shooting just wide off the right post with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Jerkovic came up with DPMM FC's first shot on target of the second half in the 77th minute, but it was nothing that Matsu***a could not handle.

Albirex looked certain to find the net nine minutes from time, but a miskick from close range led to a save by Wardun maintained the Bruneians advantage.

Midfielder Kunihiro Honda saw Wardun save his free-kick in the 86th minute, and in the end, the Japanese side would rue wasting their chances in a game which they controlled with their slick passing and off the ball movement.

"This is a very sweet victory for us," beamed DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic in his post match comments.

"I was expecting a game like this and it would have been good if we could find a second goal.Berguiga was unlucky not to have scored, espcially since he has not scored in four games," added the coach, who compared the match to "Brunei versus Japan" when met last week.

DPMM's next assignment is seven-time league champions Singapore Armed Forces on Friday, with a win confirming their entry to the knock-out stages.

In the other game, Geylang Utd beat Young Lions 3-0 at the Choa Chu Kang  Stadium with goals from Ratislav Belacak, Lloyd Butler and Ashrin Shariff. 

Despite the uncertainty surrounding their future in the S-League DPMM FC can rest assured with the knowledge that they have the Singapore Cup to look forward to.

Brunei's only professionla club head into tonight's League Cup clash against Japanese outfit Albirex Niigata just days after they announced that they might not be able to continue playing in the league because of the complexities they are arose over the deregistration of the Brunei Darussalam Football Association (BAFA)

BAFA have been given until the end of the month to get reinstated by the Registrar of Societies (RoS), and with the League Cup final slated for June 19, the competition is one that DPMM FC know they can compete in without any worries.

The Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore will play host to the much-awaited game and the DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic compared the match to "Brunei versus Japan" during the team's regular training session at the Jerudong Mini Stadium last Friday.

Buoyed by a 2-2 draw the team played to against Albirex when they met in the league last April, Simunic said that he was confident of a win if his players maintained their focus. 

Striker Hamid Berguiga will be expected to start, and Simunic will be hoping to see his name on the scoresheet again after the Algerian opened his account for the club when he bagged the equaliser two months ago.

Brunei DPMM FC's only hope to win a Cup this year is the League Cup before "stepping down" from the Singapore League 2009 (S-League) tournament by the end of this month.

The club announced last week that they may not be able to continue playing due to the problems over Brunei Darussalam Football Association (BAFA), which had an impending impact on their FIFA's membership and the status of Football Federation of Brunei Darussalam(FFBD), which is yet to be known by FIFA.

The club's tactically-monotonous Croatian coach Vjeran Simunic would probably see that the League Cup as the first leg in his dream first-season treble would just remain a dream and will only focus to this League Cup.

If the Bruneians win their opening match against Albirex Niigata FC, they should safely progress to the knockout stages.So much will hinge on that clash.Brunei DPMM match against the Japanese side earlier this season at Jurong East ended in a 2-2 draw.

Simunic is expected to be fielding Md Shahrazen Said and Abd Hamid Berguiga upfront  while Oh Ddogyi will be suspended due to a red card in the last game of the League Cup representing the Super Reds.

"To me this game against Albirex is like Brunei versus Japan.The team comprises all young Japanese and they had a very good combination of playing football. They are a very strong team with fast attacking football," said Simunic at their training ground in Jerudong.

The coach is hoping that they will win the game before facing SAF FC, which recently thrashed Albirex 6-0 in the league.

"I am confident with my playersand I think we have a very good chance to win this game.I hope they can give a 100% performance and leave behind the current issue that we are facing right now," he said.

Vjeran Simunic believes that the possibility of DPMM being barred from playing in the Singapore League next month might jeopardise the future of football in the country.

On Friday, DPMM FC's Croatian head coach said that the news of the club facing uncertainty over their future under the S-League banner due to complexities which have arisen over the deregistration of Brunei Football Association (BAFA) and the status of FFBD - which has yet to be recognised by the International Federation Association Football(FIFA).

Currently third in their debut S-League season, Simunic's men have surprised everyone by taking the lead in the league for three times over the course of the season which started in February.

"I am very sad to hear this," said Simunic when met at training session at the Jerudong Mini Stadium.

"When I came here I promised to bring success with this generation of players, but if we get kicked out of the league one-third through the season then our fine form will go to waste.

"I have changed the players mentality... They all have a winning mentality now, so we must do all that we can to maintain this.

"Everybody I meet fans and supporters who proise the team and look forward to our next match.What will they do if DPMM cannot play?" he asked.

On a three game winless, Simunic feels the team will be able to bounce back when they face Albirex on Tuesday in their first Singapore League Cup match at the Jalan Besar Stsdium.

They then face the defending champions SAF FC-on Friday,making it a tight schedule, who hopefully can do without any extra pressure.

The Croatian added it would be a pity if they would be unable  to continue in competing in this one of the prestigious league,one of ASIA's 10 best leagues.

Brunei DPMM may not be able to continue playing in the S-League by the end of the June this year.

This is due to the complexities over Brunei Darussalam Football Association(BAFA) which had an impending impact on its FIFA's membership and the status of Football Federation of Brunei Darussalam(FFBD) which is yet to be recognised by the international governing body of football.

The Acting Club Manager,Pg Hj Md Waslimin told the media that the club is deeply saddened by the recent development although the club believes that all parties concerned have given their due consideration in the matter.

He added that the club will try to appeal to the appropriate authorities in the hope that 'reconsideration' be given to the club in this particular circumstances.

On behalf of the club, Pg Hj Waslimin wishes to convey the club's gratitude and appreciation to its local supporters and generous sponsors for their patience, staunsh support and confidence for the to attain its success thus far.

Meanwhile,DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic when asked about his team at their training ground yesterday was in no mood to talk on the latest issue that hit the club again.

"I am really sad. We were denied entry to the Malaysian League due to the complexities of BAFA and now when we are "up in the sky", with the superb performance from the team, once again we need to step down," he said.

The Croatian added the team he currently coached is one of the best teams he ever trained with local young talents and importd are doing very well.

"The young talents have shown to us they can do with the imports adding colours to this developing team. When we played in Singapore, the locals support our team.I areally grateful and after three months we already have our fans in Singapore."

However, he said it is a loss if his team do not feature in the international leagueor playing football anymore.The coach is hoping for the problem to be settled as soon as possible.

But, the team have a great chance to be able to play in the Singapore League Cup and will be able to finish the Cup before their deadline expires.

An informed source said BAFA had until June 26 to get reinstated. 

Yellow cards dished out to five different DPMM FC players in the first half of their match against Super Reds FC on Tuesday night and has led to Vjeran Simunic believing that there is conspiracy in the Singapore League to see the Bruneians fail in their debut season.

Held to a 0-0 draw against the South Korean outfit at Yishun Stadium, DPMM's head coach believes that the refereeing was a "disaster" and that the media in Singapore are painting the team in a bad light.

The result maintains the team's position at third on the table.

Defender Yusof Salleh was the first to get a warning from referee Abd Malek Basher in the fifth minute, with the goalkeeper Wardun Yusof the next player to get his name in the book in the 37th minute.

Midfielder was next hardly a minute later, with Algerian striker Abd Hamid Berguiga and South Korean Oh Ddog Yi joining the club in the 41st and 43rd minutes respectively.

The fact that Super Reds' striker Yun Bo Young tried to assault Simunic during the match but was stopped at the last minute - with no disciplinary action taken - also irked the Croatian.

"This is the biggest robbery ever!" fumed Simunic in a telephone interview yesterday.

"Now that I have seen the replays I realised that all five yellow cards were not genuine, I swear to you that all the five yellow cards were not deserved  ... They were nothing.

"The newspapers in Singapore want to spread rumours that DPMM are playing hard ... DPMM are playing dirty ... The truth is different.

"It was a very bad game because the referee was against us.He was partial to them.It was definitely a conspiracy.

"Now I feel if there is a campaign against DPMM because they(the other teams) aree ashamed that a little team from nowhere can play against them and beat them in their own league," said an incensed Simunic.

The irate Croatian continued by saying that he was angry that no action was taken against Yun, who - he felt -should be shown a red card and perhaps even banned from playing for six months.

According to Simunic, after a call was given against the home side, their whole bench complained and Yun ran towards Simunic to kick him.

Fortunately he was stopped by his teammates five metres away from Simunic, who said that "I put my hands behind my back because I did not want to fight."

A 2-1 loss to Woodlands on May 21 was also littered with bad calls according to Simunic, but despite the conspiracy theory and charges of medis biasness, the coach remained optimistic that his team carried themselves well.

"It was impossible to play.Everytime we crossed the centre-line we were whistled for offside," said Simunic of the game against Super Reds.

"We managed to get a point when people that we had no chance.We even scored a goal but the ref said it was offside.We must react now after these results against Woodlands and Super Reds. Whatever it is, we will keep fighting." 

The team's next game is against Geylang United on June 24 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas,and Simunic will be looking for DPMM's first win in three attempts.  

There were lots of talk, and plenty of action too, at Yishun Stadium last night but not a single goal as DPMM held Korean side Super Reds FC to a draw in their league match.

The Koreans, looking to claim their fourth S-League victory on the trot, were frustrated by a determined DPMM FC side out to a stop a two-game losing streak.

The tough tackling Bruneians showed they meant business- with defender Yusof Salleh picking up the first five bookings for the visitors after just five minutes.

The Koreans who are coached by former DPMM midfielder Jeon Kyeong-Joon, were also not helped by their chronic inability to get shots on target, but things got ugly as Super Reds striker Yun Bo Young and DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic got into war of words at halftime that nearly became physical.

It took some firm refereeing from Abd Malik Bashir to keep the situation under control, as both sides settled for a point apiece to remain on third and fifth in the table respectively.

SAF FC can now open up a seven point gap over the Bruneians if they can beat six-placed Home Utd at Clementi Stadium on Saturday. 

There will be a long break now before DPMM's next league match against Geylang United on June,24th. During the first three weeks of June, the Singapore League Cup will be commenced until the tournament proper will end.

DPMM FC must find a quick cure to their travel sickness when they meet Super Reds at Yishun Stadium, in Singapore, tonight or risk dropping out of the title chances.

Beaten 2-1 by Woodlands last Thursday, Vjeran Simunic's men sits third in the league with 25 points from 13 matches.

The Bruneians are already 5 points adrift of S-League leaders, SAF FC, who have accumulated 30 points from 13 games.

Simunic said DPMM were unlucky against Woodlands, but admitted last week that his team must work hard to get back to winning ways against South Korean outfit Super Reds, who has been in inform team at the moment.

DPMM must now put all that behind them and concentrate on getting all three points. Another defeat could well spell disaster for the Bruneians.

DPMM FC once again fine themselves three points away from being leaders of the S-League when they face Woodlands Wellington at the Woodlands Stadium tonight.

Having held the lead for three times in their debut season,Vjeran Simunic's men will be eager to retain top spot once more.

Currently third in the league, a win for DPMM will see them leapfrog second-placed Gombak Utd and leaders SAF FC who are both tied at 27 points.

"I think we have a good chance of winning the game," said DPMM FC assistant coach Norilham Jais yesterday.

"We have no injuries to our players at the moment and our first 11 is fit to play - though we cannot field South Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi since he is suspended," he said.

With DPMM winning the first encounter between the two teams 2-1 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on March 8, Norilham said that the match provided the team with lessons they can use in the return leg.

"I think we have learnt from our mistakes in that match and now know what we need to change," he said.

"We have also watched a lot of Woodlands matches and have analysed their strengths and weaknesses."

"I am sure the coach(Simunic) has a good formulae of winning," added Norilham.

DPMM might be riding high in the league but the Rams on the other hand find themselves second from bottom, without a victory in the league since April 6 and on a four-match winless streak.

Their last result was a 4-1 lost to Tampines Rovers last Monday and they will head into tonight's clash without Egyptian striker Zakaria Yousif who is suspended.

Though Woodlands head coach Nenad Bacina admitted that his side is on a slump, he was adamant that tonight's match would not be a walk in the park for the Bruneians.

"Morale is a bit down and we had a morning session the day after the Tampines match where I told my boys not to let their heads down," Bacina was saying on the S-League website.

"We do not have many options to change things around as wellas the squad we have this season are small and although we have not been outclassed by any team, sometimes we have fallen just short of beating our opponents."

"... we do not really enough time to recover mentally and physically after playing just three days ago so it will be tough for us.

"I respect them (DPMM) as they are one of the top teams and they are doing well in the league and they have also a good mix of foreigners and locals along with a good team spirit.

"They do not score many goals but they don't concede many goals as well and they have a good system just like Tampines.

"I am expecting a very competitive match and though they are coming to play against us, we will try to be a bit more defensive and we must take our chances," he added. 

DPMM FC are back on their winning ways, but they have a Singaporean defender to thank for their 1-0 win against the Young Lions last night.

Eager to make amends for their first loss last weekend, DPMM were looking for their seventh win of the season when they took on the Singapore Under-23 team at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium last night.

Though the only goal of the match came in the 56th minute when Young Lions defender Shahir Hamzah turned a Yusof Salleh cross from the right into his own net,DPMM Fc is boss is not complaining.

"They announced the goal was scored by Hj Subhi, but if you ask me, Yussof scored the goal," said Simunic scored the goal.

"I am very satisfied with our performance ... We needed the win to keep up with Gombak and they are now only two points away," he added.

The result cements DPMM spot at third in the league,two points behind Gombak. Defending champions SAF FC remain top of the league on goal difference.

DPMM might feel robbed by referee, T.Aravinthan, who turned down two penalty claims in the first half and showed South Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi a second red after what he had judged to be a harsh tackle in injury time.

However, they have none to blame but themselves for not building on their lead, creating several chances and watching at least two of them find the crossbar instead of the back of the net.

The home side got into their rhythm 10 minutes intot the match, but only after the midfielder Ivan Jerkovic had a penalty claim turned down in the fifth minute.

Seconds later, Yussof looping header which was tipped away by Young Lions goalkeeper and captain, Izwan Mahmud, and the 19-year old would continue to keep his side in the game with his commanding play in front of the net. 

Ten minutes later it was Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga who was appealing to Aravinthan for a penalty after his volley hit the hand of one of the Young Lions defenders, but it was all in vain.

Gabriel Quak had a chance to grab the lead for the visitors in the 21st minute but his shot from the left went across the face of the goal - the best chance for the Singaporeans in the half.

Subhi had a shot which rattled thew framework in the 34th minute and Izwan would find himself busy for the next few minutes.

A through pass in the 35th minute saw striker Shahrazen Said receive the ball just outside the box to create a on-on-one situation against Izwan, but the shot stopper came out top. 

Hardly a minute later Hamid found himself in a similar situation, but once again Izwan could not be beaten.

But Izwan out of his line and the ball falling to the onrushing Shahrazen late in injury time, DPMM looked certain to go into the break with a lead.To the agony of the home fans, he failed to compose himself and his shot sailed wide.

The Young Lions started the second half brightly but they soon found themselves on the backfoot,being made to pay in the 56th minute when Yusof's cross saw Shahir miskick the ball to give the home side the lead which they expertly protected until the final whistle. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic believes that tonight's S-League match against the Young Lions will be a test of his players character.

Coming six days after their loss to Home Utd, the Croatian yesterday said that a win tonight would be important to prove that the result last Sunday was just a hiccup in what had been a stunning start to their debut season.

"I know it will not be easy after we lost our last game, but to come back, we know that we must have character," said Simunic when met during the team's training yesterday.

"We need the points because Gombak are now above us and a win will make a lot of difference," he added.

Despite surrendering their unbeaten record, Simunic dismissed claims that the team's morale had suffered from the loss.

"The atmosphere in the dressing room is great and the players are all ready to do their part," said the coach.

"I am sure we will play a good game."

One of the players Simunic is talking about is 21-year old attacking midfielder Azwan Salleh who picked up a late injurty prior to the Home's game.

"Azwan is a key player and I have a lot of trust in him.Hardi Bujang is also improving in fitness and I am playing him for more minutes now," said Simnunic.

The Croatian said that he planned to field the same team that played against SAF FC on april26th.

The key to that victory was 35-year old Algerian striker Hmaid Berguiga who set up a goal, and scored another, and Simunic is once again opting for experience rather than pace.

"Hamid will definitely start and Ddog Yi will be benched," said Simunic.

"The team are playing better with Hamid and so that is why I have decided to hand him the start," he added.

The suspended backline of captain of Pg Sallehudin and defenders Rene Komar,Yuosf Salleh and Sairol Saari will be eligible to play after having served their one match ban picked up during their game against SAF. 

They might have lost their first match of the S-League season on Sunday night, but DPMM are not going to let the result derail their stunning start to their debut campaign.

Brunei's only professional club fell 0-2 to Home Utd at the Clementi Stadiumin the last of their first round matches of the 33-game season.

Undefeated in 10 matches, Vjeran Simunic's side could not make it 11 in a row against the Protectors, who scored a brace in the space of three second-half minutes to force DPMM into being the last club to surrender their unbeaten record. 

For DPMM's acting club manager, the result will not dent their hopes of a top-five finish.

"We did not play badly but our defenders brielfly lost their focus in the second half," said Pg Waslimin yesterday.

"But the team's confidence is still high and we are not going to let the loss afect us," he added vehemently.

After seeing DPMM goalkeeper,Wardun Yussof save his first half penalty, Japanese striker turned midfielder for the night Murikami made ammends for his mistake when he tapped in right back Isa Halim's shot that ricocheted into his path to come up with another save on the hour mark.

Three minutes later the goalscorer turned provider when his low cross from the dge of the box was deflected to Kengne Ludovick turning his defender and scoring from 6 yards out.

It was no surprise that Simunic blamed his team's loss on the suspension of key players, with 6 regular starters - including four defenders absent.

"At this moment,I'm upset with the 2-0 loss," Simunic was quoted as saying on the S-League's website after the match.

"This is the first time we lost but football is like that.

"We had six key players not playing and Home Utd are one of the top three teams in Singapore," he added.

Midfielder Azwan Salleh was unable to play when he got tight muscle in the last minute with regular starter Oh Ddog Yi lost his form of late.

DPMM's next match is against the Young Lions on Saturday at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

With the team undefeated of even get a draw at home ground, and encouraged by the fact their first match of the season was a 1-1 draw against the Young Lions in singapore, it is a sure bet that DPMM will eb looking at the match to regain their winning ways. 

All good things must come to an end  and the same can now be said of DPMM FC's unbeaten run in the S-League.

DPMM's unbeaten streak in the S-League season fell at the hands of Home Utd last night, losing 2-0 at the Clementi Stadium in singapore.

In the space of three second half minutes, strikers Norikazu Murakami and Kengne Ludovick dashed DPMM's hopes of finishing the first round of the season undefeated after scoring in the 60th and 63rd minutes respectively.

Before the game,Vjeran Simunic had identified Japan's Murikami,Cameroonian Ludovick, his compatriot Valero Hick in defence as players to keep an eye out for, and he couldn't have been more right.

DPMM FC head coach Simunic must take some positives from the fact that they were the last team in the league to surrender their undefeated record, but deep down he might admit that it would be a different story if he had the services of this first-choice defenders, who were all out due to suspensions.

After emerging as the surprise team of the league because of their spellbinding start and their position as leaders over three different periods, the pressure is now off DPMM to maintain their undefeated run.

For Home, the win moves them up one notch to sixth in the league.

But more importantly, the result will help boost some confidence in the side - one that have traditionally always been in the title race and now find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

With those three points now in the bag and DPMM FC back to earth after a remarkable start to their season, it remains to be seen how the second round of the 2009 season will shape out. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic faces the headache of having four of his first-choice defenders on the suspended list going into tonight's S-League match against Home Utd at the Clementi Stadium.

Rne Komar,Yuosf Salleh,Sairol Saari - all collected their fourth yellow cards of the season in their last league games,while Pg Sallehuddin was ent-off in the same game.

Though the backbone of the team's defence will be forced to watch tonight's gamefrom the stands, Simunic is confident that the replacements will be up to the task.

He was quoted as saying that Abd Aziz Tamit, Helmi Zambin, Safari Wahit and Hardi Bujang might start, with the latter  of a player capable of causing as damage down the flanks as Sairol.

But no matter who starts tonight, Simunic will remember that the suspended quartet have conceded only eight goals all season.Having started all 10 games, the team will have hard time adjusting to the new faces on the pitch.

For Home Unites's coach PN Sivaji, tonight's match is crucila in setting their titles hopes back on track.

Seventh in the league, the Protectors will be looking to maintain their undefeated record in the Clementi Stadium this season and inflict DPMM their first loss of their debut season.

"We are playing one of the league leaders so it is a high motivation for the players", he was quoted as saying on the S-League website.

"There is a lot of talk that the league is out of our hands but mathematically, it is not over yet for us.

"If we can't beat DPMM then we should seriously question that our title aspirations.I have no issue with the boys' desire and motivation. They are always ready to give 100 percent. 

"We can play badly and win 1-0 and I will be perfectly happy with that. Three points is what I am looking for ... to show that we are still in the running for the league title," added the former Singapore national team coach.

Simunic has identified Brazilian midfielder Peres de Oliveira, Japanese striker Norikazu Murakami and the Cameroon duo Valero Hick and striker Kengne Ludovick as players to watch for.

Brunei DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic's strategy of building a balanced 18-man squad from the start of the S-League season, will be put in good use for the game against Home United on Sunday at Clementi Stadium in Singapore.

Coming off a 1-0 win against Pelita Jaya in the RHB Singapore Cup, Brunei DPMM will be looking to carry on their momentum into the game against Home United.

However, Brunei DPMM will be missing four key players - captain Pg Sallehuddin Damit,Rene Komar, Yusof Salleh and Sairol Saari- who are all suspended for the game after picking up four yellow cards in previous matches.

Simunic is not worried of the four being suspended although they are the backbone of the defensive line.

"It's always my focus in building Brunei DPMM into a squad 18 balanced and in-depth players.It is now the right time to put the bench players to the test."

"Abdul Aziz Tamit,Helmi Zambin,Hardi Bujang, Safari Wahit may get the start this Sunday in replace of the suspended players," he said.

"I trust them, I work with them this week and I am sure the new starters will want to take the opportunity to perform well," he added.

On his preparation for the match, the Croatian coach said," We have watched numerous Home Utd matches and analysed their games.We will go to Singapore to do our best."

On Home's capability, Simunic said :"I have respect for Home United.They are one of the top teams in the league who have won titles.They have very good import players."

"It may be the toughest challenge for Brunei DPMM thus far this season especially looking at the situation that we are missing key players.

But all the games are tough in the S-League especially when all teams are looking to break our unbeaten record," Simunic said.

What a great couple of days as DPMM FC are on top of the S-League table and still unbeaten after 10 games.

If there's anything that shows the universality of football, it's the fact that DPMM FC have played more games away than home, and they are still going strong.Not to mention the passion shown by players and fans when the DPMM FC is on the show.

The last few days showed which teams stand-out in the S-League and which ones won't.

Most would agree that DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic is one confident man said, "DPMM go into every game looking for a win." Seems to be walking the walk, as the Croatian must have assessed SAF weakness after their loss against Kashima Antlers and gave Algerian Hamid Berguiga his debut.He repaid his faith by scoring one goal and created another in DPMM's 2-1 win against SAF FC.

Most DPMM fans are amazed with the depth and tactical discipline of DPMM's players but most would knowledge that the game against Indonesian  outfit Pelita Jaya in the Singapore Cup, is a whole new "ball Game", literally.

Coached by former Singapore legend Fandi Ahmad and boast five outfield Brazilians, DPMM FC need to be aware that tactical discipline alone would not carry them through the 90-minute match.

Since the start of the Singapore Cup in 1998, many of the top teams in the region have taken part in this knock-out competition.

DPMM's players need to step-up their performances and to adhere to Simunic's game plan(as most of their S-League's games, keep tight in midfield and avoid unnecessary loss of ball possession)

In Pelita's Brazilian imports Cristiano and Evilasio, Rene Komar and Co certainly would have their hands full.

Pelita Jaya are known to play with a 4-4-2 formation and are known to be an attacking outfit and are quick on the counter-attack.

Having former Pelita player Ivan Jerkovic would help Simunic plan his strategy against their opponents.

The insight of Pelita's game would certainly aid Simunic in his team's performance for tonight's game. DPMM FC would certainly go into the game with full confidence, but most fans will would fear any lapses in concentration would would cost them dearly.

Taking the game against SAF. After taking a two-goal lead, DPMM FC's engine seemed to have shut down.The result was a sudden resurrection of SAF players that lead to their goal in the 87th minute. Too late, but could have been too closely!

Against Pelita, DPMM would be up against two hard working and nippy midfielders, Djalaludin and Khusnul who can turn-the-tide of a game in a moment.

With Brazilian Bizarro leading the defence, Pelita Jaya can be menace to DPMM's great start in the season.

The game in Jalan Besar Stadium tonight is certainly a test for Simunic and his team. 

High-riding Brunei DPMM FC will be hoping to break the jinx if exiting the first round of the Singapore Cup for the past few years when they take on Indonesian club Pelita Jaya tomorrow night at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

Following a tough 2-1 win against S-League defending champion SAFFC on Sunday, Brunei DPMM FC will not have enough time to recuperate for the tough Indonesian encounter.

Brunei DPMM coach Simunic when met on training ground yesterday said: "It will be a big challenge for us this year, we want to break the jinx of losing in the first round of the Singapore Cup for the past five years."

"We celebrate a crucial win yesterday and now we have to play in the Singapore Cup on Wednesday. Maybe we could not recover completely but if can reproduce at least 75% of the performance against SAFFC, we will have no problem," he added.Simunic is in a dilemma of who should start first -Abdel Hamid or Ddog Yi - but the Croatian coach is keeping his option close to his chest till matchday.Abdel Hamid played a vital role in the win against SAFFC.The Algerian supplied a through ball for the opening goal and then scored Brunei DPMM's second.

On the Pelita Jaya team, Simunic said: "I managed to see one of their games and I feel the team is the same as Gombak or Tampines.They are a quality team in the Indonesian league which is one of the most competitive leagues in the region."

They have also some good players like Cristiano Lopes and Tiago Stragglioto of Brazil and Indonesian international player,Firman Utina. 

Brunei DPMM will be at full strength as penalties incurred at the S-League will not be counted for the Singapore Cup.

Simunic also applauded the team's rising performance with each matches progressed.

"Our team have been improving from each match in the league. From Tampines to Gombak and then SAFFC, we have done remarkably well.I hope the team will continue to perform in the Singapore Cup and also the S-League." 

Abdel Hamid Berguiga repaid head coach Vjeran Simunic's trust in him by scoring the winner in DPMM FC's 2-1 victory against Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) FC in last night's S-League action to send the Bruneians back to the top of the league.

Handing the Algerian his first start of the season at home soil, Simunic - who celebrated his birthday yesterday- got just the present he was looking for when the striker created the first goal and scored the second.

The result stretches DPMM's win so far in the season at home, complete the first round matches at home with 3 points in every game.

"From Wardun to Hamid, my players were all excellent," said a shirtless Simunic after the game." We know their defenders Daniel Bennett and Urai the Japanese player were shaky when they played Gombak last month, so I put Hamid on the left and worked on getting long balls to him.

"We prepared very nicely for this game and we could scored five or six tonight," added the coach, having to speak above the noise of the home fans who were singing him Happy Birthday".

South Korean midfielder,Oh Ddog Yi's suspension for last night's game meant Hamid would be starting, and simunic will be hard pressed not to incluse him in the first eleven in the future after a shining display from the 35-year old who had immaculate control of the ball.

A constant threat to the defending champions back four, Hamid had a chance to open the scoring as early as the fifth minute but his header from a Shahrazen cross glanced inches wide of the left post.

He made amends for his miss two minutes later,providing a pin-point cross-field  pass to midfielder Ivan Jerkovic, who was left unmarked on the right and fired a low shot to the left which found the back of the net.

The Algerian,who can hardly speak a word of English  or Malay, had a chance to double the lead in the 22nd minute but his header was off the mark.

Midfielder Rosmin Khamis had a volley which sailed inches wide of the right post minutes later and Hamid's cheeky chip over SAF FC goalkeeper Alias agonisingly landed on the roof of the net.

Probably still recovering from their mid-week 5-0 loss against J-League champions Kashima Antlers, a result which saw them knocked out of the Asian football Federation Champions League in the group stage,SAF FC looked sluggish in midfield.

Hamid gave the visitors even more to worry about minutes after the restart when he glided past his marker from receiving a through ball from midfield and scored after the ensuing one on one agianst Alias.

The goal seemed to awaken SAF FC, who are the reigning Singapore Cup and League Cup champions, from their slumber and they slowly started getting into the game. With Ahmad Latif and Therdsak Chaiman assert their authority in midfield and staring the home side of the ball.

DPMM FC captain Pg Salehuddin received his marching orders in the 77th minute and SAF FC's waves of attack intensified after that.

SAF FC reduced the deficit with Therdsak's free-kick in the 87th minute which curled over the DPMM wall and into the back of the net.

In the end though,DPMM's defence held firm and they can now enjoy being on top of the league for the third time this season.

Vjeran Simunic insists his players are unfazed ahead of arguably their biggest match of the S-League season against leaders Singapore Armed Forces on Sunday.

The DPMM head coach feels the key to their clash at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas - DPMM are currently second - will be playing their own game and not giving the league's defending champions too much respect.

Facing SAF in their first home game in more than a month, Simunic said he was encouraged by the pair of wins the club came up with in recent friendlies with local teams. 

"I am satisfied with our friendlies and it was a good preparation for us ahead of Sunday's big game," said Simunic on Tuesday.The players have been preparing as usual just like any other game, and I have told them to consider it nothing special."

"We have to play our game and not be too emotional about playing SAF," warned the Croatian.

Having not played at home since March 24 when Shahrazen Said's goal earned them a 1-0 win against Sengkang Punggol to propel DPMM to the summit of the league for the first time, Simunic admits that he is missing the atmosphere this Stadium. 

And with the coach celebrating his birthday on Sunday, a win which will see them dethrone SAF from the top is just the present he wants from his players.

"It has been a month since we have not played at home and we miss our fans and our stadium," said Simunic and hope we can get a full stadium for the match, and with the right attitude, I hope I can get a good birthday present from the players."

"I would like the team to repeat the good performances they have been coming up with lately, and if we play good game we can expect a good result," added Simunic, whose team have yet to lose a match in their debut S-League season.

Injured striker Md Abu Bakar Mahari is doubtful to even get a place on the bench while Korean midfielder Od Ddog Yi will play no part in the game due to suspension, picking up his fourth yellow card of the season in their last match against Albirex Niigata.

Brunei DPMM will be entertaining SAFFC at home on Sunday in a top of table clash without the service of inspirational Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi.

The Korean will be out of the crucial game after picking four yellow cards which carries a penalty of one suspension.

Brunei DPMM coach Siminic said in an interview,"Its bad news for Brunei DPMM that Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi will miss the game due to suspension after collecting four yellow cards in previous matches."

"With Oh out of the match, Abdel Hamid will be called upon in the starting line-up."

Simunic revealed that other key players like Rene Komar and Sairol Saari are also at risk after picking three yellow cards respectively, a card away of being suspended.

The Croatain coach is also worried about the condition of Abu Bkar Mahari who might also miss the SAFFC match-up.

"I am abit worried about Abu Bakar who sustained an ankle injury during training last Monday.He has already missed 6 days of training and we have only a few days to assess his situation," Simunic said.

However Simunic has urged hsi players to remain cool headed and calm for the Sunday clash.

"We are mentally prepared and we have to remain calm and cool headed. Like a lion, we can strike the opponent hard."

"I hope all local fans would come to the stadium to support our team on Sunday. I want to see a full stadium rooting for our players in thsi crucial game, he added.

SAFFC who were just handed a thumping defeat by J-League champion Kashima Antlers at the AFC Champions League in Tokyo last Wednesday may be out of steam when they arrived Brunei.

However, Simunic is cautious as SAFFC have been champions in the S-League for the past years and possessed some of the best players in the league.

A win on Sunday will not only send DPMM to the top of the table but also will be a perfect birthday gift for Simunic whose birthday falls on april 26. 

Brunei DPMM FC received a boost in its campaign to capture the S-League title through the form of sponsorship following a signing ceremony with seven sponsers at the Riverview Hotel last night.

The guest-of-honour who witnessed the signing ceremony was YAM Pg Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad PA Hj Abdul Rahim, the vice-chairman of Brunei DPMM FC.

The first sponsor to sign was Sri Sentosa Sdn Bhd, Pg Musa Pg Hj Jaafar, the Deputy General Manager and Major(Retired)Zaini Hj Salleh inked the agreement on behalf of Sri Sentosa.

On behalf of Maju Motors Sdn Bhd, Chan Key Hong, the Executive Director of the company with Hj Abd Rahman Tamit, the Public Relation Officer of Brunei DPMM signed the agreement.

Representing Mitsubishi Corporation to ink the deal were Osamu Ito, the General Manager and Hjh Rohayati Hj Damit.

On behalf of DST Communications Sdn Bhd, Ph Hj Azahari Pg Damit, the Corporate Communication Manager and Elixsurian Busu were on hand to sign the agreement.

Riverview Hotel Sdn Bhd was represented by Aung Zan Win, the assistant Food & Beverages Manager and Ted Teo, Front Manager Officer.

Representing Brunei Shell Marketing Co.Sdn Bhd to sign the agreement were Asli Lakim, the head of commercial and Hj Faisla Othman, Business and Development Advisor.

The final agreement was signed by Selamat Sahlam and Hj Ariffin Jumaat on behalf of Sports Partnership (LOTTO) Pte Ltd.

The signing of the sponsorship agreement was also timely iwth days before the crucial matchup between Brunei DPMM FC and SAFFC.The top of the table clash, will take place at the Hassanl Bolkiah National Stadium on Sunday at 8.15pm. 

Brunei DPMM FC will face an uphill battle against Pelita Jaya of Indonesia in the RHB Singapore Cup preliminary round that is scheduled to kick start on April 27.

The draw for the RHB Singapore Cup was made at the heart of the Central Business District of Singapore.

Pengiran Waslimin, the manager of Brunei DPMM FC when contacted by phone said,"It will be a tough game for both Pelita Jaya and us."

Brunei DPMM had played against Pelita Jaya in two friendly matches last year losing one(2-1) and a scoreless draw.

"Having played two friendly matches last year, both teams actually know each other's style of play quite well. However, we will try our best to win this time around at the RHB Singapore Cup," he said.

Meanwhile, according to a report in the S-League official website, former Singapore national team player Fandi Ahmad who is now the coach of Pelita Jaya quoted as saying "I am very excited about meeting DPMM FC".

"We played them twice in Brunei but I saw them played recently and they looked better now," he said. "Its our first time in this competition and hopefully we can add spice into the competition and go through to the final." 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic praised his team yesterday after their 2-2 draw with Albirex Niigata on Tuesday propelled them back to the summit of the S-League for the third time this season.

The surprise team of this year's S-League, the Croatian revealed that his charges were improving with each game and he feels they have what it takes to go all the way in their debut season.

Down twice in the game, Brunei's only professional football club clawed their way back at the Jurong East Stadium in Singapore to keep their undefeated record, thanks to Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga who netted in the 65th minute to open his account for the club.

"I am very satisfied with how we played against Albirex and we are growing from game to game," said Simunic in an interview yesterday.

"One year ago when I first came here I promised that I would change the players' mentality and that has happened."

"I want to make something happen with this generation of players...The best days for football in Brunei are coming and football in this country is going to change -  a hundred pre cent."

"Nineteen points from nine games is something nobody expected and people are saying this is crazy ... this is magic... it is out of this world! But even if we only had 9 points, I would still be satisfied with my players because I am happy how they play and they all have the right attitude," he added.

One of the players paid tribute to was Berguiga, whose striker ensured DPMM;s unbeaten run in the battle between the only two foreign teams in the league.

Substituting the 35-year old into the match in only the 20th minute, the move paid off when a free-kick from defender Rene Komar deep inside DPMM's half was met by striker Shahrazen Said, who flicked the ball to Berguiga to score against the Japanese outfit.

"I'm very happy with Berguiga scoring because I know how much it mans to him since we have langausge barrier and is having time adjusting," he said of the veteran Algerian. "He scored very important goal for usand he knows he really belong to the team now."

DPMM face arguably their toughest test far when they face reigning champions Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) on April 26.

Third-placed Gombak Utd have a chance of dethroning DPMM today when they face unbeaten,Tampines Rovers at the Jurong West Stadium tonight.

SAF FC can also regain the lead tomorrow when they play Super Reds FC at the Chou Chu Kang Stadium in Singapore. 

DPMM FC have striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga to thank for regaining the lead in the Singapore League after the Algerian's goal in the 65th minute earned the side a 2-2 draw against Albirex Niigata last night.

His first goal for the club,Berguiga's striker at the Jurong East Stadium in Singapore propels DPMM back to the summit of the 12-team league and send reigning champions Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to second.

The battle between the two foreign teams in the league saw the Japanese outfit score first through striker Kenji Adachihara in the 10th minute after he received a cross from the right and fired home from close range.

Striker Shahrazen Said bagged his second goal of the season in the 41st minute to equalise for the visitors to set the score at 1-1 going into the halftime break.

Midfielder Rosmin Khamis's free kick from the left was met by Croatian Ivan Jerkovic, but goalkeeper Yo***o Matsu***a was only able to parry the shot to the awaiting Shahrazen.

Kunihiro Honda fired Albirex back in front five minutes after the restart when the DPMM defence failed to clear another cross from the right. allowing the midfielder to pounce on the ball.

The 35-year old Berguiga, who was substituted in the 20th minute for midfielder Azwan Salleh, equalised 15 minutes later to ensure a share of the points.

A free-kick from defender Rene Komar deep inside DPMM's half was met by Shahrazen, who flicked the ball to Berguiga to open his account for the club.

"It was a great result for us and I am happy to have scored a goal and created another," said Shahrazen in a telephone interview after the match."We want to maintain this position and we know we will have to work hard for it.We know that we face a tough fight from SAF who can reclaim the lead on Friday since they are playing Super Reds FC."

Shahrazen added that third-placed Gombak Utd also have a chance of dethroning DPMM tomorrow when they face Tampines at the Jurong West Stadium in Singapore.

Their first draw of the season, the result pushes Albirex up three spots to sixth.

DPMM's next game is on april 26 against SAF FC at the Hassanal Bolkaih National Stadium,  their first home game in nearly a month.

S-League action resumes tonight with 10th placed Home facing cellar-dweller Sengkang at the Bishan Stadium in Singapore.

Brunei DPMM FC will be putting their undefeated record on the line when they face Albirex Niigata in the league match at the Jurong Stadium tonight.

Team morale is on a record high for Brunei DPMM after knocking Gombak United off the perch with a 2-1 win last week. Following the match against Gombak United on Friday, Brunei DPMM opted to stay back in Singapore for the game against Albirex Niigata.

With five wins and three draws in eight matches, new boys Brunei DPMM have yet to lose a match in S-League.

On same points but separated by a goal difference, Brunei DPMM will be looking for a win to overtake current leaders SAFFC who will only be playing on Thursday, April 16 against Super Reds.

Albirex Niigata are a Japanese outfit with only one Korean player, midfielder Park Myung Eun and their dangermen Akira Takase and Kenji Adachihara.

At home turf, Albirex have been impressive winning three out of four games.Albirex manager Brasoveanu is hoping to use his home advantage to conjure up a win against Brunei DPMM.

According to report in the S-League official website, Brasoveanu said : "Out of the four games that we played at home, we won three.But considered that this is a young team, consistency has always been an issue. Hopefully we can take advantage of our home ground and play well against DPMM."

"We are always optimistic and positive as we prepare for every game.It does not serve any purpose for us to be worried about our opponents.We should only concentrate on how we play our football on the end of the day," said Brasoveanu.

Meanwhile, Pg Waslimin, the Brunei DPMM manager when contacted yesterday said: "Although we expect a tough game tomorrow in their home ground, we are confident of bagging all three points following a crucial away win against Gombak." 

"All first 11 are expected to play as there are no injury woes," he added. 

Winger, Sairol Sahri fired DPMM FC to the top of the league once again last night scoring two free-kicks to beat Gombak United 2-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, last night.

DPMM Fc were at the summit of the table for two days ladt month after their 1-0 win against Sengkang Punggol on March 24, but they dropped down to third when reigning champions Singapore Armed Forces FC and Gombak came up with wind in their respective matches.

Last night's top of the table clash between DPMM FC and Gombak gave the visitors a chance to reclaim the lead, and they got off a dream start when Sairol Saari found the back of the net through a free-kick on the third minute to score his second of the season.

His shot from the right floated past the entire Gombak defence and into the left netting, evading a flat-footed Fadhil Salim in between the Gombak goalposts.

It was the home side that threatened first though, taking hardly thirty seconds for Kingsley Njoku to connect on a cross from Nigerian Emmanuel Emujeraye on the right.

However, his well-taken volley rebounded off the cross bar, much to the relief of the raucous visiting fans.

Agu Camir had a shot that was cleard off the line by DPMM defender Yusof Salleh in the 12th minute and the Singaporeans would continue to control most of the first half.

Fully exploiting their height advantage,Gombak sent in numerous crosses into the box and one such attempt saw DPMM goalkeeper Wardun Yusof forced to make his first save of the night to deny Njoku in the 18th minute.

They finally equalised in the 29th minute when striker Emmanuel Emujeraye made the most of the mix-up between defender Rene Komar and Wardun, sliding past the Croatian libero to score with a low shot which gave the onrushing Wardun no chance at all.

DPMM FC continued to be bombarded with aerial threats, with Njoku responsible for a header in the 36th minute and a low shot to the right in the 44th minute to force Wardun into action.

Gombak started the second half the way they finished the first but they shifted down a few gears after a few minutes and allowed DPMM into the game.

Coming into prominence in the second half, midfielder Ivan Jerkovic had a golden opportunity to double DPMM's lead in the 47th minute after receiving a pass from Sairol Saari to unlock Gombak's defence and create a one-to-one situation with Fadhil.

In hindsight,Jerkovic probably should have brought the ball down to his feet after receiving it since his cheeky lob was too light and the goalkeeper managed to get his fingertips to it.

The visitors had several chances to threten through set-pieces but their delivery was poor and they failed to make the most of the opportunities gifted to them as the Gombak defenders scrambled to mark their men.

DPMM FC corrected all that in the 73rd minute when Sairol scored an almost identical goal to his first, sending the numerous DPMM fans who made the trip to the Jalan Besar Stadium into celebration.

Defender Sevki Sha'ban came up with a tame header which was comfortably saved by Wardun just seconds later, but the ball was nearly in the back of the other net again in the 75th minute when South Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi saw his shot on goal frantically cleared off the line by defender Jaslee Hatta.

Gombak should have found their equalising goal in the 80th minute when Casmir made a space inside the box for a header, but it floated right into the arms of Wardun.

Sairol had a chance to score a hat-rick a minute from time but his free-kick from a similar position as the first two was saved by Fadhil.

The win maintains DPMM's unbeaten streak in their debut S-League season, a record they share with Tampines Rovers.

For Gombak however, it was their first loss of the campaign and they now sit in second - a point adrift of DPMM.

DPMM FC's next game will be against Albirex Niigata at the Jurong East Stadium next Tuesday and they will not be returning to Brunei until Wednesday. 

Brunei DPMM FC head coach,Vjeran Simunic suggested that tonight's encounter against the table-toppers Gombak United will be a big test for the team for the S-League match at the Stadium Jalan Besar.

"Gombak United's performance have shown that they are a team a beat and with their quality players,they will be able to be the future champions," said the head coach.

Whatever their quality abilities, Simunic believe all his players can give a good fight and make the most of it in tonight's game.

Simunic also give a 100% hope for the substitutes bench, and believe that this year's players is much beter than the previous years.

According to him,their determination that have shown from the beginning if the season have been paid off, that can be shown by their standings in the league, and the beginning of attraction of the local fans.

On top of that, the advantage that they have is a weapon to take chances to topple Gombak in tonight's league encounter.

"We will see on our final preparation to determine our striking option.

All the players have a chance to play,however we will give priority to create a better line-up to overcome the home team," he said.

On the last game,Simunic preferred to use Md Shahrazen partnering Oh Ddog Yi upfront in the first half before putting on Hamid Berguiga in the second. On the other hand,Abu Bakar Mahari's service are also needed to create options upfront.

Simunic is happy that all the players are in an injury-free and this gives an easy route for the coach to determine the first eleven for tonight.

Brunei DPMM and Gombak are still having a record without loss after seven games with Gombak in top spot in the league and DPMM third. 

Brunei DPMM FC aim to topple table-toppers Gombak United when they clash in the league match tomorrow at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

The tide may have tilted in favour of Brunei DPMM FC as Gombak leading striker Ojimi Obatola will not play after collecting four yellow cards.

However,Brunei DPMM's biggest disadvantage is the synthetic grass of the stadium which they are still not accustomed to playing in such surface.

Brunei DPMM coach said in an interview yesterday: "Gombak which scored three goals against SAFFC,last year's league champions, deserved to be on top f table.We are unlucky to play away and the synthetic grass is the biggest worry for us.It's not easy for the players but we will do our best to face Gombak United."

"We are currently in a comfortable position and we want to move forward," Simunic added.

"I expect the same game against Tampines when we face Gombak. However, if we are playing in Brunei, I am sure we can put a very good fight," the coach said when asked about the game tomorrow.

Regarding the team fitness, Simunic assured the players are physically and mentally ready for the challenge.

Simunic also cleared the air on speculation that he doesn't like some of the players by saying: "I have been here for more than a year to build a compact team and relationship between myself and the players are wonderful."

"I am satisfied with the players, especially the imports.Now we are trying to communicate with Abdel Hamid who does not speak English, and only French.I am trying to speak French and he is trying to speak English," he reiterated.

"The speculation in the Singapore media is untrue.I trust my players well and my players trust me. There might have been a misunderstanding," he said.

The Croatian also said, "The Singapore League is one of the best leagues in the region, all teams are good and have an equal chance of winning.We must take each game at a time and to take points from each game to reach our target.I hope that none of our players sustain any injuries from each of the games."

Local football fans can watch the match-up between Brunei DPMM and Gombak United live on RTB2 courtesy of Maju Motor tomorrow night at 7.30pm. 

A world class free-kick by Thailand international midfielder Sutee Suksomkit earned Tampines Rovers a deserved 1-1 draw against DPMM FC in the league match at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore last night.

Renowned for his dangerous left foot,the 28-year old Thai willingly displayed his ability to score from free-kicks when he curled one past the wall and into the right netting in the 75th minute just outside the box, giving DPMM FC goalkeeper, Wardun Yusof no chance.

The draw that means that both teams maintain their unbeaten run in this year's campaign, with DPMM remaining in third with 15 pointsand Tampines fourth with 11 points.

The visitors were never really able to assert control in the match,largely due to their midfield which was unable to make its mark in the centre of the park.

To their credit, DPMM FC were technically and defensively sound, playing impressive man-to-man defence which prevented two time S-League champions Tampines Rovers from finding the back of the net from open play.

The fact that DPMM FC libero Rene Komar was named Man of the Match show just how important the team's defence was in securing the draw, with the Croatian's most important contribution being perhaps his awareness to clear off a shot off the line by Tampines Japanese midfielder Akihiro Nakamura just seconds after Sutee had equalised.

Lacking possession and quality on the ball, the Bruneians were lucky that winger Sairol Sahri's cross from the left saw Tampines defender Shariff Abd Samat put the ball into his own net with a diving header to hand them a surprise lead in the 63rd minute.

But despite the goal, the DPMM FC players did not awake from their slumber and were forced to continue playing on the back foot until Sutee equalised 12 minutes later.

Sutee, a player English Premiership side Chelsea had their eyes four years ago, had a chance to open the scoring in the 19th minute but Wardun was up to the challenge and parried his low shot to the right post to concede a corner.

Tampines had the lion's share of corners and it was only in the 47th minute that DPMM were able to get their first, with the Stags already notching up seven by this point.

Both teams found it tight in midfield for the first 20 minutes and were unable to find an avenue to attack that paid off, though the home side definitely looked the more threatening of the two.

Tampines were able to carve some chances but their finishing were lacking, forcing them to go into the dressing room at half time with a goaless draw.

The substitution of experienced Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga for the ineffective South Korean Oh Ddog Yi was perhaps DPMM 's head coach Vjeran Simunic's smartest move.

The animated Croatian was on the touchlines shouting instructions to his charges for most of the match but at least Berguiga did not get any of the abuse, doing a superb job of holding the ball and dribbling to create space.

The 35-year old hitman almost opened his account for the club in the 60th minute but his header from striker Shahrazen Said's pass agonisingly hit the woodwork, leaving Tampines goalkeeper Hassan Sunny rooted to the spot.

Sairol's cross minutes later provided the Bruneians some reprieve after Shariff headed the ball into his own net, but the confidence they gained after the goal soon evaporated.

Not being able to string passes together and craft chances, were made to pay with Sutee's screamer which sent the home fans into wild celebration.

DPMM FC's next match is against Gombak United at the Jalan Besar Stadium next Friday. 

Brunei DPMM FC's chances to climb up the standings is up for grabs although they will have to play a tough encounter against Tampines Rovers in Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore tonight at 7.30pm.

Brunei DPMM, currently having a consistency reputation so far, will be the key weapon for the team to try to upbeat Tampines, another team who has been unbeaten so far in the league.

"We have to be more careful in this upcoming match, as they are becoming more stronger in each of their games.Although we will be fully prepared to test them getting points," said the head coach,Simunic.

Although the home team comprises good quality players including their imports Akihiro Nakamura and Sutee Suksomkit,Brunei DPMM also have their qualities as an away team.

"What is most important are the players performed well with consistency and taking their chances well.Any mistakes will be vital ," he added.

Simunic will stick to the original line-up, as the defences have been quite solid, having three consecutively clean sheets.Mohd Shahrazen has already put on his scoring boots on, the fans will be hoping he will score today.

Brunei DPMM is currently third in the league, four points ahead of Tampines, currently fourth on the table. 

Brunei DPMM Fc forward Shahrazen Said is confident of scoring against Tampines Rovers in the coming S-League match at Stadium Jalan Besar on Friday night.

The talented forward has found his scoring boots following the winning goal on the 60th minute against Sengkang Punggol on March 24 at home.

When met at training session yesterday, Shahrazen said he was lucky to score in the last match.

"I were under tremendous pressure from fans and the coach to break my goal drought in the last game.At last I managed to fulfill my promise.I was a bit worried at first."

On the goal he said "The ball was on the way down towards me and I just hit the ball not too hard and it curled away from the keeper and into the net."

On the game against Tampines he said: "I will try to score and the goal against Sengkang has renewed my confidence in scoring."

Meanwhile Brunei DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic will be cautious against Tampines who are in fourth place just four points adrift from third-placed DPMM.

"Tampines are like a dream team, they have nine very good import players," Simunic added.

"They have talented players like Akihiro Nakamura from Japan and Sutee Suksomkitof Thailand.They have the national team Singaporean goalkeeper and Noh Alam Shah, the captain of the Singapore national team."

"We are proud to face a club like Tampines, it will not be n easy game.

"We can't say about the result now, we will try to perform our best."

"The odds are against Brunei DPMM with the synthetic grass in Jalan Besar posing a challenge to the team.

"However, with the 10-day break,Brunei DPMM are all set to face Tampines Rovers." 

On Shahrazen the coach said" "I am happy that he scored in the previous game.

He is an important and key player in the team.He is a defensive and attacking forward and without him, it will be hard for us."

The match will be telecast live on RTB2 from 7.30 pm on Friday. 

Shahrazen Hj Md Said  fired DPMM FC to the top of the Singapore League(S-League) last night after his goal in the 61st minute against Sengkang Punggol saw the Bruneians earn a 1-0 win at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.

Unbeaten since the start if the season, the striker's first goal of the campaign ensured that DPMM's record remains intact and the club can now bask in the glory of being at the summit of the 12-team league six matches into their debut match.

Underfire by some for not finding the net despite starting regularly, the 23-year old proved his critics wrong last night with a dipping volley from outside the box just past the hour mark. 

Falling to his knees in celebration,the Malaysian Super League's top scorer two seasons silently rejoiced for having broken his duck.

The goal capped off a period of pressure which began a few minutes after the restart, with Shahrazen timing his shot well to connect on the ball after a Sengkang defender headed it in his direction in what was a poor clearance from a DPMM corner.

The dismissal of Sengkang defender, Jerry Bertholomeusz in the 75th minute after being a second yellow card for his arguing with the referee - his first coming earlier when he kicked a water bottle onto the pitch - should have meant another goal, but none materialised.

Sengkang seemed content to pile players behind the ball and absorb the pressure but DPMM managed to carve a trio of chances to double their lead, all coming from players who started on the bench.

Substituted into the game at the start of the second half for midfielder Rosmin Khamis, the Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga almost opened his accout in the 79th minute. 

Catching Sengkang keeper Fahmy Rahman off his line, the 35-year old tried a cheeky goal with a sublime left-footed shot from the left-corner flag but the attempt sailed inches wide off the far post.

Nine minutes later it was midfielder Hardi Bujang who came closest from scoring, but his long range shot curled wide off the right post.

Striker Abu Bakar Mahari, who replaced Shahrazen in the 78th minute, had a chance to add to his tally of two goals this season but his shot after receiving a cross from Abdel Hamid on the left was saved by Fahmy.

The Dolphins never really threatened after Shahrazen's opener, with their best chance comingfrom Canadian striker Anthony Bahadur who was flagged for offside after creating space on the right abd unleashing a shot but was saved by the keeper.

In the dying seconds of the match,Abdoulaye Diallo had a long range shot which was comfortably saved by Wardun - though many a fan were breathing sighs of relief when the goalkeeper calmly prevented the desperate attempt by the Guinean to find an equaliser.

After a lacklustre first quarter hour, DPMM started asserting control with strong runs from midfield by Hj Md Subhi Abdilah on the right.

But without anyone to spark in attack in the final third, the home side seldom looked like finding the back of the net.

Shahrazen came the closest in the 38th minute after cutting past two players on the left but his shot sailed harmlessly wide off the crossbar.

Wardun was hardly troubled, only called into action in the 25th minute when he was forced to save a volley from Diallo and again in the 37th minute when he dived fearlessly to the ground to prevent the oncoming Sengkang captain Indra Shahdan Daud from scoring.

For DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic, the victory went a long way in proving not only Shahrazen's naysayers wrong but also the club's with the Croatian stating that Sengkang were out to hand them their first defeat.

"They(Sengkang)came here to dethrone us, and fight for Singapore, but they now return very ashamed because we are on top of the league," said Simunic.

"Many people were saying we would be bottom but you have to turn the table upside down now to find us

"It was a wonderful game and we played very very well... I know the the players were motivated because of the full stadium."

"I am very happy with the crowd today and I think there are 20,000 fans here ... Maybe in our next game we will get 30,000."

"I know that Bruneians love football and this game shows them that they have a team worth watching. They watch on the television games which Chelsea play ... Liverpool play."

"Why watch that when you have your very own Chelea and Liverpool here?" he asked.

Simunic added that though he felt the team deserved a second goal, he was happy that Shahrazen had scored because he knew the striker was under pressure. 

DPMM FC is going into tonight's Singapore League(S-League) clash against Sengkang Punggol knowing that a win for them will send them reach the summit of the league for the first time this season.

Third in the league after three wins and two draws, Vjeran Simunic's men are undefeated in their debut S-League season and will be looking to maintain that record when their match against 10th place Sengkang kicks off at 8.15pm.

But defending champions and second-placed Singapore Armed Forces(SAF)taking on Albirex tomorrow and Woodlands Wellington facing leaders Gombak United in the other match of the day, at least a win tonight for DPMM a little bit will pressurize the other teams in their matches.

"We are in a dream situation going into the game and we must be proud of the result we have achieved thus so far," declared Simunic yesterday. 

"Last year their coach(Jorg Steinbrunner) was in charge of Woodlands and they only lost once, so we are expecting a very tough game."

"They will be here to dethrone us of our undefeated status, but if we win , we can celebrate being first in the league - even if just for a day."

"We are not afraid if anybody... But at the same time we respect everybody," added the Croatian.

With two of Singapore's most well-known players on their side,Sengkang have every reason to be confident of beating DPMM tonight.

Ex-Singaporean national team captain and defender Aide Iskandar and current Singapore national team captain strikerIndra Shahdan Daud - are the two names sure to start.

Imports like Canadian striker Anthony Bahadur and compatriot in defence Murphy Wiredu also add stregth to the team, with Guinean midfielder Abdoulaye Diallo and Japanese defender/ midfielder Hiroyuki Yamamoto also expected to deliver.

Despite not scoring this season, Simunic is not worried about the performance of striker Shahrazen Said, the Malaysian Super League joint top-scorer two seasons ago.

"I do not care that he has not scored yet, he is one of our best players and in my opinion it is not a must for strikers to score," said Simunic."We play with teamwork and Shahrazen always does an excellent job keeping the defenders busy and he also gets a lot of corners.After defender Rene Komar, I think he is our best player in the air."

The Croatian also praised South Korean striker Oh Ddog Yi, who scored his first goal of the seasonduring the team's 1-0 win against Balestier Khalsa last week.

Though he called it a "good performance", Simunic said that Oh and Algerian striker Abd Hamid Berguiga still has to adapt to the team - especially the latter, who can speak neither English nor Malay.

The team's top-scorer at the moment, Abu Bakar Mahari, will be on the bench again but the fans are hoping the Simunic will substitute the Tutong-native into the game in the second half.

He has been an effective substitute, coming off the bench twice to score the goals against the Young Lions on Feb 27 and the winning goal against Super Reds on March 4.

"We won two games with goals coming late in the match, so for me it is very important who finishes the game, not who starts," explained  Simunic. 

Simunic said DPMM will use its 10-day break after tonight's match to practice more. 

Brunei DPMM's away win against Balestier Khalsa in Tao Payoh Stadium begins to open the eyes of the other clubs in the S-League.

The solitary win away from home put DPMM in third spot in the league, with three wins and two draws.

However,the team under guidance of Vjeran Simunic is still a point behing SAF, and two points behind the league leaders GombakUtd.

"I am happy with the players giving good fight in the league although we are still very new in the S-League," said the DPMM head coach,Vjeran Simunic.

However, Simunic said that the scheduled of games are quite tight, injuries will occur easily.but the substitute bench are also quite strong.

The Croatian head coach who always made good strategy each of the matches able to pressurize each of the opposing teams.

The improvement of the local players in every position with the addition of the import players have also contributed well within the team.

Although Md Shahrazen have not contributed any goals, his performance have assisted the team with scoring opportunities while Abu Bakar Mahari has also contributed important goals after coming in from the bench.

The Korean striker,Oh Ddog Yi has also beginning to score while Abd Hamid is also quite impressive.

Brunei DPMM will await Senkang Punggol in the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Tuesday 

DPMM FC striker Oh Ddog Yi opened his S-League account last night with a goal in the 35th minute to hand the team a 1-0 win against wooden spoonist Balestier Khalsa.

The South Korean has impressed in front of goal most of his times with the Super Reds last season, and last night's striker at the Toa Payoh Stadium maintains the club's unbeaten run, with the result their third win in five games played.

But despite the victory, DPMM were not able to jump to second because of Gombak's stoppage time winner against Young Lions in the other match.

DPMM's win last night will not doubt send the correct signals to the club's hierarchy, who earlier this week repaid their trust in head coach Vjeran Simunic by handing him a one-year extension to his contract.

Though they had several chances in front of goal, the visitors were unable to find the breakthrough until ten minutes from the break.

A constant danger on the flanks,midfielder Sairol Sahri sent in a cross from the left which the Balestier defence was unable to clear the safety. 

A poor header was pounced ipon by the 24-year old Oh, who scored 12 goals for Super Reds last season.

DPMM's next game will be at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Tuesday against Sengkang Punggol.A difficult encounter as Sengkang is well known for their fighting qualities. 

Brunei DPMM FC's coach Vjeran Simunic has warned his players not to underestimate bottom of the league,Balestier Khalsa when both teams meet in the league tomorrow night at Toa Payoh Stadium tomorrow night.

In an interview yersterday, Simunic said: "We are a new team in the league and Balestier Khalsa have been in the league for many years.They are an experienced team.Although they are currently at the bottom of the league that doesn't mean they would not put up a good fight."

"Currently, we are in a good positionand we want to continue to play well to bring the unbeaten run back home for the next home game against Senglang Punggol on March,24."

"With an unbeaten streak against Balestier, our confidence will be boosted and we will play better in front of the home fans," Simunic added. 

On the players, he said: "With a week's break our players are recovering and I expect a better show from them. However, Shahrazen is still in doubt after missing a training session yesterday while Abdul Hamid's fitness is still suspect for the full 90 minutes."

On Brunei DPMM FC's four imports, he said: "I am still observing Abdel Hamid Berguiga and Oh Ddog Yi, both footballers are still very new to me.Both are good strikers but how they can communicate with each other, we will have to see.Rene Komar and Ivan Jerkovic are no strangers to me.Rene has been with DPMM for years while I knew Ivan back in Croatia."

He reiterated that the new imports still need time to adapt themselves to the team.

"I am not satisfied with Hamid and Ddog Yi when they didn't play much defence against Geylang United," he added.

On the reason for signing another year's contract with DPMM, the coach said: "When I came from Croatia, I left a club which is very similar with DPMM."

"I came here to change a team. I work hard for the team and now, the team has improved.If I can't change a team, I will leave.

As fans can see, we have improved with each game.And I hope one day the stadium will be full with fans supporting the team."

Balester Khalsa who were at the bottom of the league last year have three South American and one American import players.They are Julio eduardo of Chile, Eduardo Moura and Ithamar Rangel of Brazil and Seth Galloway from USA.

The game between Brunei DPMM and Balestier Khalsa will kick start at 7.45pm. 

DPMM FC and Geylang played to a goaless draw last night at the Bedok Stadium.

 But though they did create several chances and hit the post once, they were unbale to find the back of the net - their first goaless game of the season.

 The draw cements DPMM's third place while Geylang leapfrogged Home Utd into fifth.

"We played well and it was a good performance overall, but we were just unlucky," lamented Pg Waslimin after the match. 

"We even managed to hit the post and forced their goalkeepr some good saves...But it was not our night."

The Bedok Stadium has long been notorious for not allowing visiting teams to leave with a share of points, but Pg Waslimin said that the atmosphere at the 4,000 venue lastnight was nothing the league's newest team could handle.

As expected Algerian striker Abdel Hamid Berguiga was handed his full debut last night making it the first time in 4 games that the team has started with all four imports.

DPMM can now enjoy a one week break before their next match against basement dwellers Balestier Khalsa at the Toa Payoh Satdium next Thursday. 

Brunei DPMM will be looking to extend its unbeaten run at the S-League when they face Geylang United away on Thursday, March 12 at Stadium Bedok in Singapore.

Its not easy for opponents to win points at the home of Geylang United,also known as the Eagles.

Brunei DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic also acknowledged that Geylang United's advantage of never losing on home ground.

In an interview yesterday, the Croatian coach said" "The game against Geylang Utd will be a very open game because Geylang have never been defeated at home.They are a home-based team with huge supporters."

However he said, "After a win against the Woodlands, we will carry the momentum to face Geylang and try to continue our undefeated record.We will play the same spirit as we did in the previous games against Super Reds ans Woodlands.I hope we can get all three points from the game."

"We just recovered from a big game against the Woodlands, and in two days time, we have to face Geylang Utd away in Singapore.I know about Geylang Utd, they are one of many good teams in the S-League with 4 experienced imports that are regulars in the S-League, especially Miroslav Latiak  and Ratislav Belicak of Slovakia are very good players and they might cause us few problems," he added.

Touching on the issues of exhaustion after playing three games within a week,Simunic said: "At the moment, everyone is fit to play.I will bring the usual first starting 11 to Singapore.However, if any player feel that they are too tired or not feeling well enough to start, we have ready and capable players to stand in for replacement.So I am not worried."

On Brunei DPMM FC's impressive run, he said: "We are in comfortable situation for us to have won twice and fre once in the first three games in the league.But we can't be complacent, we will continue to fight until our last breath for a win."

Speaking about the new import,Abdel Hamid Berguiga of Algeria, the coach revealed the player is under immense stress because it's the first time that he has joined club overseas.And currently, we are still trying to build a common communication with him because he can only speaks Arabic and French. 

Brunei DPMM climbs up another ladder after they defeated Woodlands Wellington making them lied in third spot - a great achievement so far.

The elite local team are one of the 5 undefeated teams in this one of the top 10 leagues in Asia and has becoming a threat for the other teams and this tells the other teams that they are serious in this league.

On top of that head coach, Simunic wants the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium  to be so called the "impossible" for the visitors team and they have shown bt defeating the runners-up last season,Super Reds and beating Woodlands with a same score.

"Discipline and high motivation are major factors that led to the team's current form.The arrival of local fans that have been increasing also led to the team's form," said Simunic that urge the visitors team to go home empty handed every time playing in Brunei.

On the other hand, Simunic believe that the other teams are also cautious when they are playing with us, so he urges his boys to doubled the effort to stregthen the teamwork of the team.

"All the teams in this league are very good.The league standings will change constantly.We also don't want to be left behind," he said.

The arrival of the Algerian striker, Abdel Hamid Berguiga that completes the 4 imports for DPMM came at the right time.

He just received his International Transfer Certificate(ITC) several days ago and play the last 30 minutes and he really showed his class in the game although he came less than 48 hours before the game long way from Africa.

His physique and speed gave a positive impact and the other night, he proved that his presence really gave a hard time for the Woodlands defenders which led to a penalty   that give DPMM a win.

"We hope Abdel will give more contribution to the team.He will be able to give confidence to the team," added Simunic after watching his debut against the Woodlands.

DPMM FC's chances to improve their standings in the league are very open when they will host Woodlands Wellington this Sunday.

The team who is coached by Croatian, Vjeran Simunic is now lied in fourth place, tied with Home United with 4 points but DPMM having a game in hand.

"I am confident if the players having the same reputation and the will to win,they will be able to grab another 3 points this Sunday," said Simunic.

The coach realised with the tight schedules of the upcoming games, the team has to be in a very fit situation in the following weeks.

However, with some injuries concern with some of the players, it will not be a reason for DPMM to be fully ready and focussed for the game this Sunday.

In addition, Simunic is looking forward to play Woodlands when they lost to them last year in the Singapore RHB Cup in Singapore.

"I have seen them playing in their last 2 games.They are quite a good team but we have our advantages," said Simunic.Simunic will definitely stick with their first elevens in the last 2 matches.

However,Simunic will remind his boys to be aware with their import players.Two goals by the Woodlands in their last two games are from their duo import Zakaria Yosif of Egypt and forward Majtab Tehranizadeh of Iran.

However, our strikers have to work hard to stop their defenders, Luis Hicks of Chile and Daniel Hammond of England.

It was Md Abu Bakar Mahari to the rescue again last night, scoring in the 84th minute of DPMM's match against Super Reds FC to give the Brunei side their first win of their debut Singapore League(S-League) season.

The 2-1 victory was a result of DPMM's excellent performance in the second half, never giving up the fight despite going behind as early as the 11th minute when midfielder Jeon Byung Euk netted from the penalty spot  after DPMM midfielder Sairol Sahri was judged to have harshly tackled Yu Hyun Koo in the box.

Though the star striker Shahrazen Said was forced out of the game - with what looks to be a recurrent ankle injury - hardly a minute after the restart, the team's attack was at the capable feet of his replacement Md Abu Bakar, who scored the equaliser during the Brunei's team 1-1 draw with the Young Lions in their first match last week.

Shahrazen's injury, seemed to spur his teammates on and they embarked on waves after waves of attack  -  rewarded by the most unlikeliest of players.

Defender Yusof Salleh's free kick from 25 yards out curled past Kang Su Ho in between the Super Reds goalposts and found the top left corner in the 61st minute to draw level for the home side, and from then on, the fans would settle for nothing less than a win in the side's first home game of the season.

DPMM goalkeeper Wardun Yusof kept his team in the game two minutes later when he was forced to dive sharply to his right to save a shot own goal, but he was hardly troubled for the rest of the night.

After a menacing performancethus so far with dangerous runs and precise passes,Md Abu Bakar - nicknamed Eto'o by his teammates - repaid his coach's confidence in playing him by scoring 6 minutes before the final whistle.

Pushing the ball forward on the counter-attack, South Korean forward Oh Ddog Yi received a pass from the right and skillfully created space for a shot.

Though it was boxed out by goalkeeper,Kang,it was poor clearance and the oncoming Abu Bakar easily scored with a simple tap-in from a few yards out.

Doing well to put men behind the ball after that, DPMM rode out their first win of the season with their fans cheering them and hardly allowing the Super Reds the time and space to send in a cross.

The Koreans preferred method of attack was through the flanks, where they created space and sent in crosses, trying to make the most of their height advantage.

However, last season's runners-up were thwarted by the good aerial showing of defender Rene Komar and captain Pg Sallehuddin and hardly threatened  from crosses or during set-poeces.

Pg Sallehuddin's performance was especially recommendable throwing himself at every tackle and one-on-one challengewith the vigour and determination that one would hardly expect from a 35-year old player.

Prior to the match head coach Vjeran Simunic had said that the team's attitude had changed and that was certainly true last night.

"We were hungry to play after that we could not compete in the Malaysian League - it was like we were in a cage," said Simunic yesterday.

"Give us a chance and we will play like this"I know we can do better.

"I am happy about the game, the team's performance and their attitude.

"It was a very offensive game, very openlike how we used to play last year ... Six players on the attack sometimes," added the Croatian.

"I have seen the Super Reds play before and they surprised me tonight because I did not think they were this good.

" I would like to thank the fans for supporting us and I want to tell them they must be proud of us, proud of the local players.We are playing Woodlands Wellington on Sunday and I want to see 10,000 fans here - if not I will go home because I don't like them playing in empty stadiums," added the Croatian with a wink.

The result pushes DPMM from ninth to fourth in the 12-team league with four points from two games. 

DPMM FC are enjoying a boost to confidence  going into today's Singapore League(S-League) home opener against Super Reds at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas at 8..45pm.

Md Abu Bakar Mahari's equaliser with the last kick of their game against the young Lions saw Brunei's premier club earn a 1-1 draw in their debut S-League match and head coach Vjeran Simunic yesterday said that the result had rejuvenated the players.

"I came here to change the players' attitude and I can say that I have done that," said Simunic yesterday.

"After we were not been able in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) because of Brunei Football Federation's (BAFA)deregistration the players were all feeling preety down.

"But then we were able to play in the S-League, one that is more well-known and much better than the Malaysian Super League.

"Because of that, and our draw in our first match,the team's attitude has really changed and they are now charged up," added the head coach. 

"I think we still need another 20-30 days for the players to reach full fitness and play more compact but we are on the right track," said the Croatian coach.

Training at the Hassanl Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas yesterday,so that the players could get get re-accustomed to the field.

The Croatian is determined to make sure their record in the S-League will be better than the M-League.

"I told the players that I want no team to take any points from here," he said emphatically.

"The fans must play their part too, coming to every game and supporting the team,especially the local players.

"I have a lot of respect for the Super Reds,who finished second last season, and I expect a good game," he added.

"They are a very tall team and that can be a disadvantage, but we can use that to our advantage if we play low balls.

" they are also a good team in set-pieces so we will have to watch out for that," he added.

The Super Reds first match was goalless stalemate against the Young Lions on Feb 19 and their second saw them lose 1-0 to Gombak on Feb 24.

Though new DPMM signing Oh Ddog Yi was a Super Reds player last season,it might not not be much help because he only knows 4 players from this year's squad after the club did a total revamp, according to Simunic.

Oh found the back of the net 12 times for the Super Reds last season. 

The head coach of Super Reds, Jeon Kyeong-Joon predicts a tough match against DPMM FC, for tonight's match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

In an interview with the Media Permata in the Brunei International airport yesterday midday,he mentioned that he watched DPMM's match against the Young Lions last Friday, and due to his observation, DPMM FC is still in the process of getting use to their teamwork as with his team.

On the other hand,he believed that DPMM FC will he one of the teams to be looked upon after playing several S-League games although they are a rookie team in the league.

According to him,Brunei DPMM's participation to the S-League is a good step for the team, to mention that he had played for DPMM FC in the Malaysian 2006/7 Super League.

In addition,with the import players with some new faces,he believed Brunei DPMM will be a team that can excelled in the S-League.

With the S-League is now becoming more competitive and improved from time to time rapidly,he hoped DPMM will not be behind, but improved from ayera to year.

On their first game,the Super Reds drew with  the Young Lion, as well as DPMM drew as well with the Young Lions.

Brunei DPMM as the home team hopes for support by the fans to bring high hopes for the team, and will try to bag full points against the runner-up team in the S-League last season.

Super Reds arrived yesterday midday and went on training at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium last night as their final preparation for their game against DPMM FC. 

DPMM FC head coach,Vjeran Simunic said the high determination on their solely game in their S-League camapaign last Friday proves that the team are serious for this S-League.

"Before this,many sources mainly the media in Singapore sees us as the bottom dwellers.But what we have prove from our debut match,we are able to prove them wrong," said Simunic during interview yesterday.

According to him,we should have bring back full points away from home, after controlling the entire match and alot of chances were wasted in front of goal.

He added, the determination of each individuals are shown,when they stopped the Youg Lions getting full points.

On the first match, Simunic fielded in Md Shahrazen and new Korean import, Oh Ddog Yi upfront before bringing on sper-sub Abu Bakar Mahari in the 15 minutes.

"I hope the players will be able to maintain and improve their reputation for the next match when they will face the runners-up last season,Super Redsthis Wednesday," added Simunic.

Although,Simunic hopes that there will be alot of crowd and fans suporting their team while playing at home.

"The spectators play a major role for the determination of the players.Their support will he highly appreciated.That is very important," said Simunic.

Although the league campaign is stilla long way to go, the Croatian head coach does not want the team to be far from the top standings. 

Ask DPMM head coach Vjeran Simunic what made him field Md Abu Bakar Mahari in Friday's game against Young Lions na dhe will tell you one word - in-tuition.

The diminutive striker scored the goal as the Bruneians held the Singaporeans to a 1-1 draw in their Singapore League debut at the Jalan Besar Stadium in the city state and ran to Simunic straight to celebrate.

Abu Bakar had the chances to find the back of the net prior to his last minute equaliser and his effort earned the admiration of the Croatian coach.

"It was either him or Dodi but in my head, something switched on and told me to put him in.So I decided to introduce him into the game, and when I did, I told him to score for us," said Simunic.

"Around here we have a nickname for Abu and we call him Eto'o, after Samuel Eto'o from Barcelona because he is fast, skilled, courageous and it is not easy for defenders to cover him.

"He aslo scored the team's second goal in our 3-2 loss to Laos during the 2008 Asean Football Federation Qualifying Cup campaign so I know he is quality.

"Everyone thought he was an import and asked me where he was from ... I don't know, we found him in Tutong," laughed Simunic.

The Croatian was impressed with the team's performance and felt they were worthy competitiors in the league.

Dominating possession 60-40 and recording 19 shots on goal to their opponents 10,the Bruneians earned many fans during the match which was telecast live in Singapore.

Simunic added that the draw had boosted the team's confidence and now they had made their name in Singapore.

"We were up against the future Singapore national team, one of the leading countries in Asia," said Simunic.

For the final 10 minutes, we put six players in attack and though, it was risky,it paid off and alot of people said they enjoyed watching us play.

"We promised to fight and run in the last minute the same way we did in the first minute and we showed that on Friday."

The Bruneians will face the Super Reds FC, last season's runners-up, at 8.45 tomorrow at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas. 

DPMM FC left it until late but they finished with a share of points in their debut Singapore League(S-League)match last night, drawing 1-1 against the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium last night.

The home team, who are the Singapore Under-23 side, got on the score sheet just before the half time break through striker Khairul Nizam after the striker caught the Bruneian backline napping and beat the offside trap to net it from close range.

However,Md Abu Bakar Mahari's 90th minute striker broke the Young Lions's heart and handed them their second straight draw, the first a 0-0 stalemate against the Super Reds last week.

Receiving a cross from the left, the Brunei striker's shot from the right the back of the net and proved the team's spirit in their first competitive match since their defeat to eventual runners-up Woodlands in the first round of the Singapore Cup last May.

DPMM lie ninth in the 12-team table, with Gombak United at the summit with two from as many games.

"It is a good result for our first game in the league and it showed we never give up fighting," said DPMM manager Pg Waslimin in a telephone interview from Singapore.

"We were able to adjust to the synthetic field and I think it was a good showing from us.

"We had a lot of chances but failed to capitalise on them until the last minute," added the team manager.

"Our defenders have to be more focussed since they thought Khairul was offside when he received the ball - which led to the opponents goal.

"Overall I think it was a satisfactory performance though we still have a lot of areas we can improve on," he added.

South Korean midfielder Oh Ddog Yi and Croatian Ivan Jerkovic both received their international transfer certificate in time and they joined Croatian defender Rene Komar as the 3 imports on the field last night.

Algerian hotshot, Abdul Hamid Berguiga was not so lucky, though it is expected that his paperwork will be sorted out before the team's next match. 

DPMM mark their home debut on March 5 against runners-up the Super Reds at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium. 

Going into the first match of their debut Singapore League(S-League) season against the Young Lions at 7.30pm today, DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic is just as anxious as his players to prove a point.

Faced with uncertainties such as the availability of imports and the synthetic surface at the Jalan Besar Stadium that his players and are not used to playing on, the Croatian knows that his team definitely go into the match as the underdogs.

 Though they may not have enjoyed as much time training and might not be as match-fot as their opponents, the Singapore Under-23 national team,Simunic's men are thankful that at least they have a league to play their football in.

Being their first season, there is no doubt the Brunei side the Brunei side will be out to prove that they are worthy of being in the league.Competing in the last season's Malaysian Super League (MSL), Simunic's predecessor Iordan Stoykov record of two wins, nine draws and six losses in his first and only season in charge speaks for itself.

It came as no surprise that he was sacked with the games left and relegation looming.It is largely due to Simunic's changed tactics and training regiments that the club was in the safe.

Unfortunately, The Football Associationof Brunei Darussalam's(BAFA's) deregistration last December saw the Football Association of Malaysia bar the team from playing in this season's MSL.

But the cloud of disappointment which hung over the team's dressing room turned into pulsating optimism when the S-League, welcomed DPMM FC to its stable of foreign teams - which include Japan's Albirex Niigata and South Korea's Super Reds - on Feb 10, making them the first and only South East Asian team in the fray.

Since they were only informed of the S-League's decision less than 3 weeks before the start of their first match,DPMM were not able to train as much as the other teams  - and it is which Simunic was more than aware of.

"We have not had much training and it is only recently that we resumed out twice a day training sessions,"said Simunic last week. 

"However the players are hugely motivated and I know they will give it their all."

The team had been in Singapore since Wednesday so that the players could familiarize themselves  with the synthetic field, and when contacted yesterday Simunic said the training went well.

Identifying the Young Lions as one of the stronger teams, Simunic has has the utmost respect for them.

And with two of DPMM four imports still not knowing whether they will be eligibale to lace up for the match,Simunic's high opinion of their opponents is more than justified.

"Two of our  imports -Algerian Hamid Berguiga and Croatian Ivan Jerkovic - have not gotten their International Transfer Certificate yet so we are not sure they can play.

"We hope Jerkovic got it tomorrow and we hope to get them by noon," said the head coach yesterday.

"I cannot sure whether we will play 3-5-2 or 4-4-2,but we have been practising with both formations and it will not be difficult to alternate bwtween the two at any givn time.

"A lot depends on who they(Young Lions) field and I will only decide before kick-off."

It looks likely the locals will carry the team tonight and the player who will be expected to deliver on the attack will be the striker Shahrazen Said."

After captivating crowds during the 2006/7 season when he finished joint top-scorer ,the 23-year old Shahrazen only managed to find the back of the net 5 times last season due to ankle injury which came him out for virtually half the campaign.

Midfielder Rosmin Khamis's absence were also severely felt ever since he picked up a season-ending ligament tear in February alongside Sairol Saari.

The trio of players are back to full fitness and the addition of the eve-reliable Rene Komar in defence - who is at his third spell -will also give the team depth which they ere lacking last season. 

The situation is still unquestionable whether the Super League side,Brunei DPMM will be able to participate in the upcoming M-League season 2009.

"Although BAFA(Brunei Football Association)is banned,but they are still in FIFA organisation,and we hope a positive response in the RoS," said Pg Matussin,the first Secretary of BAFA. 

DPMM FC team manger,Pg Waslimin also suggest that the situation does not affect on the training ground and the team is highly focussed on the upcoming league.

"We carry out the training as usual and hope DPMM will be able to compete in this prestigious league," he said with high hopes.

He added that the DPMM's registration to represent Brunei DPMM in the Super League have been done and now it is up to FAM.

The team manager also confirmed their 25 selected players including some new faces to the team.

Three Malaysians,midfielder-cum striker from Sabah,Bobby Gonzalez and two defenders,Aziz Ismail and Chan Wing Hoong is also in the list of 25.

Pg Waslimin hopes BAFA could deal with the situation in order for DPMM to participate in the M-League. 

If DPMM FC think that their possible withdrawal from this season's Malaysian's Super League(MSL) is only causing them sleepless nights, they can rest assumed knowing that their fears are shared by Football Association Malaysia(FAM) president Sultan Ahmad Shah.

It was reported that the governing body for football in the country, the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam(BAFA) - along with 54 other youth and sports associations - was suspended in late November for not complying with Registar of Societies (RoS) rules.

BAFA was de-registered by the RoS for failing to submit its annual general meeting report as requested by the RoS.

This means that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) currently does not recognise BAFA as a member, thus, DPMM FC cannot compete in any FIFA-sanctioned competitions.

"I hope they will be able to resolve their problems as soon as possible as we hope to see them in the league, which kicks off on Jan 3," Sultan Ahmad Shah was quoted as saying in yesterday's edition if the News Strait Times.

The article went on to state  that the FAM secretariat had written to BAFA requesting confirmation and expected a reply by today.

Though BAFA had already launched an appeal to RoS to get reinstated, if it does not give the FAM some reassurances  that the appeal will be successful,nest season's MSL will feature 15 teams 

Team manager,Pg Waslimin who mentioned that the team is already on the peak on their performance reminded that his boys to show consistency in the upcoming seson of the Super League.

DPMM will begin the season at home playing against Johor FC on the 3rd January before going to Perlis three days later.

"All the players have already been given advice on the training sessions every day and it is up to the players to do it on the match day," said Pg Waslimin.

He also saw some signs on the rise of performance of the team with three wins in Singapore including a win against the Singapore Premier League outfit,Geylang  before bringing home a trophy from the Labuan Tournament few days ago.

If the players work as hard with the confidence and put on a good show, DPMM will be able to put up a good performance in this Malaysian top league,he said.

However,Pg Waslimin does not want to rely on the late performance on the last two trips abroad, on the other hand he has been work hard with the coaching staff to strengthen the team in the effort to have another tough friendly against Sarawak as a warm-up match prior to the beginning of the league.

"The players will again be tested in the effort to gain a good match when they play against neighbouring state, Sarawak, that play in the Super League last season but was being relegated this season," added Pg Waslimin.

However,the skipper Rosmin Khamis is also hope for high expectations this season."Although there are no import players this season,we feel that the Super League this season is equal among all the teams because all the teams have their own advantages," he said who has fully recovered from injury.

He was also named as the MVP (Most Valauable Player)in the Labauan Tournament added that high commitment will depend on each team's to be on top. 

Captain Rosmin Khamis of Brunei DPMM scored a dramatic goal from a free-kick to help his team secured a 2-1 win against Pahang to become the champion of the Liberty Labuan Tournament 2008 on Sunday.

In the hard fought game,Yusof Salleh hit a header past Pahang goalkeeper from a corner kick in the 45th minute to take the lead for DPMM.

However,Pahang levelled the score in the second half.The hero for DPMM was capatain Rosmin who scored the winning goal from a free-kick outside the box.

Brunei DPMM won the silverware of the season with a better goal difference in the tournament. 

In a move which must come as a surprise for many, Malaysian national team skipper Md Shukor Adan has snubbed DPMM for Negri Sembilan at the 11th hour.

Though it was reported late October that the midfielder had confirmed his intent to play for DPMM, he had a change of heart two weeks ago and opted to sign for the Deers instead.

The news of Shukor's turnaround means that the Brunei club has failed to lure both of its targets for the next season, Shukor's national team teammate Indera Putera Nahyuddin choosing anther Super League outfit,Kelantan over DPMM last month.

But Shukor's change of heart might not have been that shocking as he had never ever set foot in Brunei or trained with the team.

Representing Malaysia at the Grand Royal Challenge Cup in Myanmar from November 9-15, the ex-Selangor captain was training for the six-team tournament prior to that.

"At first he said he wanted to sign for us, so naturally, I am dissapointed that he had a change of heart," said DPMM team manager Pg Waslimin Momin when contacted yesterday.

"I was told that he changed his mind and decided to sign for Negri because of family reasons and since he will be playing in his home town - so we have to respect that," said Pg Waslimin adding that thr club would continue to look around for other Malaysian players to add depth to the team.

So far the only Malaysians on the team list for next season's MSL campaign are striker Bobby Gonzalez and defender Chan Wing Hoong.

Football Association Malaysia(FAM) ruled in early August to ban all foreign players from its domestic leagues next season in a move aimed at developing local talent, and though DPMM had launched an appeal, Pg Waslimin was under the understanding that it would not be successful.

Though Shukor's change of heart is a big blow for Brunei's premier club, Pg Waslimin will not have much time to ponder about it as the team are in the heat of preparation for the 2008/09 campaign,which kicks off next month.

DPMM are currently in Singapore ,where there are playing a trio of friendlies against Singaporean clubs, today playing against S-League team Geylang FC which will test the team's ability with entirely all locals and Malaysians against a proper Singapore outfit with import players.

They will then return to Brunei before leaving for Labuan to compete in the Invitataional Tournament Cup,a four team tournament which will kick-offnext Friday.

DPMM's first game is against Sabah in the opening game,with the second against the ex-Sabah team the next day and the third against Pahang next Sunday. 

It looks like DPMM FC's effort to reverse the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) ban on imports for next season are not working out, with their team manager yesterday revealing that the chances of it happening are now next to impossible.

"We have yet to receive in black and white that our appeal is not successful, but I have heard that it is not going to happen," said Pg Waslimin PSJ Momin during a telephone interview yesterday.

The FAM ruled August to ban all foreign players from its domestic leagues next season in a move aimed at developing local talent, but Brunei's premier club wanted to convince it to make an exception.

According to FAM's head of the Department of Competition Ahmad Fuad Daud, when contacted in mid August,no other team have made such an appeal.

The news will come as no shock to the team's two imports, Guinean striker under-performed Keita Mandjou and Croatian defender Rene Komar- especially for the latter who admitted last month that his chances of playing for the Sultanate's premier club next season were slim.

Meanwhile, Pg Waslimin confirmed that ex-Malaysian international Chan Wing Hoong, who used to ply his trade for Perak, was the club's newest signing.

Arriving in town on Nov 6, the long-serving Perak defender signed on the dotted-line four days later, with his contract officially starting on Nov 1.

"After watching him in action during training, the coach (Vjeran Simunic) felt that signing him would be a good decision," said Pg Waslimin.

"He brings years of experience to the side and the coach was really impressed with him," added the team manager.

Chan made his name playing for Perak where he served for nine season in two spells from 1998-2005 and again from 2007-2008.

He also participated in the 2002 Tiger Cup, 2006 Merdeka Tournament and the 2007 Asean Football Championship.

Another player who had signed for the club was Bobby Gonzalez and Pg Waslimin said that the ex-Sabah striker was fitting in well.

Pg Waslimin added that DPMM's other new player, ex-Selangor captain and current Malaysia national team skipper Mohamad Shukor Adan, would only be making his way to Brunei after the AFF Champions Suzuki Cup.

The Brunei National team didn't want to wait till the end of their qualifying stages of the AFF Suzuki Cup when they are on the verge to reach the final round of the Cup after they are able to gain 4 points after 2 match played.

Although they began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against the favourites Philippines and they are able to rise to the occasion by demolishing Timor Leste 4-1 last Tuesday and move top of the table tied points with Cambodia and the Philippines.

Mohd Shahrazen scored a solitary goal in the first match against the Philippines helped the team by scoring two goals against Timor Leste while Azwan Salleh and Pg Sallehuddin bring cheers to the team with their solitary goals.

Brunei have to win against Laos to gain early promotion to the finals in December so they could relax and have no pressure  playing their final game against Cambodia thinking they are already qualified to the 8-team tournament in December.

"Our chances are very good but the players have to be extra cautious to gain full points aginst Laos ," said the team manger Pg Waslimin.

He said, the performance of the players are very satisfactory when they showed improvement from their last tournament in Indonesia few months ago.

Although,the team manager is quite worried when 6 of their players have got 6 yellow cards and remind of their players to be careful in the coming games.

"We are confident the players will do their best to create history for Brunei football for the first time going to the final round of this prestigious tournament:, he said. 

The tournament being held once in every two years will end on the 25th October,with the top two teams will qualify to the main draw in December alongside Indonesia,Malaysia, Vietnam,Thailand,Myanmar and defending champions,Singapore. 

National striker Shahrazen Said once again proved why he is the country's most deadly player in front of goal after finding the back of the net in Sunday's 1-1 draw against the Philippines during their first match of the 2008 Asean Football Federations's (AFF) Qualifying Cup in Cambodia.

Connecting on a cross from DPMM teammate Md Maududi Kasmi in the 17th minute of their match at the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Shahrazen's header gave Neil Ethridge in between the Philippines' goalposts no chance at all.

According to a Press release on Aff's website, Shahrazen had a huge impact throughout the game - with his powerful shot on goal forcing Ethridge into a spectacular save inside the first few minutes.

However, the national team were denied a winning start to their campaign after Chad Gould scored with a header of his own five minutes before the break to cap off a period of sustained pressure.

The second half saw both teams upping the tempo, but as the game were on, the Philippines got most of the possession by playing a lot of long balls because of their great physique of their strikers.

But despite their stalemate,national team coach Vjeran Simunic felt that his charges did a good job given the circumstances - stating that the team had not trained for long together and were still gelling.

"It was a 50-50 game which have could gone either way but I am very proud of my players for what they showed today(Sunday)," said Simunic in his post match comments.

Prior to the start of the AFF Qualifying Cup on Friday,Simunic said that he had only been in charge with the team for 2 months and they were not able to play any competitive matches in preparation for the tournament.

However the national team had a day off on the first match day (Friday) and the coach knew that the break would give him the chance to observe the other teams and see how he could use what he learnt to prepare his players.

The Philippines, who did play last Friday,came up with a 1-0 win against Timor Leste.

Friday's other match saw Cambodia beat Laos 3-2 while the second match played last Sunday saw Timor Leste hold hosts Cambodia to a 2-2 draw.

The sultanate's next match is against Timor Leste today. 

With national prode at stake, Brunei Darussalam will be trying to create history by winning one of the top two spots in the qualifying round of the AFF Suzuki Cup in order to advance to the final stage of the championship.

Besides Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Timor Leste will be vying for the final stage of the tournament.

The top six seeded ASEAN nations namely Indonesia,Myanmar, Malaysia,Singapore,Thailand and Vietnam have already qualified for the final stage of the tournament.

Pg Hj Waslimin, the manager of the Brunei football team said: "We will try to obtain the top two places in the qualifying round to book a spot into the AFF Suzuki Cup in December."

However, he is cautious on facing the Philippines, a nation that is rapidly developing their football talent.

"Philippines are a very good team, they have two players that have trained with Chelsea.Our team will try our best to win the crucial game."

Speaking about the new national team,he said,"Besides Brunei DPMM players, the team also include top players from some of the best teams in the Brunei League.To prepare for the championship, we have been training hard together for the past two months."

Meanwhile, national team coach, Simunic said the team is hungry for a win and with pride of the nation on their shoulders, the local boys are happy to be able to represent Brunei Darussalam.

On the Philippines he said,"We will take each game at a timeand according to my information,Philippines are a strong team.Maybe we can conjure up something.I hope we can win our first game to carry on the momentum into the next game."

To boost the team spirit, an national flay handing-over ceremony was held yesterday at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

Pg Hj Metussin,the Secretary General of BAFA said BAFA through the national team committee has mandated the management of DPMM to prepare and manage the national team to participate in the Indonesian Independence Cup last August.

Since the tournament, the national squad has been strengthenedby introducing a number of players that could put up a very good challenge in the qualifying round of the AFF Suzuki Cup.

Pg Hj Md Yusof bin Bahar, the Vice-President of BAFA handed over the national flag to DPMM team manager Pg Hj Waslimin at the ceremony. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic yesterday said his team were not 100 percent prepared for next week's Asean Football Federation's (AFF) Qualifying Cup in Cambodia, where they are set to represent the country.

Without a single competitive match since August,2008 Pertamina Independence Cup in Indonesia, Brunei's premier club has not been going through its normal twice a day training sessions because of the fasting month and HariRaya.

But the October 17-25 competition in which 5 countries- Brunei,Cambodia,Laos, the Philippines and Timor Leste - will compete in a round-robin tournament for two remaining slots in December's AFF Cup will not give Simunic's men much time to think about what could have been.

With a game every other day starting on Oct 19 against the Philippines followed by Timor Leste, Laos and hosts Cambodia, Simunic knows that he has his work out cut for him.

"For us, the fact that we have not been playing against top-level opposition has also been a problem," said Simunic when met at the Jerudong Mini Stadium during the team's training session yesterday.

"The team that I have now have been together for the past month and our friendly games against local clubs are always comfortable wins for us.But that does not mean we are a strong team.

"We have some experience playing in the 2008 Pertamina Independence Cup in indonesia, though we did not perform well in the tournament," he added.

Representing the sultanate at the tournament in August, they lost 2-0 to the Indonesian Under-23 in their first match and fell 1-5 to Libya in their second game.

Identifying Laos and Cambodia as the team's to beat during the AFF Qualifying Cup, Simunic said that the team's twice a day training sessions which resumed this week would be crucial in deciding whether they would be one of the two countries to join co hosts Thailand and Indonesia as well as defending champions Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar in the tournament proper from Dec 5-28.

"If it was not for the fasting month we could have prepared better," said the Croatian "but I cannot change anything."

"We took a week long break during Hari Raya and for the past month or so, our training has not been sufficient.That is why the twice a day training sessions we are undergoing until we leave for Cambodia will be important," he added.

During the fasting month, the team trained sloely at night

However one of the many things which distinguishes Simunic from his predecessor Iordan Stoykov has been his emphasis on fitness  -  explaining the twice a day training sessions which many of the players balked at first.

Players such as striker Shahrazen Hj Md Said, defender Pg Sallehuddin  Pg Damit and winger Sairol Sahri are once again expected to be key figures in the team when they take to the pitch in Cambodia.

Though the latter was currently injured and only able to carry out light training, Simunic said that he hoped the player would regain his fitness before next Wednesday, when they are scheduled to leave for the tournament. 

The controversial decision by the Football Association of Malaysia(FAM) banning foreign players from the Malaysian League next season will change the football landscape. 

So what can the football fans expect next season.Can the local players fill the vacuum left by the foreign players or imports in the goal scoring department?

Will main contenders Kedah,Perak and Selangor which had been dependant on imports for goals maintain the same level of standard now that they will not be around.

The contribution of the imports had been enormous and the records speak for itself.The top four strikers in the Super League were imports.

Golden boot winner Marlon James of Kedah led the charts with 23 goals followed by Carlos Caceres of Perak(17),Frank Seator of Selangor(15) and Walter Ariel of Johor FC(14)

 Malaysia's best player was Md Khalid Jamlus of Perak with 13 goals who came fifth.

It was the same story for the Premier League(2nd division)where the imports showed they were a cut above the locals. 

Mouhamodou Moustapha of Kelantan led with 27 goals followed by Otelo Ocompos of Johor Pasir Gudang(23) and Alex Agbo of KL Plus(19)

Kedah's James also dominated the FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup competitions scoring 10 and 15 goals respectively.Imports made their presence felt in Malaysia with the introduction of the Semi-Pro league in 1989.

Except for 2004, when Indera Putera Mahyuddin of Pahang won the Golden Boot with 15 goals, the imports never failed to lead the goalscoring chart.

FAM local competitions committee chairman Datuk Che Mat Jusoh said the decision to ban imports was for the development of Malaysian football as local players found it hard to shine against the imports.

"Without the imports next season, the fans can really evaluate the standard of Malaysian footballers,"he told Bernama.Che Mat said teams which put up fine displays will draw fans to fill the stadiums and this will augur well for the future of Malaysian football.

He said that the imports' presence was of little help to Malaysian football as some lacked quality and caused a drain on the team' resources.

"Some of those plying trade in malaysia are past their best and cannot make it to the majot football leagues in europe," said the FAM vice president.

Other than ban on imports, the last season also show FAM bogged with match fixing allegations by players and the failure of several football associations to pay players' wages and contribute to the Employees Provident Fund(EPF).

DPMM FC 'rock' in defence is back and Rene Komar is determined to make sure that his second spell at the club will help turn their fortunes around.

Joining the team in April,2005 the Croatian was part of the club's rise from the Brunei League in the 2004/2005 season to the Malaysian Premier League in the 2005/2006 season and then on to the Malaysian Super League in the 2006/2007 season where they finished the campaign third.

But since Komar was released last October before the start of the 2007/2008 season,neither of his replacements Abd Hakeem Al-Bahloul and Christian Kono have ben able to provide the consistency, reliability and the quality which made the Croatian a firm fan favourite.

"It feels very good to be back because I have a lot of good memories with the club," said Komar.

"After I was released I went back to Croatia and rejoined my old team NK Pamorac who compete in the second division in Croatia, but because of problems in obtaining my international transfer certificate(ITC),which cam two months later than expected,I could not play for them as the season had already started."

"DPMM contacted me in March and asked whether I would like to re-join the club and they said their season was not going on well and they had several injuries to key players," said Komar, who was honoured with the DPMM "Player of the Year" award two seasons ago.

After their third place finish in their inaugural season, the team's second in the top-flight of the Malaysian football was not successful as they finished a dismal 10th in the 13-team league after being mired in a relegation battle for almost  half of the season.

The release of Komar and ex-head coach Buketa Ranko who had guided the club from the Brunei League to the MSL before the season started could be seen as reasons why the club has failed to live up to its promise, though injuries such as captain Rosmin Khamis, striker Shahrazen Said and leftbacl Sairol Saari also contributed to its poor finish.

"After arriving here and looking at last season's games on video,I notice that the players did not seem as confident as before," said Komar when asked what changes he had noticed since he returned.

"Sometimes they did not enter the field looking like they know they were capable of beating their opponents and I think the bad results at the start might had a negative effect on the team"

"But we can easily change the mentality ... all we need to do is win a couple of games to get the confidence back," added Komar.

The Croatian defender played his "first" game for DPMM during their 1-0 loss to Woodlands Wellington in the 1st round of the RSB Singapore Cup on May 9,which also marked the debut of former Perak Liberian striker Keita Mandjou.

With Kono and compatriot Belibi and Pierre Olivier Bakalag all released by the club, their departure means that the team still have space for one more import player most likely a midfielder.

The 2008/09 season is set to kick off on Nov 1.

Although the Malaysian Super League is already come to a close, DPMM FC will begin their RSB Singapore Cup campaign against Woodlands Wellington FC in the first round.

 "I am quite happy with the situation of the team right now.We have got the confidence within the team after gaining a sweet victory against Perak as a model in the upcoming Singapore Cup," said the head coach Vjeran Simunic during the training session at the Mini Stadium yesterday afternoon.

As for further satisfation for Simunic is his ability to change the mentality of the players and being able to change the style of his team's performance in the small space of time.

According to him, the players are eager in training now to give a good match against Woodlands this Friday.

"After bringing back the confidence of the team,now I am aiming to bring victory for the team.Im hoping to get moral support and assistance from all aspects to get the ambition," he said.

For the RSB trophy, DPMM will be strengthen with the services of Guinean striker,Keita Mandjou and will welcome back the services of defender,Rene Komar.

"If I am fielded,this will be my debut with DPMM.I am confident, with the potential of the team,I am hoping to give my best for the team," said Mandjou.

According to him,teamwork within the team are the major factor in forming a good team and he had seen the DPMM players are in the right path.

DPMM have left for Singapore this morning(7th May) 

Notching up only their fourth win of the MLS campaign last night,DPMM's 2-1 win over Perak at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium which saw them move up on one notch to 10th means the club will continue to play their football in the top flight next season.

Christian Kono made sure the team won't be losing any sleep over the issue after the Cameroonian grabbed the winner in the last game of the season with an effort from outside the box in the 75th minute.

Striker,Shahrazen Said gifted the home side the lead in the 14th minute after taking advantage of a slip-up in the Perak defence to blast the ball home, thought their lead was short-lived as Carlos Caceres levelled the scores from the penalty spot in the 24th minute.

For DPMM head coach,Vjeran Simunic,it was mission accomplished after taking over the ailing team in mid-March and guiding them through a string of results which ensured them of a third straight season in the MSL.

"This is the close of an era which began when I started working with the team," said Simunic, "and I achieved my target of avoiding relegation"

Pouncing on a poor clearance by a Perak defender,Shahrazen volleyed the ball past keeper Md Nasril Nourdin  who could do nothing to stop the shot- though it was at his near post.

But the visitors were back on level terms after Caceres bagged his 17th goal of the season when he sent goalkeeper Md Wardun the wrong way to score with a low shot to the left during a penalty kick.

The penalty was given after Kono judged to have tugged a Perak player's shirt, a dubious decision which was met with great ire from the DPMM bench.

Still in control of the match,DPMM continued to create attacking opportunities down both flanks and pinned the visitors into theor own ha;f until the halftime whistle.

With Cameroonian Didier Belibi doing a superb job playing in the usual position of a defensive midfielder, his aerial ability and and ball winning skills starved Perak off the ball - though he would have been a greater threat had his ball distribution was on the same level as his other attributes.

Though Perak gained some momentum at the start of the second half, they were unable to convert their meagre chances and were made to pay 15 minutes from time.

After clashing with Shariman Che Omar who was carrying the outside the box ,Kono's well-placed shot to the top right corner sent the crowd into celebrations and the Bruneians would maintain the score-line until the end of the match. 

Allegations of match-fixing might be rife in the Malaysian Super League at the moment but DPMM tem manager Pg Waslimin PSJ Momin insists that the club is not involved.

An ongoing probe by the Malaysian authorities into 2 Super League teams- Sarawak and PDRM - have seen 7 players from Sarawak and 9 from PDRM picked up for questioning.

The 7 players from Sarawak who were held overnight at a police lock-up have been freed, while no action were taken against the 9 PDRM players.

However, a 39-year old former Sarawak player has been remanded for four days from Friday to assist the investigation by the Malaysian Corruption Agency(ACA)

"I can't really comment on this but I feel it only concerns the Malaysian teams,"said Pg Waslimin in an interview with the Brunei Times yesterday.

"There is no suspicion of any DPMM player and we have not received any word from MSL Sdn Bhd regarding any DPMM involvement," he added.

Abd Raub,chief special investigator at the Anti-Corruption Bureau(ACB),yesterday said that they had not received any word on the matter from their Malaysian counterparts.

"The ACA has not contacted us about this and DPMM officials have not lodged any reports ot complains either," said Abd Raub.

"I think this is more of their (ACA's) problem and we don't want to interfere," he added when contacted yesterday.

According to the chief special investigator, the last time ACB was asked to investigate charges of match-fixing in Brunei football was in the early 1990's when Brunei were competing in the semi-pro league during those times.

This year's scandal is the latest blow to Malaysian football, which has never been recovered from a 1994 investigation that saw 126 players picked up for questioning.

In that debacle,21 players and coaches were sacked, while 58 players were suspended by the Football Association of Malaysia on corruption charges. 

Brunei DPMM faced another setback when they lost to NS Naza in Paroi last night.But despite the loss, they have now saved from relegation since the other 3 bottom teams each loss their respective games.

Brunei DPMM started the game with only 1 mission in mind, aiming to take all three points, pushed forward with Piere Olivier Bakalag looking dangerous upfront wuth Shahrazen Said.

Bakalag who caught offside several times before he scored the first goal for the visitor.Winger V.Jaganathan sent in well-taken corner into the penalty box and Bakalag headed the first goal in the 14th minute.

Subramaniam caught Brunei DPMM keeper Wardun offguard when the Naza player saw Wardun came off his line, but Subramaniam's shot whiskered away in the 25th minute.

Naza scored the equaliser when Shaurain Samah shot the ball into the back of the net in the 33rd minute to level it 1-1.

NS Naza got the team ahead when he dispatched a controversial penaltyto lead 2-1 before the half. The extednded their lead to make it 3-1 in the 75th.

Brunei DPMM's Pg Sallehuddin pulled a goal back from a penalty to score 3-2.

But that was not enough,and Naza got all the three points thanks for the referee giving a controversial penalty for the home side. 

DPMM FC head coach Vjeran Simunic last night admitted that relegation was a genuine concern for the team as they fell to their nineth defeat of the season, a 2-0 loss against Johor FC in their MSL match a tthe Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium last night.

Second best for most of the night,DPMM never really got intio the game and failed to establish any rhythm with their passes.

I do not think we will be relegated but I do feel we have to depend on the results of other teams," said Simunic after the match.

Another three or four points will see us through, but psychologically , we are at a difficult time right now and our bench is very weak as well.

"Overall I am not satisfied with my player's performance but if you had to ask  me why we lost I would say it is because Johor FC are stronger and more experienced side,' he added.

The result maintains DPMM's standings of 10th in the 13 team league, but with only 2 matches left and Police,Penang and Sarawak only one,three and five points behind respectively,Simunic's fear are not unfounded.

Moving up one spot to fourth,Johor FC got on the scoresheet through striker Walter Silva in the 27th minute and the Argentinian latched on to a Md Azian Baba shot which rebounded off the bar.

Johor FC did well to create space and exploit it in the second half, and they scored their insurance goal in ther 63rd minute when a cross-field pass put Eddy Helmi on the right flank throughon goal with only goalkeeper Pg Hamzah to beat which he did with a well-oplaced low shot that Pg Hamzah was only able to get his fingertips too.

Hardly creating any other real chances, it was the home side which had more opportunities in front of goal througout the match but did not capitalise on any.

Having scored in the previous two matches,striker Md Shahrazen Said was expected to deliver once again last nught but he found chances far and few between as a result of a tight Johor FC back line.

In addition,new striker Pierre Bakalag failed to impress the crowd on his home debut, and the Cameroonian's performance was marked by wayward passes and defenders possessing the ball from him.

Their next game is on Saturday against NS Naza at the Tuanku Abd Rahman Stadium at Paroi, where the team will have to win at least a share of the points if they want to maintain their survival hopes.

DPMM FC will close the season with a home match against Perak on May 3.

DPMM FC will no doubt be counting on Shahrazen Said for the goals once again as the team faces off against Johor FC of the MLS at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium tonight.

The team need at least 4 points from the last 3 games to confirm their MSL status next season, and after scoring a brace during the team's 3-3 draw againast Penang on March 5 and netting the winner against Sarawak last Saturday,the pressure is on the 22-year old to deliver for the third game in a row.

Currently the team's second-best top-scorer with 4 goals,Shahrazen Saidhas helped picked up the slack when captain and club's top-scorer with 5 goals,Rosmin Khamis, suffered a season ending ligament tear nearly 2 months ago.

Though not playing with the same killer instinct and pace that characterised his performance last season when he finished as the league's joint top-scorer after missing half of this season due to a fractured ankle,Shahrazen has been showing signs of regaining some of his former glory.

The matcgh will be the second for new signing Pierre Olivier Bakalag,Shahrazen's 24-year old Cameroonian striking partner who put pen to paper last week.

Set to make his home debut tonight after the match against Sarawak, the performance of Shahrazen and Bakalag will also be one of the talking points of this week's game.

With only three games remaining and just 6 points adrift from relegation,Brunei DPMM FC's game against Johor FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium tonight would be crucial for them if they want to remain in the TM Super League next season.

Coach Simunic reminded his players on the crucial game ahead.

"Currently, every game is crucial for the team, however a victory against Johor will help us reach our target to remain in the league next year."

"I am pleased with new import Pierre Olivier Bakalag's performance last week.He played well and I hope he will continue to progress," Simunic added.

On Shahrazen's current form, he said :"I am happy that is almost back to his previous scoring form.In the last game, he was having a fever but managed to score against Sarawak."

Assistant coach, Ali Momin, shared Simunic's view on the win against Sarawak.

"Our win in Kuching is very important as to keep the gap of 6 points between bottom of the league Penang and DPMM."

"Unexpected, last Saturday,Penang shocked Selangor 4-1 anf if we didn't win last week, the gap would be wider," he added.

I anyone could liftDPMM FC out of their current slump you'd would think it would be Shahrazen Said.

And true enough the team have the striker to thank for last night's 1-0 Malaysian Super League win over Sarawak at the Sarawak Stadium at Kuching their first victory on the road and only their third in the league this season.

Winless since their 2-0 result against Kedah on New Year's Day, Shahrazen's goal in the 21st minute means that the club will not make it 15 games without a victory.

The victory maintains DPMM's standing of 10th in the 13-team table and they now have 19 points from 21 games.

With 4 games remaining in the TM Super League, Brunei DPMM cannot afford to lose any points when they face Sarawak tonight at Sarawak Stadium in Kuching.

It will be a crucial game for both teams as Brunei DPMM and Sarawak are currently fighting, against the drop to Malaysia's Premier League.

Fans of Brunei DPMM have something to looking forward in tonight's match especially with the new Cameroon striker, Pierre Olivier Bakalag, replacing another Cameroonian player, Ndongo Francois Mpessa, a defender.

The Cameroonian striker is scheduled to make his first appearance in the red and balck jersey tonight to help Brunei DPMM the problem of scoring goals.

In addition Brunei DPMM will be looking to forget the dissapointing 3-3 draw against bottom of the league Penang.Brunei DPMM coach Simunic in an interview said,"We need to bounce back and recover from the unlucky draw against Penang."

"I cannot forget the game against Penang and the results kept haunting em as I analysed the game.I must say that we were unlucky becuase the three goals came us from the free kicks.The referee made a few crucial wrong calls after seeing footages of the match," Simunic added.

Assistant coach, Ali Momin shared the views of Simunic."Referees could made a huge impact on the game and a few wrong calls will shift the momentum of the game to the opponents".

"Our sloppy defending was also one of the main reasons for Penang fight back for a draw.We will work hard to improve on that department."

Against Sarawak,Simunic said,"Salleh will miss the game receiving three yellows and  Azwan is doubtful after picking an injury the previous game."

On Shahrazen he said,"After his two goals against Penang,he has regained his confidence of scoring and I hope he will continue to score in the coming matches.

DPMM's head coach Vjeran Simunic is hoping that the introduction of a 3-5-2 ormation ahead of tonight's Malaysian Super League against Penang will mark the dawn of the new era for the club.

Switching from a 4-4-2 formation to a 3-5-2 after they were 3-0 down against Kedah on Tuesday night, Simunic felt that the latter formation was more suited to the players' style as they managed to limit the Canaries to a single goal for the next hour and went on to score one themselves.

"What we have learnt from that game is we have to change our system as the team are not suited to playing the diamond(4-4-2)," said Simunic yesterday about his first competitive game in charge of the club.

"That game came at the wrong time for us because Kedah are the league leaders and are the best team in Malaysia at the moment.

"But now I have found out that Cameroonian defender Christian Kono can play as a libero,so that make it easier for the other players to adjust to playing 3-5-2, a formation they enjoyed great success with last season," said Simunic.

But with a string of poor results under Buketa's successor - Iordan Stoykov - which has seen them fail to win a single game since New Year, the team sit 10th in the 13-team league.

With 9 points from 19 games, Penang are rock bottom in the league and trail DPMM by 6 points.

Nevertheless,Simunic said that he was not going to take them lightly as he felt their league standings were not a ggod indication of their quality.

"We have been training seriously for the match and we hope this will be the game that lifts us out of our slump," said Simunic, who will be incharge of his firat home game tonight.

"This club has been under pressure for a long time, so I hope that the players will take the chance to make this match the turning point of the season," said the 53-year old coach."Though we might be suffering some injury concerns, I am confident I can find a winning formula and we can pull it off." 

Brunei DPMM will be reverting back to its successful formula of 3-5-2 formation when they face Penang in the TM Super League at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Saturday night.

This season under former coach Stoykov, Brunei DPMM were not doing well under the 4-4-2 system.Under the new coach Simunic, the team will play the 3-5-2 system against Penang, the same formation that brought Brunei DPMM much success last year by taking the third spot.

In an interview, Simunic who favours the 3-5-2 formation said: "The 3-5-2 system is very good for the team but the coach before me had changed the system to 4-4-2.We will try out the new formation against Penang.

Already without inspirational captain Rosmin Khamis, Brunei DPMM will be playing on Saturday without the services of Hardi Bujang who was suspended with 3 yellows.

"It will be a very important game for us especially there are only 5 matches left in the league.We have to recover from the defeat by league leaders Kedah," said Simunuc.

"I hope the team will put up a good performance show like the friendly match against the Brunei League Selection and start winning games."

"We will see the progress of Wardun these few days on whether he is fit enough to play.Currently, I am happy with the import players, however we are still in need of strikers.Shahrazen still need time to regain his confidence of scoring and he will be partnering Azwan on Saturday."

On Penang,Simunic said,"All the teams in the league want to win especially Penang when they are currently facing relegationWe are preparing very seriously for this game and the remaining games."

On the team's prespect of being relegated, he said, "I have been in this situation many times in my life.I trust my team and myself that we can pull through in the last 5 games to avoid relegation."

It seems like the never ending transfer saga that DPMM are surrounded in is not coming to a stop anytine soon, with the team yesterday revealing that they would resign defender Rene Komar for next season's MSL campaign.

The news comes just days after the club reported that it would sign striker Keita Mandjou next season.

Axed from the team last October, the Croatian - who used to play as a libero - was deemed surplus to requirement when ex head coach Iordan Stoykov took over at the beginning of this season.

Moroccan defender Abd Hakim Al-Bahloul was signed to replace Komar as Stoykov felt that the team needed "a new motivator".

But after El-Bahloul was released last month because of a season-ending injury to his left hamstring, his replacements just did not seem to have the same edge Komar did playing as a central defender.

If the report is to be believed, then either Cameroonian Christain Kono or Francois Mpessa will be shown the door.

Joining the team in April,2005, Komar was an integral part of the club's rise from the Brunei League in the 2004/05 season to the Malaysian Premier League(2nd league) and then on to the Malaysian Super League(1st league) in the 2007/07 season.

The fact that his display was so invaluable for the team that they honoured him with the DPMM Player of the Year award last season seemed to have been overlooked when they released him last year.

After leaving the club, he rejoined his former club,NK Pomorac,which competes in the second division of Croatian football.

The idea to resign him might have been an impetus from new Croatian coach Vjeran Simunic, who took over the hot seat when Stoykov resigned last month after a dismal string of results which saw the club fail to win a single match since New Year's Day.

Brunei DPMM team manager, Pg Waslimin blamed his players after they were thrashed 4-1 by the hands of Kedah in the MSL camapaign.

"Our team were punished because of their own fault.I saw at least three of their goals can be avoided but Kedah took full advantage of it," he said after being interviewed after the match.

Although our performance are better with the arrival of Simunic,Pg Waslimin stressed that the aspect of the individual players is still poor. 

Kedah only needed two minutes to beat Wardun Yusof through Badrol Bakhtiar and 20 minutes later,Badrol netted his second goal of the night.

Fadli Baharom took his turn to score his team's third before Belibi took one back before half time.

Marlon Alex James netted his team's fourth near the fianl whistle.

"We have a few chances through Md Shahrazen but because of poor finishing,he was unable to score.We might have a penalty but was not given,"said Pg Waslimin.

He added,Simunic began the 4-4-2 formation,but after seeing that his team was unable to create actively, the Croatian changed to 3-5-2.

The loss still let DPMM on 10th on the table,only Sarawak and PDRM a point less,while Penang remains on the botttom of the table. 

It was not the start that he wanted.DPMM's new coach Vjeran Simunic last night saw his team go down 4-1 to MSL leaders Kedah at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar.

The match was only 10 minutes old when Badrol Bakhtiar gave the Canaries the lead.Eighteen minutes later Badrol again punished the Bruneians to make it 2-0.

Md Fadly Baharom then make it 3-0 in the 38th minute.

Cameroonian striker Didier Belibi pulled one back for DPMM when he scored before the half.

Kedah,however, restored their three-goal cushion when MSL top-scorer Marlon Alex James netted their fourth of the night seven minutes before the whistle. 

Will Brunei DPMM new coach Vjeran Simunic be able to atleast improve the position of DPMM in the league where they are at 10th place at the moment?

 The Croatian who had coached 15 top teams under his belt will need his experience when DPMM will go to Darul Aman Stadium, Alor Setar, to play against Kedah, this Sunday.

"The training method given by him is by far different than the previous coach and Simunic mainly focus on attacking methids and positioning," said DPMM team manager Pg Waslimin.

Mentioning on their preparation against Kedah, Pg Waslimin knew that this will be a challenge for the team knowing that Kedah is at the top of the league at the moment.

He said, Kedah under Md Azraai Khor Abdullah will be no doubt has to work hard - with their advantage playing at home - to improve their standings in the league that remains 6 games to go.

Although, Pg Waslimin is confident their boys will be able to give a good fight and to take atleast a point away from home.DPMM beat Kedah 2-0 in their home match encounter.

According to him,with a long rest without any league matches since 15th March - this will be a good chance for Simunic to read each of his players change a bit of rhythm.

"It looks like Simunic will not change the format position but will concentrate on attacking effectiveness," said the team manager.

In this Sunday's game,DPMM will missed the services of Hj Subhi due to injury, and Azwan Salleh because of suspension.

Up til now, DPMM have completed 18 matches with 2 wins,drawn 9 with 15 points. 

Brunei DPMM were just too good for DST Group Brunei Premier League XI winning 7-0 in an exciting friendly match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium last night.

A hat-trick from on-trial Brunei DPMM player Henry Paul Mvoum ran riot in front of goal with his powerful header giving BPL XI no chance to overturn the deficit.

Brunei DPMM opened accounts shortly when Francois Mpessa met a Sairol Sahri's corner to take the lead on the 7th minute.

Sairol again inspired the team with another fine corner kick and it was sent in to the back of the net by Mvoum in the 10th minute.

Mvoum added his second of the night 15 minutes later after Hardi Bujang found him in the box to lead 3-0.

Mvoum grabbed his hattrick when he turned Mpessa's header with a bicycle kick that took BPL XI keeper Md Ali Anapiah off the ground in the 30th minute.

After the half, Christian Kono headed in the fifth goal from another corner.

The tall Brunei DPMM defender met Victor Jaganathan's 61st minute corner before Md Shahrazen scored from a counter attack to make it 6-0 in the 82nd minute.

Fadlin Galawat proved to be vital upfront when he came in the 85th minute and grabbed the 7th goal for Brunei DPMM.

The flamboyant striker curled in a long shot in the 88th minute to finish off the game at 7-0. 

DPMM were left ruing missed chances last night, drawing 0-0 with a second string Perlis side in their MLS match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium and stretching their winless streak to 15 in all competitions.

Controlling the first half with their fluid passing and good off the ball movement,DPMM's lion's share of possession was largely due to V.Jaganathan who pulled all the strings in midfield.

Cameroonian defender Christian Kono was also impressive in his home debut, winning duels, distributing well,clearing all aerial threats and looking distinctively at ease with the ball at feet.

From the number of opportunities they created in the first half,is seemed that a goal in the second half for the home side was a safe bet.

But Perlis pulled up their socks in the second half and the midfield battle turned out to be an equally one. 

However, though they created a couple of scoring chances, by and large they were content to put men behind the ball and defend.Jaganathan saw his header after a corner kick cleared off the goal-line in the 59th minute, and a few minutes later striker Didier Belibi suffered the same fate.

Even the inclusion of Hj Khairol Annuar into the game in the 70th minute to join Shahrazen and Belibi in attack did not pay dividends and also saw more desperate defending by their opponents.

Shahrazen had a chance to steal all three points in injury time, but his shot which flew wide off the crossbar epitomised his team's poor showing on the night.

The result maintains their 10th spot in the 13-team table while Perlis are still eighth. 

DPMM have gone 14 matches without a win,in all competitions, but tonight's MSL match against a depleted Perlis side at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium might be their best bet to grab their third win of the season.

Travelling to Brunei without the services of their two imports and three key local players, Perlis know that they will have their work cut out for them if they want a share if the points tonight.

Zambain striker and the team's top-scorer,Phillimon Chipeta will be serving the first of his two-match ban he picked up after being shown a red card during their MSL match against MyTeam on Tuesday.

His compatriot in defence, Kabwe Kamuzati, has yet to recover from the head injury he was involved last week.

Meanwhile, captain Yusri Che Lah is also suspended,and injuries to Md Fauzie Nan and Abd Aziz means that the Northern Lions will have to heavily rely on their local talent for tonight's match.

"In view of this complicated situation, it is obvious that we have a difficult time in deciding who to field in the starting 11," said Perlis head coach Irfan Bakti.

"We need the services of Chipeta and Kabwe to strengthen the team, but becuase of their respective problems we have had to put them aside for this game. "we have no choice but to field the local players, especially young talent... though the line up will be a hundred percent local,I hope they will be able to come up with an excellent performance and return with at least one point,"Irfan was quoted as saying.

The match will be the second for new signing Christian Kono in defence, after the Cameroonian won reviews from assistant coach Ali Momin after their 0-0 draw at Pahang on Tuesday. 

DPMM FC's assistant coach Ali Hj Momin yesterday praised the performance of his new signing Christian Kono who made his debut on Tuesday night in their 0-0 draw against Pahang, but warned that it would take more time to gauge him.

Putting pen to paper earlier this week, the Cameroonian impressed the team with his defensive skills in the MSL match at the Darul Makmur Stadium  -  where DPMM slumped to their 13th straight game without a win.

"Kono played well and he was good especially in the air," said Ali yesterday.

"However we cannot judge him based on that game alone, and we will have to see a lot more of him in action before we can assess him properly.

"We had our chances to score, bit I guess both teams were unlucky not to see their efforts materialise into goas,"added the assistant coach.

Signed to replace the injured Moroccan defender Abdel Hakim Al-Bahloul,it is safe bet to say that Kono - who used to ply trade at Persegi FC - will definitely shore up the team's backline which has leaked 13 goals in the last 5 games leading up to the Pahang match.

Though the return to Brunei without the three points, the result moves the club up two spots to 10th and out of the danger zone.Tehy also lead the league with the most draws - eight.

Ali stated that the result was a fair one, as any share of the points away from the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium could be counted as a good result- considering the team's current form.

"Our target this season is to stay in the MSL, and results like these away from home are always welcome."said Ali, a former national player.

"We need to make sure we win at hime though, and we should have three points in the bag everytime we play in our own ground," he added.

The assistant coach also said that he was unsure as to when head coach Iordan Stoykov - who handed his resignation last week - would be leaving the club, or whether the Bulgarian would be in charge of the team during theit next game.

DPMM's next game is against Perlis at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Saturday night. 

Brunei DPMM have climbed up to tenth place on the table where they earned a very important one point after a scoreless draw against Pahang at Stadium Darul Makmur in Kuantan last night.

Coach Iordan stoykov who will be leaving DPMM, is still looking for his third win after their New Year Day 2-0 win against Kedah.

Brunei DPMM started the game without inspirational Rosmin Khamis and defender Pg Sallehuddinbut were boosted with the introduction of new signing Christian Kono who took over the place of Abdel Hakim who was released.

In the early exchanges, Rosdi Talib almost gave Pahang a perfect start when his effort outside the penalty boxes, sailed just wide in the third minute.

Five minutes later, Brunei DPMM's new import Didier Belibi saw his long distance attempt stopped by Pahang's goalkeeper,Md Iqbal Suhaimi.

On the 9th minute,Tarik El-Janabi's striker on the dge of the box went straight to Md Wardun.

Twelve minutes later, Md Wardun was called into action again when he made a diving save from a goal attempted by Norhafiz Zamani.

After the interval,Brunei DPMM almost took the lead when the towering Francois Mpessa rose to head the ball that went just inches wide after receiving a cross from Jaganathan.

Brunei DPMM almost took full points  in the dying minutes after a great corner by Jaganathan almost sealed the win by the debutant,Christian Kono when his powerful header bounced into the ground but rebounded over the bar. 

Brunei DPMM's next game will be against Perlis at home on March 15. 

DPMM face Pahang on the road tonight in the MSL with the club in dire need of a win.

Though currently on waiting for the new Croatian coach arrival sometime this week,after Iordan Stoykov handed in his resignation last week before the club played Selangor in a 2-2 draw against Selangor in the FA Cup, tonight's match will see the Bulgarian in charge and in search of the team's first win in 10 MSL games.

Signed from Persegi Bali with the arrival of another Persegi FC player,Didier Belibi, Christian Kono's arrival will add depth to DPMM's back line which recently loss the service of Moroccan Abdel Hakim Al-Bahloul.

Once again,V.Jaganathan will expected to pick up the slack in midfield and it is hoped that stoykov will employ the former Penang player on the flanks as opposed to his usual position as an attacking midfielder.

Jaganathan continues to show promise in attack,and he proved to be at his most dangerous during his last Tuesday's match against Selangor when he was able to drift wide and use his pace and passing to create attacking chances.

Kono's inclusion into the team will show him combined in the central defence alongside Francis Mpessa to stregthen the defence line which looked lacking this season.

The previous meeting of the two sides at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium ended with a 1-1 draw.Currently Pahang sits on 8th position while DPMM is 12th on the MSL table.

Crashing out of the FA Cup on Tuesday night after their 2-2 draw against Selangor saw them lose the first round tie 7-3 on agreegate, and currently 12th in the 13 team Malaysian League, DPMM's season so far doesn't look like improving any time soon.

Head coach Iordan Stoykov's resignation before Tuesday's match was no secret, though the Bulgarian's reasons for leaving the club he took over at the beginning of the season remain under lock and key.

However, contrary to previous reports, Stoykov is still in charge of the team and will remain so until the club finds his replacement.

According to team manger Pg Waslimin PSJ Momin, the Bulgarian only handed in his resignation but the club has yet to approve his release.

"We are not sure when he is due to leave but he will definitely be in charge when we face Pahang at the Darul Makmur Stadium on Saturday night,"said the team manager yesterday.

Walking out of the stadium right after the game against Selangor Stoykov left Pg Waslimin to talk to the Press, and his post-match comments sounded all too familiar.

Describing the players' performance on the night as "average", the team manger said that once they had allowed a hard-fought lead slip away, and their por finishing towards the end of the match prevented the team from grabbing their first win in 12 matches."We managed to open the scoring but then we let our lead slip,"said Pg Waslimin.

"We grabbed the lead again 4 minutes later but again we let them equaliseWe created chances in the end but we failed to capitalise on them,"he added.

Pg Waslim also added that he had tried to find out why Stoykov wanted to leave but failed to find an answer.

"As for Stoykov, I am not sure why he wanted to leave, but I think it might have to do with the team's unsatisfactory performance over the course of the season - which has the squad been riddled with injury," said the team manger.

Shahrazen gave DPMMthe lead in the 49th minute but Selangor's Akmal Rizal made it 1-1 2 minutes later.

Though DPMM would take the lead again 5 minutes later through Cameroonian defender Francois Mpessa ,Akmal Rizal popped up unmarked to make it 2-2 in the 65th minute. 

You would think that after scoring one goal and setting another to help DPMM salvage a 2-2 draw against PDRM in their MSL match on Saturday new signing Didier Belibi would be the happiest man in the team.

But when met at team's training at the Jerudong Park Mini Stadium yesterday, it took a lot of persuading to get the Cameroonian to even break a smile.

"It felt good to score on my debut,but there is no secret that before the game I told my teammates I would score 2 goals," said the 24-year old midfielder.

"I always felt confident I would score but I have been working with the team for the past two weeks and I felt I could easily fit in, and I really think I did on Saturday night.

"So since I have failed to keep my promise,I feel I must say sorry.

"But moving on,I am sure I can find the back of the net again when we face Selangor in the FA Cup 2nd leg on Tuesday," said Belibi, who did not participate in yesterday's training due to a shoulder muscle strain he picked up against PDRM.

Belibi who used to ply his trade at Indonesian league outfit Persegi Bali FC, scoring 21 goals for his team last season and the attacking midfielder has also been played in Greece and France.

Though the Cameroonian was not exactly one to blow his own horn, head coach Iordan Stoykov was more than ready to praise the midfielder who signed on the dotted line a week ago.

When interviewed after the game on Saturday night, Stoykov was quick to extol the performance of Belibi, who was a major factor in the team's fight for a share of the points.

Down 2-0 after 17 minute,Belibi set up Shahrazen and the striker returned the favour with a well-timed pass which saw Belibi equalise in the 76th minute.

Seen as a direct replacement for Brazilian under-performed Tiago dos Santos who was axed, Belibi's performance upfront with Shahrazen in attack in the second half created several scoring chances late in the game.

 However,poor finishing once again denied the team what would have been only their third win of the season.

"Belibi was all over the field and I felt he was a good supplier and distributor of the ball,"said Stoykov.

"He has a lot of fighting spirit, though he would be a better player if he had more stamina." 

Ahead of what might be their 10th straight Malaysian Super League match without a win,DPMM's head coach declared that relegation to the Malaysian Premier League was not a worry for him.

Second last in the league and three points away from basement dwellers Penang, DPMM face PDRM tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in search of the third win of the season.

Although results have not exactly been going his way at the moment, DPMM boss Iordan Stoykov said that demotion was not in his vocabulary.

"DPMM will never drop to the Premier League," said a defiant Stoykov yesterday

"And why is that?It is becuase we do not deserve to go down.

"All teams have problems but I don't want to talk all the negative things we have had to endure over the course of the season.

"What I want is a positive attitude from everyone and players who are fully committed to fighting, and fighting hard," added the Bulgarian.

Adding that his players needed to overcome any physiological effects or mental block they might be facing during matches, he felt it would only be a matter of time until they got a victory.

"They are already playing to the best of their efforts so a win is only inevitable," added Stoykov.

The 56-year old coach also went on to state that the side had no inury concerns coming into tonight's clash apart from that to captain Rosmin Khamis,who suffered a season ending ligament tear in his left knee.

Described as "the heart of the team" by stoykov yesterday, the midfielder- who is the team's leading scorer with 5 goals- will surely be missed.

Vicotr Jaganathan is another player who will not be on the team list tonight as the Penang midfielder will be serving the second of his two-match ban, which he picked up last Saturday after being shown a straight red during the match against Selangor.

DPMM have the second worst record for goals scored this season, with their tally of 16 just two more than that of Penang.

The first round encounter between the two sides saw Police win 2-1 with Md Faizal Abdullah and Md Azlan Ismail netting for the Malaysians and Moroccan defender Abdel Hakem Al-Bahloul scoring for the Bruneians. 

Brunei DPMM lost 2-0 to Terengganu at Sultan Ismail Stadium in Terengganu last night.

 Terengganu opened the account through a powerful header by Brazilian Gleisson Freire in the 9th minute.Terengganu initiated their attack down the left and sent a beautiful cross towards Freire whio beat DPMM's keeper Pg Hamzah from close range.

Brunei DPMM almost replied immediately when skipper Fadlin Galawat tried a volley from Md Shahrazen's cross.But the experienced striker could not able to keep the ball downward.

 Freire who had 8 goals this season before kick-off look hungry for goals.The Brazilian striker tried a wide shot from the right only to see it swept away from goal in the 27th minute.

Brunei DPMM's defender Hakim Al-Bahloul, back from injury, kept a keen eye on the dangerman of Terengganu,The rock solid defending by the Moroccan defender, alongside Francois Mpessa, stopped the team from conceding another in the first half.

Brunei DPMM were froced to make an early change after the half hour mark.Md Helmi Panjang who picked up an injury earlier was substituted by Hj Khairol Anwar.

After the restart,Brunei DPMM were determined to get an equaliser.Fadlin started a great run down the middle looking for support from each side of the field.

Wingers Hardi Bujang and Azwan Salleh were ready to receive any through ball from their captain,but Terengganu were quick to close down Fadlin before he could make the breakthrough.

Freire finally scored his second in the 62nd minute.Freire lost his marker and put a powerful shot past keeper Pg Hamzah to lead 2-0.

Despite trailing by 2 goals,DPMM put up a good fight against the home team.Wingback Sairol Sahri cam forward to help in attack and almost got himself on the scoresheet.Sairol attempted a long shot from the left only to see his shot cruised over the bar.

Brunei DPMM will face PDRM this Saturday at the Hassanl Bolkiah National Stadium. 

Selangor beat Brunei DPMM 5-1 in the first leg of the FA Cup at Shah Alam Stadium last night.

Selangor looked threatening in the first minute fielding their on-form striker Md Safee Sali and Seator upfront.Indera Putera Mahyuddin supported the attack down the left when he sent in a low cross.Brunei DPMM's Victor Jaganathan was quick to clear the danger away.

In the 5th minute, Md Shahrazen Said almost grabbed an away goal when he was released by captaim Fadlin Galawat.md Shahrazen however beat the keeper but just passed over the bar,Last season,he would have given DPMM FC the valuable lead and changed the game.

Fadlin Galawat tested the Selangor keeper,Md Sufian Abd Rahman in the 12th minute with a volley when Hj Subhi Bakir sent in a free kick.

The home team finally broke the deadlock after a tensed first quarter through Md Safee Sali in thr 14th minute.The Malaysian international followed up a header from teammate Frank Seator to lead 1-0.

Md Safee Sali continued his good scoring form and had his second goal minutes after Brunei DPMM missed a penalty that could pulled the game level.

After the restart Brunei DPMM in their white strip were keen to get an equaliser quickly.Jaganathan showed some brilliant footwork and beat two defenders before putting it to the bottom corner.But his shot was well-blocked by the Selangor keeper.

Selangor got back their tempo and got his goal 5 minutes after Md Safee Sali scored a hattrick with a powerful left shot on the 61st minute to lead 3-0.Seator got his team's fourth of the night.Akmal Rizal came on on the 75th minute and headed the team's fifth on the 80th minute.Brunei DPMM's substitute Hasnawi Ismail pulled a goal back on the 83rd minute to end 5-1. 

DPMM FC's hopes of winning tonight's first round FA Cup clash against Selangor at the Shah Alam Stadium were dealt a heavy blow after head coach Iordan stoykov yesterday revealed that his squad was decimated by injury.

Moroccan Abdul Haim Al-Bahloul recently pulled his hamstring in training and fellow defender Pg Sallehuddin Pg Damit is also not available for selection.

In addition,Brazilian striker Tiago Roberto dos Santos is also in the injury list after pullinh his hamstring during the team's goaless draw against MyTeam in the league last Tuesday.

Midfielder Hardi Bujang is still out with a fractured left ankle when he picked upduring the league game against MyTeam on Feb 2, but undoubtedly the most worrying injury concern for Stoykov has to be that to his captain, Rosmin Khamis.

Leading the team with 5 goals in 13 matches, the midfielder, who is increasingly being employed as an attacking midfielder,is being out indefinitely with a possible ligament tear in his right leg.

According to teammate,Shahrazen Said,Rosmin was vying for the ball during a tackle in training on Sundayand injured himself when he fell down hard and a player on trial fell on top of him.

"I am not sure what exactly the extent of the injury is but I fear he might be out for the rest of the season," said Stoykov yesterday.

"My only hope for today's match is to field my second choice players and play for a draw.

"That is my target .Fight for a draw at Shah Alam and go for a win in the home leg on March 4.

"We just have to give our best effort and I am confident the reserve players can rise to the occasion.

"We have 6 games in the next three weeks so every wrong step for us now will be dangerous,"warned the Bulgarian coach.

Fadlin Galawat is expected is expected to deputise in place of Dos Santos but even Fadlin is not 100% fit as he is still nursing a niggling knee and ankle injury.

The last match up between the two sides saw Selangor run out 2-1 victors in the league in the Shah Alam Stadium on Jan 26, but only because of a 73rd minute penalty kick by striker Frank Seator.

Brunei DPMM will have local fans roaring for them even though they are playing away in the first leg of the Malaysia FA Cup against Selangor at Shah Alam Stadium on Tuesday, Feb 19.

Local dealer Maju Motors Sdn Bhd has agreed to sponsor the live telecast of the match on the local television station.Radio Television Brunei 2(RTB2) from 8.45 to 10.45pm.

Signing on behalf of Maju Motors Sdn Bhd is their Executive Director Chan Key Hong, while club manager Hj Eady Sardi Razak , signed on behalf of DPMM FC.The ceremony was witnessed by Hj Osman Mohd,Director of RTB.

Hj Eady is thankful to the sponsorship courtesy of Maju Motors and added that the team hoped to win the firsy away agme.

"We are invited for this competition this year, unlike last year, and giving the advantage to play an away game first."

"We will try our best and if we get a good result there(away at Shah Alam Stadium),we will have the home advantage in the return leg," added Hj Eady.

Meanwhile,Chan said it was an honour for us to bring the live telecast to the local audience.

"We want to show our moral support and give some sort of motivation to our players,and want them to know that the whole of Brunei are behind the team on that night."

On sponsoring other telecasts,Chan said :"We will have to look at how the team performs in the coming games."

"We hope DPMM will become the champion," added Chan.

The second leg of the FA Cup will be played on March,4 at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

Brunei DPMM snatched a point with MyTeam when they drew 0-0 at MBPJ Stadium in Selangor at the start of the second round of the MSL lastnight.

MyTeam came out confidently playing in their home soil and attempted to look for an early goal.Arumugam, led the attack for MyTeam down the right.

Arumugam penetrated the DPMM defence before blasting his shot wide.Minutes later,MyTeam's playmaker Miljan Radovic had his long shot went above the bar.

It was the first time the two of Brunei DPMM's prolific strikers were paired in the field this season.Shahrazen Said and under-performed Tiago dos Santos always looked dangerous upfront,but his form is quite down this season surprisingly.

Tiago had an early chance wasted infront of goal.Jaganathan exchanged a quick pass with skipper Rosmin Khamis .Victor,who earned his place in the starting line-up after his good performance in the last game,calmly sent in a deep cross to the unmarked Tiago who hit wide in the 15th minute.

After the breather,Brunei DPMM raised the tempo and started the attack from Md Shahrazen and Tiago.Md Shahrazen almost broke the deadlock in the 55th minute from an Azwan Salleh's cross only to send it wide.

Tiago could have silenced the crowd after his breathing shot in the 65th minute.Md Shahrazen released the Brazilian down into the MyTeam penalty box only to see his shot hit the side netting.

Tiago was substituted due to a pull muscle on his thigh and was replaced by Khairol Annuar in the 66th minute.Brunei DPMM however, manged to hold the pressure and ended with a 0-0 draw. 

Brunei DPMM will take on UPB MyTeam in the first match of the second round of the Malaysian Super League at the MBPJ Stadium, Selangor tonight.

This will be the second time Brunei DPMM will be playing against UPB MyTeam after losing to them 3-2 10 days ago at home.

DPMM will be without striker Fadlin Galawat,due to suspension but this will not affect the team because Shahrazen is already fit for tonight's game.

Brunei DPMM will welcome back Tiago dos Santos who had served his one match suspension and coach Iordan Stoykov will need to get the best out of the Brazilian striker.

Tiago had knocked in two goals from his four appearances with the team.He made a brilliant debut to the team when he scored the equaliser against Pahang and another against Selangor.

Brunei DPMM, yet to find another win, will also be heartened by the return of their prolific frontman Md Shahrazen Said after a lengthy injury.

Md Shahrazen played a full 90 minutes against MyTeam but could not pace up playing under high temperature early morning. Earlier in the night,he scored his first goal this season to led 1-0 but was not counted,because of light failure.

Both teams are now locked at 11 points and a win will see either one of the team to leapfrog Pahang or PDRM, if the results go to their way. 

Sitting 10th in the 13 teams Malaysian Super League table at the end of the first round,DPMM FC's season thus so far can be termed lacklustre at best.

With two wins and five draws in 12 matches, Iordan Stoykov's men can attribute their poor record to an assortment of factors.

Through new formations,an ever changing squad and a seemingly fickle mental fortitude may be reasons for their lack of success on the pitch,one rationale reigns above all as to why they sit nearer to the relegation zone than the summit of the league.

Poor finishing has been the club's ailment ever since last season's joint top-scorer Shahrazen Said suffered a fractured ankle on Nov,18 against Perak and was ruled out for virtually half of the season.

Marking his return to fitness with a goal in the 6th minute against MyTeam last Saturday night, the 22-year old striker's triumphant comeback was shortlived as the game had to be called-off due to faulty floodlights at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

Forced to play on Sunday morning with the score levelled at 0-0, the Bruneians eventually went down 3-2,largely due to lack of fitness due to high hot weather compare with the young MyTeam which consists mainly of Under-21 Malaysian players.

Though they have found the back of the net 15 times in the first half of the season, teh Bruneians have seen their goalkeeper Md Wardun pluck the ball out of his net 14 times.

However,it is their lack of firepower and failure to capitalise on scoring opportunities that have hurt them the most, something only natural when a club loses a player who have scored 22 goals last season.

Their record of 15 goals scored is the third worst in the league and basement dwellers Penang and MSL strugglers Pahang have scored fewer goals.

On the flip side, only Perak and Perlis have let in fewer goals-one less - so DPMM's defence can't be blamed for their current quandry.

Compared to last season, DPMM were second on table midway through the 2006/2007 MSL campaign and were the league's top-scorer with 22 goals after 12 matches.

Surely the very same team could not have turned into relegation contenders over the space of a year, could they?

DPMM's midfielders may not be accustomed to playing in Stoykov's 4-4-2 diamond formation and, as a result, may not be creating enough scoring opportunities for their forwards.

But the chances they have carved have seldom been converted,be it by perpetually injured Fadlin Galawat, the showboating Brazilain Tiago dos Santos or by captain Rosmin Khamis who have been ineffective in performance lately.

What the team need is a forward who can consistently capitalise on the chances that the midfielders create and dos Santos have shown himself to be the most worthy candidate.

All in all, Stoykov will be heartened by Shahrazen's return and the sharpshooter's finishing will decide their second half of the season which kicks off against MyTeam at the MPPJ Stadium in Petaling Jaya next Tuesday. 

It was another game and another failure to pick up all three points for Iordan Stoykov's men,with DPMM losing 3-2 to MyTeam at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Satdium yesterday morning in what was a rematch of their MSL game on Saturday nught which had to be called off due to faulty flashlights.

Leading 1-0 courtesy of an early Shahrazen goal who was making his comeback after an injurt layoff- goal on Sturday were forced to play yesterday morning with the score levelled at 0-0 and for the full 90 minutes.

They got off on the wrong note in the 10th minute when MyTeam midfielder Arumugam Romasamy dribbled past the entire DPMM defence through the middle and unleashed a powerful shot from inside the box which found the back of the net.

Cameroonian defender Francois Mpessa equalised for the home side after pouncing on a Shahrazen shot which rebounded off MyTeam crossbar in the 26th minute, but celebrations for his goal were shortlived.

MyTeam's Croatian striker Sasa Brazenac made it 2-1 nine minutes later after receiving a cross from the right flank and scoring from inside the box,giving the visitors the slimmest of leads heading into the locker room at halftime.

Both sides were equally matched in the half, but Stoykov's talk at the break must not have had desired impact as the Bruenians were noticeably scored second best after the interval.

Brazenac got his second of the morning after taking advantage of some poor defending outside the box and launshing a long range to make it 3-1.

DPMM create few half-hearted chances but could not capitalise until in the 85th minute Rosmin scored from inside th e box to make it 3-2.

However it was too late for the Bruneians and are now winless after 6 matches. 

DPMM FC head coach Iordan Stoykov yesterday confirmed that striker Shahrazen Said will be in the starting 11 in tonight's MSL match against MyTeam at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

The team have been without their sharpshooter since their first league game, when he fratured his left ankle during their season opener at Perak, and DPMM have suffered from poor finishing ever since.

But not only did last season's joint top-scorer reveal that he was 90% fit and raring to play, Shahrazen also set himself a target of finding the back of the net atleast once tonight.

Stoykov's main worry is who to partner the 22-year old forward in attack, since Brazilian Tiago dos Santos is suspended for tonight's match.

"Shahrazen will start tomorrow but I am not sure who will partner him," said Stoykov yesterday.

"His inclusion in the starting 11 will have a tremendous impact on the match and I hope he will lead the team in attack and help us win.

"O course he might have some problems scoring since he has not played for such a long time but I hope the game will help him find his form," added the Bulgarian.

Though captain Rosmin Khamis has been used as a striker in previous home games, new signing V.Jaganathan and Fadlin Galawat seem like more suitable candidates to partner Shahrazen in attack.

Though Stoykov's men will be hunting for only their third home win of the season tonight,the 56-year old coach said that their relatively better position in the league will not necessarily ensure three points.

"If we want to win tonight we have to play some good attacking football and create scoring opportunities, because every game is different and there is no guarantee we will win just because we are above them in the table," said Stoykov. 

DPMM FC head coach Iordan stoykov hailed his team's performance on Saturday night at Selangor as "the best away game this season."

Going down 2-1 to Selangor,the Bruneians are left still searching for the first win on the road.

However Stoykov sia dhis players came closest to breaking their duck at the Shah Alam Stadium as it was a match he felt his team were on top for most of the time.

"We dominated for most of the match and were able to create several chances even in the last quarter of an hour,"said Stoykov yesterday.

Brazilian striker Tiago dos Santos turned from hero to villain when he was given the marching order after collecting his second yellow card in the 73rd minute.Tiago had earlier- in the 33rd minute- scored the equaliser for DPMM.

Selangor took the lead in the 22nd minute through Md Safee Sali, with Frank Seator making it 2-1 in the 74th minute from the penalty spot.

"Even though we were one man down we were still pressed them very well in the last 15 minutes and were able to create scoring oportunities," said Stoykov."But I guess in the end their quality shone through, since they are one of the best teams in the league and have many Malaysian internationals in the squad.

"I cannot complain about the effort shown by my players though and I feel they all agave it their best," he added.

Stoykov also said that he hoped Saturday's match would help motivate the players in future games, as it was a sign they could  compete with the best in the league.

The head coach also added that the match was useful since he was able to gather more information about Selangor, something that would be important for the 56-year old Bulgarian as his team faced the Red Giants on Feb 19 in the first round of the FA Cup. 

DPMM's Iordan Stoykov knows that a win tonight at the Shah Alam Stadium will provide his team with a much needed boost as they prepare to face the Red Giants.

Whatever information Stoykov can gather about Selangor during their Malaysian Super League away game tonight will serv him well, as his men are set to face them again the first round of the FA Cup on February,19th.

"Facing them four times in a short period of time is a big cahllenge for us as they are very strong squad,"said Stoykov yesterday.

"They are a side of full Malaysian ntional team players such as Indera Putera Mahyuddin,Md Safee Sali and Shukor Adan, so we will have to watch out for all of them,"added the coach.

One of the contributng factors in tonight's match-up will be the Shah Alam Stadium a venue which can hold more than 80,000 spectators.

However ,Stoykov felt that the ground would not pose a problem for his team.

"I don't think that our players will be intimidated by playing in such a big stadium," said the Bulgarian.

"They are experienced footballers and I do not think the crowd will trouble them too much.

"" I know we have yet to win away from home but I hope we will collect all three points tomorrow(Saturday)

"The team are full of spirit and ready to fight,"added the 56-year old boss.

Stoykov declined to reveal whether new midfield signings Penang's Jaganathan and QAF's Mardi Bujang will be in the staring 11, only going as far as saying that they had adjusted well to the team since joining on Monday.

Last season's encounter between the 2 sides saw Selangor edge DPMM 2-1 

There are some new developments for Brunei DPMM that will inspire the head coach, Iordan Stoykov, that could give a moral boost to the team after performing unconsistently well in the last matches in the league.

The former Penang NTFA player,Jaganathan Victor Arputharajoo, is another newcomer who just signed for DPMM FC replacing two other Malaysians,K.Linggam and Joey Gundok who were being dropped few weeks ago. 

Jaganathan has been joining training few weeks ago and has been attracted by the management,that could strengthen in the midfield position and could play in a striker role. 

Jaganathan's signing was confirmed by the team manger,Pg Waslimin during interview during the training session yesterday afternoon.

"I'm interested in joining the team becuase they have a very good management,experienced coach and young players that have potential," he said.

Although DPMM is on 9th position in the league, Jaganathan hoped the team will improved in time to come to give a good challenge with the other top teams.

 One good news is that the key striker,Md Shahrazen Said already began training with the team few days ago.

"I can't wait to get back to the team after resting for about 2 months but what is important now for me is to work hard to gain my confidence and to keep my stamina in maximum condition,"he said.

The good news will definitely give a moral boast for the team with the return of Sairol Sahari after recovering from a dislocated shoulder.

Sairol who could play as a left wing,now could also play as a left back with Stoykov's new formation,4-4-2 diamond which could fit playing those two areas. 

DPMM recently signed Mardi Bujang,Hardi's twin brother who has done very well in te local league.

DPMM will fly to Kuala Lumpur this Thursday to play Selangor this coming Saturday. 

DPMM FC's head coach Iordan Stoykov blasted his men for letting an easy goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Terengganu and for losing their composure and focus after that.

The MSL match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium was a tale of two hlaves, with the home side controlling the tempo in the first half but playing hardly with any rythym in the second.

After exploiting some poor defending by the usually reliable Pg Sallehudin who was caught out of position, a cross was sent into the box and Terengganu's Md Ashaari scored two minutes after the restart with a shot from inside the box with nary a DPMM defender on sight.

"It was a silly goal.How could we let it in," complained Stoykov."What we should have done after conceding a goal like that was to take more risks and put out a more serious attack but we couldn't."

"So sure,the goal might have made the players lose their focus and composure," said the Bulgarian.

Losing the ball cheaply and not communicating well enough with each other,the Bruneians played without any creativity or menace on the attack.

Terengganu,on the other hand were content to pile men behind the ball and absorb what little fight DPMM offered after the blunder.

"It is not that they are mentally weak,I think it is just that we were up against one of the top teams in the league.I feel the players provided the best fight that they could," said Stoykov.

"We have some key players missing in all three areas of the pitch and contributed towards our performance as well," he added.

Asked whether the fans voicing out their frustration during the second half had any part to play in the result, Stoykov was quick to defend them.

"The real fans are with us even though we have problems." 

Brunei DPMM head coach, Iordan Stoykov realised their defenders error that caused DPMM's lost to gain any points in their PDRM's match in Selayang Stadium 2 days ago.

"We have to say that our lost are because of our defenders mistake," said Stoykov during being interviewed last afternnon in KL.

According to him,the team have shown a good performance in the first half but the defenders of PDRM did very well to intercept our chances.

The hoem team were behind during the half after a great goal by Abd Hakeem

But,DPMM's rhythm changes in the second half when the home team rise to the occasion with fast attacking and they manage to get two goals in the second half to win the match.

"Our players were unable to play consistently went in the second half until they gave a lot of spaces for the opposing team to take chances," said Stoykov.

According to him,Abdul Hakeem played very well and helped the teammates to score and also work hard in the defence.

On the other hand,Stoykov is impressive with the performance of Hj Kahirul Annauar and Helmi Panjang although both the players spent most of the time in the bench so far.

Mentioning on the performances on Tiago, the head coach said: "Tiago have to make an effort to work well alongside his teammates and have to make an effort to prove that he is a lethal striker like before."

On the other hand, Stoykov hope the loss in Selayang will hope to be a lesson for them to be more  cautious in the upcoming games. 

Ten-man Brunei DPMM received a setback in the MSL when they lost 2-1 to Police(PDRM) at Stadium MP,Selayang last night.

Two second half goals from PDRM's Md Azlan Ismail and substitute Md Faizal Abdullah were enough to collect all three points at home, Brunei DPMM took the lead from Abdel Hakim Al-Bahloul in the first half.

It was a slow start for both teams after resting only two days, Brunei DPMM's striker Azwan Salleh led the attack and sent it high ball towards Tiago dos Santos in the early minutes.But it was a bit too fast for the Brazilian.

He then combined well with skipper Rosmin Khamis minutes later.Tiago sent in a delightful ball towards Rosmin but the skipper shot it a bit too high above the bar.

On the other side of the field, Ismail tried a powerful shot for the newly promoted PDRM in the 15th minute,Brunei DPMM keeper Wardun made a great save and turned it behind for a corner.

The keeper needed some medical attention when he collided with PDRM's Sanjos Sundawat 10 minutes later.Md Wardun made a brave challenge against the onrushing Sanjos to clear the ball away.

Brunei DPMM yet to win an away game, finally broke the deadlock in the 36th minute .Defender Abd Hakeem moved forward and tried a powerful shot himself which went straight to the back of PDRM's net.

After the breather, PDRM went on attack after DPMM were a bit relax after the half.Md Faizal scored the equaliser in the 48th minute.

The goal lifted PDRM and they piled on the pressure for the visitors.Singaporean Ahmad Latiff Kamaruddin almost took the lead when his shot beat Wardun but was just inches wide from the goal.

Brunei DPMM's misery deepened when defender Hasnawi Ismail was shown a straight red card for his challenge against a PDRM player, resulting a penalty for the home team.

Md Azlan sent the home crowd while when he cooly slotted the penalty in the 60th minute.

Brunei DPMM will need to recover fast before their next game against Terengganu at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium this Saturday. 

DPMM FC will be hoping for their first away win of the season when they take on Police in the MSL clash at the MPS Stadium in Selayang tonight.

Apart from Johor FC and basement dwellers Sarawak, Brunei's premier club remains the only team in the league to have yet to win away from home.

Sitting eighth in the 13 teams MSL table with 10 points, DPMM were denied a third straight home win on Saturday when they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Pahang.

The 2006/2007 Malaysian Premier League champons Police lie just one spot - and a point - adrift of DPMM,so all signs point towards a tightly contested affair.

However DPMM's dismal goal scoring record away from home is tied worst in the league - with MyTeam and Sarawak the only other teams to have scored number of goals in their away campaign so far.

Having netted only twice in the four away matches, they have played up til now, the Bruneians will no doubt be looking to new Brazilian striker Tiago Dos Santos for goals since sharpshooter Shahrazen Said is still injured.

Previously stating that he had set target of 20 goals for the season, dos Santos jump-started his campaign with a late goal against Pahang on Saturday.

Though the 24 year old Brazilain lacked the support from midfield to net again at the weekend, DPMM's team manager Pg Waslimin was confident that the team's attack tonight would be venomous enough to win the game.

"I am really hoping we can really get all three points on Tuesday since Police are not really a consistent team," said Pg Waslimin when contacted  in KL yesterday.

"Dos Santos and Cameroon midfielder Francois Mpessa played well against Pahang but I know there is still room for improvement."

"I am confident that this game and the next one will help the two players gel with the team better, and I am sure they will all be able to play as cohesive unit in no tiem at all," added the maanger.

Key to tonights result be the performance of attacking midfielder and skipper Rosmin Khamis, who came up with a lacklustre display during Saturday's match playing at the top of head coach Iordan stoykov's 4-4-2 diamond formation.

Rosmin's distribution and ball-handling will have to be a marked improvement from that which he showed on Saturday id dos Santos and the other forwards hope to get on the scoresheet tonight. 

DPMM FC will be looking for their third home win on the trot when they face Pahang tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in the MSL.

After a 5-1 drubbing of Sarawak on 29thDecember and a 2-0 defeat of defending champions Kedah on Jan 1 head coach Iordan /stoykov did not sound too optimistic about making it three home wins in a row against the Elephants tonight. 

 "I think we have only a 55%,maybe 60of winning the match," said Stoykov yesterday.

"All games are 50-50 for me,so I would attribute our advantage playing at home," he added.

Though he did say he had an idea of his starting eleven and formation for the match,he remained tight-lipped as usual about it.

The Bulgarian will once again be without the services of Shahrazen Said  and Sairol Sahri. 

"Nevertheless I am hoping we can still play well without them," said Stoykov.

"I do not know much about Pahang, but I remember that the last time we played against them back in 2005,Indra Putera was a valuable player for them.

Tonight's match will mark the debut for Brazilain striker,Tiago Roberto dos Santos and Cameroonian defender,Francois Mpessa.

Stoykov said that he was placing his trust in the two new signings to make an impact for the side and expected their skill and experience to help Brunei's premier club gain all three points tonight. 

Former Brunei DPMM striker, Tiago dos Santos Roberto returned to his old club together with new signing from Cameroon,Ndongo Francois Mpessa.

This was confirmed by the Brunei DPMM club manager,Hj Eady Sardi Hj Razak.

Tiago, the Brazilian player who is quite well-known among the fans,and Mpessa will replace the two Maldivian players that has left yesterday.

"We hope that the arrival of Tiago and the new signing from Cameroon will improve our standing in the league," said Hj Eady.

He said, Tiago's finishing has been quite magnificient during the 2005/2006 season,even though during his arrival few weeks ago,he has shown a lot of commitment towards the club.

In the same time,Hj Eady suggested that the environment with the team now is alot different from the season 2005/2006.So the Brazilain hotshot has to give more effort for the team under the head coach,Iordan Stoykov.

Meanwhile,the former Melaka Telekom's player,Mpessa,24 years old, is a tall defender that can shine  for the team.He has been given the best player's award during his time playing in the Indonesian League last season, and has been selected for the Cameroon National team in the qualifying matches in the Africans Cup and the World Cup. 

Two of the import players from Maldives are eager to show what they are capable of in their final match when DPMM will play against Perlis in Stadium Utama Kangar tonight.

Ashfaq Ali and Fazeel Ibrahim that will end their contract this month have shown their presence in the team in their six games.

Although not as a goal scorer,their presence in the team assists their teammates to score and have shown a lot of impact for the improvement in the team."

"This will be their last match for our squad and we are confident they will help us in winning our match," said the team manager,Pg Waslimin.

DPMM FC currently lied on 8th place with 8 points after 6 matches.After losing two of their first matches,Stoykov's boys are able to improve their performances with 4 games without losing,including shocked Kedah last Tuesday.

Pg Waslimin said, our achievement to beat Kedah have to fired up the confidence of the players and have to be cautious with the Northern Lions team in front of their home crowd.

"All the players have to be cautious and have to take their chances well We play same as the previous game and have to take some points in away matches as well,"he said.

According to him,Stoykov might stick to the same plan when they beat Kedah while couple of the position of players will be differ for the game plan.

Perlis are at the moment at second spot and will rely on their goalscorer Phillemon Chipeta,Rudie Ramli,Md Nizaruddin and K.Soley to complete their mission.