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 Bru