A Lion returns from the wilderness Noh Rahman turns in a steady display in the engine room and could be key against Jordan

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Sultan of Selangor's Cup 2011

Selangor 0 Singapore 1



SHAH ALAM - He was one of those dropped when Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin called for a rejuvenation of the Lions following a disastrous AFF Suzuki Cup campaign last year.

He was forced to watch from the sidelines as Singapore surged into the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He felt for his former team-mates when they lost the first two group matches in the third round.

But SAFFC utility player Noh Rahman is back in the fold and could well play an important role against Jordan on Oct 11 when the Lions fight for their lives in Group A.

The 31-year-old cut a calm figure out on the Shah Alam Stadium pitch last night as he played sentry in front of the Singapore back-line for 56 minutes, as the Lions ran out 1-0 winners over Selangor in the Sultan of Selangor's Cup.

"I don't think he's fully fit yet ... but his positioning was good in the first half. Some of his passing was not what I expect but he's done well," said Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic, after the match.

With Mustafic Fahrudin suspended for the Jordan fixture and Hariss Harun possibly still unavailable due to National Service commitments, the experience of defensive midfielder Noh will come in handy against Jordan.

He may not possess the raw aggression of Mustafic or the pace of Isa Halim, the man who replaced him last night, but Noh's discipline and composure was clearly evident against Selangor.

Speaking after the game, he said: "I've always wanted to play for the national team and that hasn't changed. It was nice to be back, especially in a game like this."

Malaysian international Asraruddin Putra put the ball into his own net in the 65th minute off a Shahril Ishak corner to hand Singapore the win last night but the Lions did carve out a number of goal-scoring chances and should have won comfortably.

Safuwan Baharudin turned in another steady performance at the heart of the defence, with Shahril and Fazrul Nawaz also impressing.

"This was intense despite being a friendly and it was a good opportunity to try out different players in certain positions and prepare for the upcoming international game," said Avramovic.

Looking ahead, Noh said: "Ideally, we have to beat Jordan to stay in contention and I really hope to be part of the team in that game."

Singapore will face the Philippines on Friday in a final tune-up before facing Jordan on Oct 11 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.



Other result

Selangor Veterans 3 Singapore Veterans 1