SINGAPORE - Khairul Nizam was barely three years old, but the image of V Sundramoorthy's perfectly executed "bicycle kick" goal against Brunei at the National Stadium in the 1993 Malaysia Cup has stuck in his head since. Now 19, Nizam hopes to emulate the former Lions star as part of the Lions X11, which will contest next year's Malaysia Cup, Malayian Super League and FA Cup competitions as Singapore's return to domestic football up north after 18 years. The teenager is part of a strikeforce that includes Khairul Amri and Agu Casmir, and comparisons with household names like Fandi Ahmad, Abbas Saad and Sundramoorthy, all of whom led the line for the Lions in the Malaysia Cup in the early 1990s, will be inevitable. The Lions XII's campaign starts on Jan 10 - the fixture list will be announced later - but Nizam, Amri and Casmir are aware they have plenty to live up to. But they are unfazed. "It will be a big responsibility for us, especially the senior players. It's not a burden, but a motivation for us to work even harder," said Amri, 26. "Sundram has spoken at length with me. He said the Malaysia Cup is a big thing. In fact, the former players like Malek (Awab) and Samad (Allapitchay) have pitched in and reminded me how important this is to the whole of Singapore and they are behind us on this." "But the football is still the same. It's still 90 minutes. We just need to work harder, build our teamwork and communicate better. It will be a good experience." Added Casmir, 27: "It's just good to be back, and for me, as a striker, it's still the same. It doesn't matter who we play against. My job is to score. Simple is that." The participation of the Lions XII in Malaysian competitions came after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) signed a four-year agreement in July to help boost the game in both countries to help develop football. In exchange the Malaysian national under-23 side will also contest the S-League, Singapore League Cup and Singapore FA Cup. Sundramoorthy's squad have been allocated a budget of $2 million a year to run their campaign, and the former Lions striker will also ex-teammate Kadir Yahaya as assistant coach. It will mark Singapore's return to Malaysian football for the first time since 1994, when a side coached by Douglas Moore won the league and then stormed to a 4-0 victory over Pahang in the Malaysia Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium. Yesterday, 19 of the 28-strong Lions XII squad were at the Jalan Besar Stadium for the team's first training session, and Amri, Casmir and Nizam revealed their personal targets for the upcoming season. "I hope to score at least 10 goals, and set up many more for the team. But firstly, I've to recover fully from my injury before I can help them," said Amri, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in June this year while playing for former Indonesian side Persiba Balikpapan. But Casmir preferred not to reveal his goals and said: "My target is a secret. Anyway, it's only the first training session, and I prefer to let my feet do the talking when the time comes." While Amri and Casmir, veterans of Singapore's recent Asean Football Federation Cup triumphs, remain relaxed, teenager Nizam just wants to emulate Sundramoorthy and score that perfect goal. "There's a lot of pressure on me, especially as I've just come back from injury. But I hope to be able to ask Sundram how he did those magical moves and that bicycle kick!"

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SINGAPORE - There was a bounce in his step as he walked out onto the plastic pitch of the Jalan Besar Stadium yesterday and approached his LionsXII charges gathered at the King George's Avenue end.

"This is brilliant," V Sundramoorthy told Today, with a hint of a smile on his face.

A horde of reporters had descended upon the LionsXII squad, who were huddled in the corner waiting for the start of their first-ever training session, as seven were engaged in interviews and photographers jostled to get into the best positions.

"The atmosphere is good, and we are under the microscope with a lot of people writing about us - this is good for football here," said Sundram, head coach of the Singapore team who will play in Malaysian domestic football competitions next year.

"The media attention we're getting feels like the old days, but back then we had a lot of fans watching us train, even."

In the stands were a few luminaries from Singapore's Malaysia Cup past. Nazri Nasir and Abdullah Noor were watching intently, staying behind after their coaching course ended to have a first-hand look at the new generation of footballers who are following in their footsteps.

And unbeknownst to Sundram, the first LionsXII fan to see the team in action walked in, and sat close to Nazri, a player he supported in the '90s.

"I think this Malaysia Cup competition is better for Singapore football, it will bring the crowds back," 72-year-old retiree Ong Eng Wah told Today.

"I went to watch all the Malaysia Cup games in the old days, even the away ones, and I look forward to be able to travel to watch this team like I did before."

Only 19 of the 28-man squad were present, with some still on holiday after a long season and others stuck with National Service commitments.

And when Sundram, with assistant Kadir Yahaya close behind, called on the players present for their first team talk in the middle of the pitch, Ong trained his eyes on them, the words he uttered seemed to emerge from a time past.

"My wish for the team is to win the Malaysia Cup, their performance in the league is no issue," he said.

The LionsXII will kick off their adventure in the Malaysia Super League (MSL) and have to finish in the top 12 of the MSL to qualify for the Malaysia Cup competition - scheduled for the second half of the year - and it is this tourney that has more history and is held in higher regard by fans of yore.

Sundram's 90-minute training focused on dribbling and finishing, with Khairul Amri doing so with a ball for the first time after recovering from a knee injury.

"This feels different, there are so many reporters, it seems like they are really serious about this.

"It's as if we're preparing for some big international tournament like the AFF Suzuki Cup," he told Today.

"Makes me feel like a real footballer."

The feel-good atmosphere carried on even after the session, with Sundram looking pleased after he walked off the pitch.

"We still need time, but the players' attitude was fantastic, and they showed great desire," he beamed approvingly.

Friendlies against MSL side PKNS and Malaysian Premier League team ATM FA have been pencilled in for the end of the month to test them before the Jan 10 kickoff of the MSL, with Ong insisting the first league match is vital to drawing fans in.

"I hope we play traditional rivals like Selangor in that first game, but it is very important that we win to bring fans back," he said.