Sundram's not about to panic LionsXII could well field Casmir as lone attacker again against Kedah

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SINGAPORE - He cut a lone furrow upfront operating as the LionsXII's only striker.

He hardly had a chance at a goal in 90 minutes of action, mostly reduced to chasing down long punts upfield by his team-mates.

But V Sundramoorthy is not about to abandon his tactical line-up after the 2-1 loss to Kelantan in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) opener at Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday.

Which means Casmir could still feature as the lone attacking spearhead when the team take on Kedah in Alor Star on Saturday.

Speaking just before the team began their recovery session yesterday, the LionsXII coach said: "Agu is a very good player. He will add strength to the to the team. He has good ability on the ball and we have to give him time.

"It's all about the team. Not a certain single individual. When we attack we attack as a team and when we defend we defend as a team."

As far as the line-up of his first XI goes, Sundram will leave his decision until he watches a video of Kedah's 3-0 loss to the T-Team on Tuesday.

"Dont forget it's been a long time since we have been out of the competition (MSL). It's an exciting competition but it's still early days yet," he said.

"We lacked concentration at times but then again we are a young team. We will analyse the video recording of the match, learn from it and move on - no more rewinding the clock."

Defender Baihakki Khaizan endured a mixed outing against Kelantan. He scored the LionsXII opener, but was at fault for Norshahrul Idlan's equaliser just before half-time.

Looking ahead to Saturday's game away from home, he said: "It will be tough but we need to be positive and move on from the defeat to Kelantan. We lack the experience in certain departments but do not doubt our collective effort."

Vice-captain Hariss Harun is also fired up as the LionsXII go in search of their first win in Kedah.

Said the 21-year-old: "It was good to see the fans coming out, and I'm very sorry for the result. We are capable of coming back because we have a capable team and the potential is there.

"It will not be easy going to places like Kelantan and Kedah because we expect at least two or three times of the crowd at home and we can expect a lot of hostile treatment."

Warned Sundram: "Kedah is a different side away from home and a different side at home. Even though they lost to T-Team they are definitely a strong side.

"We have to be wary of them. I will have to watch them in training too before I decide on the team's formation, including the partnership in attack."