Woodlands keeper Yazid says his side will bounce back from trashing

WOODLANDS WELLINGTON v

TANJONG PAGAR

(Tonight, 7.30pm, Woodlands Stadium)

It has been 11 days since Woodlands Wellington last saw action.

That was when the Rams were crushed 5-1 by Geylang International, a result which saw them booted out in the preliminary round of the RHB Singapore Cup.

Originally, Woodlands were scheduled to be back on Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League duty on Wednesday against Courts Young Lions, but that clash was postponed due to the Singapore Under-23s' friendly against the French Under-21s on Monday.

As a result, Darren Stewart's men host Tanjong Pagar United at Woodlands Stadium tonight.

Having been made to wait that much longer to get back on the field, Rams goalkeeper Yazid Yasin is relishing the opportunity to put the nightmare behind them.

"Personally, after a disappointing outing in the Singapore Cup, I've just been waiting to set things right," he said.

"If I could, I would have put on my boots and played a game the very next day.

"But, for the team, perhaps the extended break also helped. We had time to reflect on what we can do better, to work on stuff as a team and make sure we're fully prepared for the next game."

ERRORS

Although the Rams were far from outplayed in the cup, a host of errors allowed Geylang to score a second-half treble during a 20-minute spell.

Against an inconsistent Jaguars side, Yazid is hopeful Woodlands can avoid repeating the errors they made and return to winning ways.

The 34-year-old goalkeeper said: "We didn't have the best of games (against Geylang) but we still had a chance when we trailed 2-1 at halftime.

"In terms of the general play, we weren't really that bad. But at the start of the second half, we conceded two quick goals in a matter of minutes and it all went downhill from there.

"I think there's a lot of improvement to come from us. If we cut down on our mistakes and keep working hard as we have been, we can get better."

For a seasoned campaigner who has won every trophy in Singapore football, the early exit from the Singapore Cup has left a bitter taste in Yazid's mouth.

Nonetheless, the former Singapore international has called on his teammates to use the disappointment to spur them on to a strong finish to the league campaign.

"As a professional, you always want to stay alive in every competition and go as far as you can," Yazid said.

"But in a way, it does help us focus on the league, and every game is now important to us.

"We've got to try to get points in each match we play, if we want to finish in the top half.

"Given the many injuries we've had this year, finishing among the top six will be quite a feat.

"We're not too far behind at the moment, so we'll be giving our all to achieve that."

*The writer is a freelancer.

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I’ve just been waiting to set things right. If I could, I would have put on my boots and played a game the very next day.

- Woodlands goalkeeper Yazid Yasin (above) on his team’s 5-1 loss to Geylang