Teo’s ready to impress

After making a brief debut against Balestier Khalsa last Sunday, young centre-back Kieran Teo is set to be handed a full start as Geylang International looks to conclude the first round of the Singapore Premier League with a morale-boosting win against Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday.

And the pumped-up 18-year-old isn’t going to let his chance to impress head coach Noor Ali go to waste and declared he’s all ready to step up and fill the void left by his seniors.

Noor Ali will count on Teo to form a solid partnership with Rio Sakuma in the heart of the defence as Abdil Qaiyyim is nursing an injury while Faizal Roslan will serve the second of his two-match suspension.

Teo, who came in for Abdil, played for 27 minutes at Our Tampines Hub and nearly marked his debut with a goal after seeing his powerful header that resulted from the 71st minute corner kick in the 71st minute being blocked by the goalkeeper.

“I was a bit nervous as I didn’t expect to be called from the bench. Unfortunately, we had one injury, and I had to step in,” said Teo.

“Although nervous, I felt excited at the same time and grateful for the opportunity.” 

“It wasn’t the best debut as I hoped we could have gotten the win.  

But I was proud that I could adapt to the game quickly, and I also had one chance to score.

“There’s plenty of room for improvement, and I will continue to work hard to take my game to greater heights.”

Teo has vowed to defend with all his might against Young Lions to ensure the Eagles head into the first interval of the season with renewed optimism.

“I would like to get the three points to proceed to the second round in a good position,” said Teo.

“We have prepared well, and we’ve got the squad to get the three points. Our team have been playing well, and it’s just that we need to convert our chances.

“Goals will get us points, so is not to concede too. So, we must continue to stay compact. So long we don’t concede, we won’t lose.”

Noor Ali remains upbeat despite not having key players at his disposal, including right-back Fadli Kamis and left-winger Khairul Hairie.

“Our goal has not changed. The focus is still to go out there and collect the three points, although knowing that we have a lot of players on the injury list,” said Noor Ali.

Geylang International will be out to take advantage of their rival’s poor form as they have not won any of their five matches since the start of the season kick-off.

The Eagles are still seeking to return to winning ways ever since they last grabbed three points by shocking defending champions Lion City Sailors 1-0 in the season-opener.

Noor Ali believes a win today will do the squad’s morale a whole world of good as they look to regroup and come back stronger for the second round.

“There’s a lot of positives from the first round. The performance has been good, and the boys put in extra effort in every game,” said Noor Ali.

“We had to play two of our games with 10 men, and I thought the boys were brilliant throughout. 

“Our squad are starting to gel up, and it’s just the matter of getting our players to stay injury-free. We will use the break to get the best out of players and make our presence felt again in the second round.”