EAGLES WILL BUILD FROM FIRST VICTORY

Geylang adapting to life without Doi, but coach Noor expects attack to get better

- David Lee Senior Sports Correspondent

After misfiring in their first two Singapore Premier League (SPL) games this season, Geylang International finally took flight with a 2-0 win over nine-man Hougang United at Our Tampines Hub on Sept 19.

Following their first victory of the season, Eagles coach Noor Ali said: “The most important thing was getting the win. It has not been easy as we have players playing with injury and getting injured. We can still get better, but we will take the three points and build from here.”

The Eagles, who were the SPL’s top-scoring team last season with 97 goals in 32 games en route to a third-placed finish, sorely missed 44-goal Golden Boot winner Tomoyuki Doi, who left for Thailand’s BG Pathum United.

They made a stuttering start to the new term with a 0-0 draw with BG Tampines Rovers and a 2-0 loss to Albirex Niigata.

In place of Doi, Noor drafted in Shuhei Hoshino and Riku Fukashiro to form a Japanese attacking triumvirate with Ryoya Taniguchi.

While it took a couple of games for them to gel, they did not take long to combine to deadly effect against the Cheetahs.