JOHOR state coach Mohd Nor Aqmal Abdul Gaffar exuded great
satisfaction following his Malaysia Games squad friendly matches
against the Malaysian national juniors and Great Britain at the Johor
Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru.
The players gained valuable experience, said Aqmal, after the team
went through a litmus test against the Young Tigers and four-time Sultan
of Johor Cup champions Great Britain in friendly matches before the
start of the Sultan of Johor Cup on Oct 11 (Saturday).
Johor Under-20 players, who are gearing up for the 2026 Malaysia
Games hosted by Selangor, went down 0-8 against Nor Saiful Zaini ‘s
Young Tigers on Oct 6 in their first friendly match but came back strongly
against Great Britain on Wednesday despite the 2-0 defeat in a match
that was played over three quarters.
“I am excited with their performance against GB as they showed no fear
against their world-class opponent, and displayed significant
improvement compared to their opening match, where they lost 0-8 to
the Malaysian national team,” said Nor Aqmal.
“From a physical aspect, Great Britain was stronger. However, our
players did not feel out of place; instead, they gave a solid fight and
performed better compared to when they faced the national squad,” he
said.
“In the match against the Young Tigers the players were nervous and
lost focus in the match. It was their first big match and they were up
against a national team. I am glad they got back strongly in the game.
This kind of experience is a once in a life time, and they must make
good use of this opportunity,” he added.
The match against Great Britain lasted 45 minutes with two 10-minute
intervals, and was followed by a penalty shoot-out and penalty strokes
session.
Despite the defeat, Nor Aqmal regarded the match as an important
platform for the players to gain exposure.
He hopes such opportunities can become an annual fixture to further
strengthen the Johor Under-21 state teams in preparation for SUKMA
2026.

“Ideally, tournaments like this should be organised every year as they
help raise the performance levels of young players,” he explained. “We
don’t have that kind of money to send the team for playing tours in
Australia or China, Japan and Korea so it’s a blessing that we are
playing against the five teams in the SOJC.”
After the match the Johor SUKMA team was treated to a special dinner
by Mr Sathakathulla, the owner of Restaurant Osman Larkin Perdana.
The Johor youth side are also scheduled to face Pakistan, and India as
part of their preparations for future competitions.