Positives despite stalemate

While Albirex Niigata and Balestier Khalsa remain in search of their first win of the Deloitte Women's Premier League (WPL) season after sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw last night, both sides were encouraged by their progress.

The stalemate, which was both teams' third game of the season, gave Albirex their first point of the campaign, while Balestier got their first goal of the competition after opening with a goal-less draw with Tiong Bahru before a 5-0 loss to Tanjong Pagar United.

It was an evenly fought contest at Yishun Stadium yesterday, with both teams taking a while to settle into the game.

The second half was livelier and it was Balestier who broke the deadlock through a 71st-minute strike from Nasriah Ibrahim, whose shot from just outside the box soared beyond Albirex goalkeeper Nurul Radiatul Ain's reach and into the net.

Albirex had several chances saved by Balestier custodian Nur Izyan Ahmad, but finally equalised in the 87th minute when midfielder Nadhra Aqilah pounced on a nicely weighted pass from 38-year-old Cynthia Taye.

Nadhra, 28, said: "In terms of results, it doesn't look like we're getting there but it shows us glimpses that it's coming together.

"During the game, we kept trying and so the phrase we tell ourselves is that 'it's coming'. It has only been three games, it's only showing us that it's going somewhere - it's a good result as compared to the previous games."

Balestier coach Ratna Suffian felt that his team could have capitalised on their chances more, but added that there were positives, especially after that heavy loss to Tanjong Pagar earlier this month.

He said: "We've broken the (goalless) duck and a lot of positive things happened today. We've lost one game and drawn two games, which some may say is not too good but we're still in the process of getting our first win.

"I am very confident of my players' abilities - they have a lot of talent. It's just about getting them to be mentally tougher and trying to look for one another."

Nasriah believes the players' efforts to improve their communication has borne fruit, saying: "We had a bad game previously, which was tough to take in. We trained and changed our mindset and really worked as a team today."

Albirex coach Nahar Daud believes his side is still a work in progress and he will be looking to strengthen them during the upcoming international break before the WPL resumes in mid-July.

"We're still building up the team, hopefully we are looking for a few more players to include in the squad," he said.

"Defence and midfield-wise, I think I have a good squad... what we need is a striker."

On Saturday, WPL leaders Tanjong Pagar suffered their first defeat in four games, losing 3-1 to Still Aerion, while the Lion City Sailors thrashed Hougang United 6-0.