Pahang Should Be Ok Despite Forkey Doe’s Injury

Francis Forkey Doe was having a great start for Pahang after a dismal season with Selangor last season. He had recaptured the form that saw him as a prolific goalscorer here in Malaysia. But just as he was starting to get going, disaster struck where the Liberian forward suffered a right knee injury during Pahang’s FA Cup 3rd round tie with Kedah.

That injury will see him miss the rest of the season. It has thrown a monkey wrench to head coach Dollah Salleh’s plans. But there are reasons why he shouldn’t be too worried. Just one look at his striker options and you’ll see why.

Chan Vathanaka helped gained Pahang a huge following from Cambodia after he joined them this season. But things have not exactly gone to plan. Even though he does play regularly, he hasn’t been the stand-out player fans have been imagining. This is probably because Dollah has opted for the Forkey Doe-Patrick Cruz partnership and that resulted in Vathanaka slotted to the wings. It also doesn’t help that his counterpart, Mohamadou Sumareh has been shining lately.

But with Forkey Doe sadly injured, it may be time for Vathanaka to make his case to partner Cruz up-front but at the same time, there may be calls for more local strikers to be used. If Dollah Salleh opts for experience, he can call on Norshahrul Idlan Talaha to complement the much younger Cruz. Even if he doesn’t get picked as the second striker, he should be slotted on the wings. Either way, he should get a spot in the starting line-up from here on out.

Kogileswaran Raj’s call-up to the national squad may see Dollah give some consideration to the 19-year old. Problem is that the youngster has not been seriously tested, even in the international level and we haven’t exactly seen what he can do for the full 90 minutes. So this should be the time for him to convince Dollah that he is ready to fill the role Forkey Doe is forced to vacate.

As of right now, Patrick Cruz will definitely be seen as the source for goals after a hot run of form. It’s a matter of who will accompany him to share the burden of scoring for the Tok Gajah. If his strike partner can’t deliver, there could be an over-reliance on Cruz to supply the goals.

Dollah Salleh will definitely use this chance to determine which position he will fill his fifth import signing when the next transfer window opens. If their attacking form remains the same then perhaps he will invest in another position. Otherwise, he will look for another foreign striker.

The wealth of striking options Dollah has got will get him thinking. Their next match however is against Johor Darul Takzim for their FA Cup Quarter-Final 1st leg match. They have something good going on with their adventurous attack and they should continue doing so despite Forkey Doe’s absence. All in all, Pahang should be Ok.