Having ended his barren run, Amirulhadi Zainal is looking to find the back of the net more often for the national team.
After firing blanks in matches against Myanmar, Timor Leste (2) and New Caledonia, the striker scored the equaliser in Malaysia's 2-1 win over New Caledonia on Wednesday.
Though many had question coach Dato Ong Kim Swee"s decision to name and persist with Amirul, it paid off eventually.
" I am relieved to have scored finally and hopefully this will be the start of many more to come.
" I am thankful to the coach for his confidence in me and while my critics wrote me off, my coach kept his faith in me.
Amirul last donned the national jersey in 2011.
"It was tough as I missed many goalscoring chances but it was just a matter of getting the first goal' said Amirul who scored in the 48th minute.
" This is a morale booster and the goal will give me the confidence to find the back of the net on s regular basis."
For Kim Swee, the fact that Amirul and Badrul Bakhtiar both scored augurs well for the team.
" It was a well deserved win and New Caledonia are not an easy side to overcome," said Kim Swee when contacted in Sydney while in transit to Fiji.
" We played the right tactical game after watching the first half knowing we had to play an attacking game to match them."
Kim Swee said that other then a wrist injury suffered by Zaquan Razak, the other players came off unscathed from the match.
The coach is also expected to give Khairul Fahni Che Mat a chance to play in the match against Fiji.
" We will see how he fares in training over the next few days and decide later," added Kim Swee whose team is expected to arrive in Fiji on Thursday afternoon at 2.30pm Malaysian time.
Contrary to what done assume is a tour to enjoy the sights and beaches of the three countries, Kim Swee and his charges have been undergoing gruelling sessions both on and off the pitch.
For instance after the match against New Caledonia that ended at 7pm Malaysian time, the team barely had any rest as they headed to catch a flight to Sydney at 2.30am. And after a 4 hour transit in Sydney it is onwards to Fiji.
" We will have a light stretching session upon arrival and hit the field in the morning," said Kim Swee.
" I marvel at the players who are fasting yet at the sane time give it their all in training and matches."
