Geylang International winger Iqbal Hussain seeks to extend his scoring streak when he meets his old club Hougang United in a Singapore Premier League fixture this Friday (May 12).
After opening his season's account in back-to-back matches against Balestier Khalsa and Lion City Sailors, the 29-year-old has the Cheetahs in his sight to make it three in a row.
There was great relief on his face after those two goals went into the net, as they ended his barren spell of seven games from the start of the season.
At one point of that early run of fixtures, Iqbal was dropped to the bench after Geylang International head coach Noor Ali was frustrated with his lack of output in front of goal, and it seemed difficult for him to reclaim his place in the starting 11.
After biding his time on the bench, a second chance came along when Noor recalled him to the first team for the past two matches. The Singaporean winger instantly returned his coach's faith in him with a bag of goals.
Geylang International fans, who fondly remember Iqbal's first stint with the club in 2020 when his trickery runs down the flanks excited the crowd, are salivating at the prospect of him terrorising cellar dwellars Hougang United.
What seemed to be a promising season for the Cheetahs on the back of a Singapore Cup win last year and recruitment of key Eagles players in pre-season, turned out to be a disastrous and forgettable campaign.
A nine-game winless run coupled with a change in coach have seen the Hougang outfit rooted to the bottom of a nine-team league, one point behind developmental squad Young Lions.
In their last match against Albirex Niigata, their poor implementation of a pressing system and a bereft of ideas upfront culminated in a lop-sided 5-0 defeat.
With Iqbal playing in Noor's fluid tactical setup, the stage is set for him to create havoc on the Cheetahs backline and bang in the goals.
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