Sathianathan wants to ease Marlon's burden
ATM coach B. Sathianathan admits his side cannot always rely on Marlon Alex James to come up with the goods following Friday's 0-0 draw with Pahang.
By FOX Sports staff
The Armed Forces missed out on the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table last week as they were held at home to Tok Gajah, a result that proved costly the following day when Darul Takzim overtook them with a 2-1 win over Negri Sembilan.
ATM are currently the top scorers in the league with 15 goals to their name, but almost half of those have come from James, who has netted seven times so far to lead the scoring charts, and Sathianathan concedes they need to end their unhealthy reliance on the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international.
"We are banking too much on James to score and it's not fair to put so much pressure on him," he told the New Straits Times.
"I want the local players to contribute as well. We are working hard towards that goal."
Following a strong start to 2013, the Gladiators have now picked up one points from their last two league games and Sathianathan admits his side have to be careful to avoid inconsistency.
"The league is quite well balanced this time," he added. "The positions change all the time.
"I think we are going to have an exciting season with different teams occupying the top three positions every week.
"My target is to finish the first half of the season in the top two. The problem is we are playing well against the stronger teams but dropping points against the so-called weaker teams.
"I have told the players that there is no such thing as a weak team in the league. We must not underestimate our opponents."
ATM are next in action on Friday when they visit Perak.
Image courtesy of ATM FA