SOUTHERN Myanmar head coach U Kyaw Tint told The Myanmar Times last week he is hopeful his inexperienced side can achieve a mid-table finish in the Myanmar National League Cup after they notched their first win of the competition.

He said he is targeting a fourth- or fifth-placed finish for Southern Myanmar, which lost its first two matches to Yadanarbon and Kanbawza before upsetting Delta United 2-0 on May 31.

That win moved the Tanintharyi Division-based club to fifth on the table, ahead of Okkthar United on goal difference and three points behind Yangon United and Kanbawza.

“Our results have been getting better each week. If we continue to improve both mentally and physically I believe my team can at least finish in a mid-table position,” U Kyaw Tint said.

“We started the cup competition having to play against strong sides, filled with foreign players (Yadanarbon) and national team players (Kanbawza). Although we lost in the first two matches, we came to know our weaknesses and that was a valuable lesson for us,” said U Kyaw Tint.

After the match against Kanbawza, U Kyaw Tint’s players spent many hours in training working on their defensive game. One focus was to get his wingers to track back and help out the Southern Myanmar defenders, he said.

“At first, we focused on playing offensively while being careful not to concede too many goals,” U Kyaw Tint said, adding that they used a more defensive strategy against Delta. “We also saw Delta lose to another inexperienced side, Okkthar United, and I think that gave my boys a lot of confidence.”

Southern Myanmar now has two tough matches coming up against Yangon and Magway before facing Okkthar United on June 20. U Kyaw Tint said he was also expecting a tough battle against underperforming Zayar Shwe Myay in Southern Myanmar’s final match.