‘We need to start well’ – Conor Nestor on AFC Cup tie against Ceres Negros

Phnom Penh៖ Conor Nestor urges his side to start well in their opening AFC Cup Group G match away to Ceres Negros, who demolished Boeung Ket 9-0 two years ago.The Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng coach has learned from Boeung Ket’s heavy defeat and figured out that his side must not allow the Filipino side to create early momentum.

Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng downed Master 7 of Laos 7-1 on aggregate in the AFC Cup play-off to advance to the group stage.

The champions of Cambodia are unbeaten in their friendly matches against local and overseas opponents, and Conor Nestor believes the Svay Rieng side are in a good form to face Ceres Negros.The Irish coach told camsports.org: “We have concerns with several players carrying knocks, but in terms of availability I have a full squad to choose from.

“In our first ever AFC Group match, we play South East Asia’s top ranked team, so of course we are very eager for the game day to come. A result would be incredible, but either way we learn a lot.“We play a team who won 9-0 the last time they played a Cambodian opponent in Manila, so that speaks for itself. But our preparation has been good and whilst they are in good form, and so are we.

“I watched their games, and it’s clear Ceres are a team you must start well against. If they gather momentum, then they can be unstoppable. But our best attribute is we don’t know when we are beaten, and we never give up, so let’s see how it plays out.

“At the end of this game, we will know how far we have to go to develop as a team because Ceres should be a model for a club like ours. Their budget is 5 times the size of ours, but they have beaten a team like Port FC with a much bigger budget than them. So that shows you in football nothing is impossible.”