Contributed by Visakan Subramaniam

Singapore, September 25, 2009 – The Singapore Under-23 national football team will be taking on their Cambodian counterparts on Sunday, September 27th in Phnom Penh as they continue their preparations for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.

Of the 20 players named in the squad, 12 are from the Young Lions team which has climbed to 10th place in the S.League after a recent run of good results.

Afiq Yunos and Khairul Nizam, who both scored in the recent 2-1 win over Home United, have been called up to the squad together with Hariss Harun, Jasper Chan, Gabriel Quak and NFA U-17 player, Shahfiq Ghani.

Defender Shaiful Esah from SAFFC together with midfielders Shahdan Sulaiman and Firdaus Idros, who are both from Home United, have also been included in the squad.

Singapore has played the likes of the Botswanan, Malaysian and Indonesian U-23 teams in recent months as they gear up for the SEA games in Vientiane, Laos.

Young Lions coach Terry Pathmanathan believes this game is an excellent test for the players.

"Most of the players in the squad lack international exposure so this is a good opportunity for them to gain some valuable experience.

"Playing in Cambodia is a good learning experience as the Cambodian team is also in the midst of their SEA games preparations and they will be looking forward to playing us.

"The Cambodians don't have that many international matches so they will come at us with lots of fire and enthusiasm and it is a chance for our boys excel and show us what they got," added Pathmanathan.

The team will be leaving to Phnom Penh on Saturday morning.

Match Details
Match: Cambodia Under-23 vs Singapore Under-23
Date: Sunday 27 September 2009
Time: 3.30pm (Singapore time: 4.30pm)
Venue: National Stadium, Phnom Penh

Singapore Under-23 Squad
Name DOB Position Club/Team

Jasper Chan 7-Nov-1988 GK Young Lions
Hyrulnizam Juma’at 14-Nov-1986 GK Young Lions
Eddie Affendy Chang 10-May-1990 DF Young Lions
Madhu Mohana 6-Mar-1991 DF Young Lions
Shaiful Esah 12-May-1986 DF SAFFC
Afiq Yunos 10-Dec-1990 DF Young Lions
Irwan Shah 2-Nov-1988 DF Young Lions
Safuwan Baharudin 22-Sep-1991 DF NFA U-18
Firdaus Idros 12-Aug-1986 MF Home United
Hariss Harun 19-Nov-1990 MF Young Lions
Shahfiq Ghani 17-Mar-1992 MF NFA U-17
Faritz Abdul Hameed 16-Jan-1990 MF Young Lions
Gabriel Quak 22-Dec-1990 MF Young Lions
Shahdan Sulaiman 9-May-1988 MF Home United
Nazrul Nazari 11-Feb-1991 MF NFA U-18
Raihan Rahman 7-Feb-1991 MF NFA U-18
Fairoz Hasan 26-Nov-1988 FW Young Lions
Fadhil Noh 4-Mar-1989 FW Young Lions
Fazli Ayob 24-Jan-1990 FW Young Lions
Khairul Nizam 25-Jun-1991 FW NFA U-18