WHENEVER we talk about the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), Yayasan Negeri Sembilan (YNS) will always emerge on our radar.
In the mid-1990s, YNS were a powerhouse and was the team to beat. In short, they were the giants whom others wanted to scalp.
It was phenomenal. YNS would come into the picture every time people discussed about the MHL. To many, YNS were MHL and MHL was YNS.
Backed by chairman, Mustapha Kamil, with a great show from team manager, Satwant Singh Dhaliwal, YNS were feared for the players and quality they had in what was a highly competitive league.
I was fortunate to have played for YNS twice in the 1992-1993 and 1996 seasons. On both occasions, former international player, Stephen van Huizen, was the coach.
It was with them that I won the historic treble in 1996 ─ winning the overall title, the league title and Charity Shield.
That was the first time that a team had managed such a feat, a team that had won every single match that season. Imagine, all wins with no draws or defeats.
We were so determined to attain this record that in our last league match, we played our hearts out in order to beat Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan (MPK) 1-0 with the winning goal coming in at the last minute via a penalty corner. Any other result would not have harmed us as we had already won the league before playing this match.
As it was difficult to win each and every game we played, this league, which was Inaugurated in 1987, bestowed upon us a record that was hard to match.
YNS also won all the individual awards in 1996. Those involved with YNS at the time will always be proud of their achievements that year.
Among the players in the squad were S. Kuhan, R. Shanker, Maninderjit Singh, Soon Mustafa Karim, Nor Azlan Bakar, Ariffin Ghani, K. Dharma Raj, S. Suriaghandi, Nasihin Nubli, Lee Sien Lam, M. Kaliswaran and myself.
We had a foreign player from India in Mukesh Kumar. Playing as a right-winger, he and I made a good combination as I was playing centre-forward at the time.
Mukesh also gelled with the rest of the team in terms of playing style and structure.
The team boasted a quality blend of experienced and young players with the latter not only possessing great determination, they clicked well with the former.
We were somewhat like a family as all the players were based in Seremban with training sessions at Tun Razak Stadium in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur. At times, we also had sessions at the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban (MPS) Padang.
Where the players' welfare was concerned, Satwant's impressive management skills were at play to everyone’s satisfaction. We were all happy and remained focused on the task of winning honours.
Sad to say though that YNS did not participate in the league in 1997 for reasons only known to them. That season, most of the players, including myself, joined Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MPPJ).
Although YNS was left with quite a legacy, you may want to know how I landed at YNS for those two memorable and enjoyable seasons.
Despite winning a historic first-ever double by clinching both the league and overall titles in the 1991-1992 season, I left Kilat Club (now Tenaga Nasional Berhad or TNB) for YNS in 1992.
Having joined the club in 1990, it was rather sad when I decided to leave them after receiving an offer from YNS, which came with the opportunity for a whole new experience and adventure.
YNS had a formidable squad in the 1992-1993 season with quality players, such as Soon Mustafa, Sarjit, Kuhan, Dharma Raj, Suriaghandi, Ariffin, Nor Azlan, Nasihin, Lee Seng Hock, Eric and Kaliswaran as well as Indian star Pargat Singh.
It must be said Kuhan was only 16 back then. He was part of the development programme drawn out by YNS.
YNS had won the league title in the 1992-1993 season and were favourites for the double by clinching the overall title as well.
However, the shock of the season happened in the quarter-final when Maybank edged YNS by 1-0. This was seven days after YNS thrashed Maybank 7-1 in the final match of the league.
Many did not believe it but the fact remained that YNS were knocked out.
I left YNS to play for MBf Finance in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. I rejoined YNS in that glorious 1996 season like it was destiny. This came about mainly due to the efforts of the late V. M. Chandran, a businessman whom I had worked for at the time.
Being a local, Chandran loved the idea of giving back to Negeri Sembilan. One of the ways he showed his appreciation was to strengthen the YNS squad in their bid to clinch more honours that year.
With the help of my close friend T. Davindra, who was also working for Chandran, an interesting package was drawn out to sign three players for YNS to strengthen each outfield department.
The defender signed up was Maninderjit, Shankar was the midfielder, and the forward was myself.
Together with some big and experienced names in the squad, we were all set to make our move that season under the watchful eyes of van Huizen.
That treble win was a big reward for everyone involved with YNS, who shall never be forgotten even if they are no longer playing in the league.
Stay safe, everyone. ─ The Vibes, 26 February, 2021
