Thrust into the captaincy of Pahang at the tender age of 21, Malaysia defender Matthew Davies believes he is ready for the pressure cooker atmosphere of the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup.

With his international teammates training in Brisbane on their Oceania tour, Davies is on the comeback trail from injury in Singapore, with Pahang playing three friendly games.

He withdrew from the AFC Asian Cup playoff against Timor-Leste earlier this month with a lower back complaint, but hopes that he can still force his way into the squad before November's Suzuki Cup.

"It's very disappointing that I've had to pull out of this tour due to injury and I hope it doesn't affect long term selection for the national team," he told ESPN FC.

"Playing in the Suzuki Cup is a big goal of mine. I'm focusing on that for this year and for next year it would have to be the SEA Games. It's my target to be selected for the squad, work my way into contention and hopefully play some games."

Western Australia-born Davies, who played 16 games over two seasons for Perth Glory in the A-League before moving to Malaysia, had a taste of tournament action when he made his national Under-23 debut at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. The former Australia Under-19 representative went on to play five times for the U23s and on seven occasions for the senior side.

Western Australia-born Davies, who played 16 games over two seasons for Perth Glory in the A-League before moving to Malaysia, had a taste of tournament action at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. The former Australia Under-19 representative has played five times for the U23s and on seven occasions for the senior side.

Although he played several times against LionsXII before they left the Malaysia Super League last year, he's never appeared in a cross Causeway battle at international level.

"Being in Singapore for the SEA Games last year, it gave me a hint of what it might be like, but we were in different groups in the football competition so we didn't get to play," said Davies. "So, I've yet to experience a Malaysia-Singapore derby, but have big expectations of what it would be like. It's not an option to lose."

Davies' mother is from the state of Sabah, which allowed him to become a Malaysian citizen last year. Since then, it's been a whirlwind ride, culminating in taking over the captaincy of a struggling Pahang side this season, shorn of most of their top stars from 2015.

The Elephants are in the Malaysia Super League relegation zone, second from bottom on the table after only two wins in their first 12 games.

"It's a unique position for me, being so young, and being made captain. It was a bit of a shock initially, but I'm doing the best I can and hopefully my performances remain high," he said.

"I'm enjoying my time in Malaysia and hopefully I can bring my consistency for my club to international level."

Pahang will open their Malaysia Cup campaign against Kelantan on July 12, four days before the resumption of the MSL on July 16. They're in Group B, also featuring 2015 champions Selangor and second tier Kuala Lumpur.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Jason Dasey

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