New signing Mohd Faid Farhadh Mohd Shah joined league champions Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) as an unknown although he had played in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) for three seasons – one with Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and two with Maybank.

Now, he is going great guns and even UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj is full of praise.

“I am very happy with Faid’s all-round performance in the league. He has been great on the field and is very committed.

“He only joined us this season but he has adapted well. It is a good start but there is still room for improvement, ” said Arul.

The 23-year old midfielder, who is pursuing a degree in Sports and Recreation at Universiti Kebangaan Malaysia (UKM), said it was an honour to be given the opportunity to play alongside experienced national and foreign players in UniKL.

“Everyone is very supportive and I have been learning a lot from them. I have shown a steady rise in my game since my first match on Jan 10, ” said Faid.

“In the last few matches, I realise my confidence level is on the rise too. When you play for a team like UniKL, expectations are high and there is pressure to perform well. When I make mistakes, the senior players are always there to guide me, ” said Faid, who had a four-month stint with Mariendorf Hockey Club in Berlin in 2017.

He made his MHL debut with UiTM in 2017 before joining Maybank in 2018. And he will be up against his old team on Wednesday before the big showdown with fellow leaders Tenaga Nasional.

UniKL and Tenaga are tied on 15 points after both won all their five games but Tenaga top the standings with a better goal difference.

Faid said he would be facing his old pals when they play the Tigers but was optimistic that they would collect three points.

“Our real challenge will be from Tenaga who have 13 national players. We need to beat them to stay on the right track for the title, ” said Faid.