Kelantan coach Mohd Azraai Khor says he is targeting a top five finish as the Malaysia FA Cup runners-up return to Malaysia Super League (MSL) action on Tuesday night against cellar dwellers Sime Darby.
Azraai has lost four of five MSL matches since taking over from George Boateng in April to see the Red Warriors sitting just one point outside the relegation zone in 10th position.
They were due to come back from the international break last Saturday -- also against Sime Darby -- but the game was postponed because of a ban on football matches in the northern state during the fasting month of Ramadan.
But the 62-year-old believes that Kelantan -- 10th in the 12-team standings with three wins from 10 matches -- can take the improved form of their FA Cup campaign into the second half of the season.
"Having a longer rest has its pros and cons," Azraai told The Star.
"Some of the teams in action in the Premier and Super League last week were rusty after the long break. I hope we can get going immediately as we need to get away from the relegation zone."
Despite bold predictions and a change in April of two import players, Azraai's have side lost to Terengganu, Pahang, JDT and Sarawak in their last five MSL games with a solitary victory over Selangor on April 25.
Azraai said: "The results in the first half of the season was not good. Kelantan need to strike back in the second half. A top five finish will be our goal, but everyone needs to work hard until the end of the season for us to reach the target.
"We need to start collecting three points from our matches, beginning with Sime Darby. They may be winless in the league, but we still have to be cautious."
Under Azraai, Kelantan struggled to a 1-1 draw away to Sime Darby in an FA Cup quarterfinal tie in April before winning the second leg 3-0 to advance to the semifinals.
After upsetting Pahang in the semifinals, they lost the Malaysia FA Cup final to LionsXII, 3-1, on May 23.
Kelantan have scored just 10 league goals his season, the second worst return in the MSL. Colombian Erwin Carrillo, Brazilian Gilmar Filho and Nigerian Austin Amutu missed a host of chances in the shock FA Cup final defeat at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Sime Darby have accumulated two draws and eight defeats in their 10 games this season. Should Azraai's Kelantan lose at Selayang Stadium, it would certainly be a new low for the 2012 MSL champions.