KUALA LUMPUR: Darren Lok was finally granted Malaysian citizenship today, clearing the way for the English-born striker to play for Johor in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old arrived in Kuala Lumpur in May and was subsequently offered a contract by Johor. Although Darren was registered with the club, he could not play in matches until he was granted citizenship.
Darren, who is of Malaysian-English parentage, played for Eastbourne Borough, a semi-professional club in the Conference South League (a sixth-tier competition in England).
The 26-year-old scored eight times on his debut in the 2012/13 season for the English club and followed up with nine and 10 goals in the following seasons before ending his career with six goals last season.
Darren will likely play his first competitive match for Johor when they entertain Kuala Lumpur at Pasir Gudang Stadium tomorrow.
Johor and PKNS are battling each other to join Premier League champions Malacca in the Super League next season.
“It marks a new chapter in my football career. With matters settled, I now want to focus on making an impression in the M-League,” said Darren.
“I need to regain my match fitness and sharpness as I have not played a competitive match since parting ways with Eastbourne Borough.”
“I have been training with the team (Johor) and also working out in the gym since arriving here. The season is almost over and it is a shame that I could not feature for the club much earlier. But still we have games coming up and hopefully, I’ll get to play.”
National coach Ong Kim Swee will definitely be monitoring his progress as he is looking for a prolific striker to marshall his team’s attack in the AFF Cup in November.
The local fraternity have high hopes on Darren as they believe he is far better than Safee Sali and other local strikers.