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Having just signed for Geylang International last month to become the first Filipino footballer to play in the S.League, former Southampton youngster Mark Hartmann has wasted little time in settling in. Hartmann, 24, got his first taste of Singapore domestic football action when he came on as a second-half substitute in the Singapore Cup first leg loss to Albirex Niigata (S), before starting in the return leg where he scored his first goal for the club to force a 2-2 draw. Despite his club's exit from the Singapore Cup, Hartmann followed up his impressive start when he netted a brace on Thursday night at Toa Payoh Stadium, to help the Eagles force a 2-2 comeback draw against Balestier Khalsa in the League Cup. While most players would have been thrilled with the start he's had in a whole new environment, Hartmann is already gunning for more. "It's been great. Couldn't have asked for a better start than this," he told ESPN FC after the game. "I've settled in well at Geylang and after the injury I had, I'm just thrilled to be back playing. "Geylang players and staff have really taken me into the Eagles family and my job now is to finish the moves on the pitch." With three goals under his belt, Hartmann has set himself a huge target of hitting double figures by the end of the season, even though he knows that there is only one more round of league fixtures to go. "I think it's possible. Three down and seven to go with one round of the league games left," he added. "As a striker, I need to set targets and hopefully achieve them. Otherwise, its pointless to play the game. "But more importantly, we need to get three points as a team. If I score in the process, that is the bonus." Hartmann's quest for more goals may be a personal one, but he knows that in order to reach his objective, he needs help from his teammates. He said: "Not enough games for me to say too much but in that 2-2 draw against Albirex, our front three looked dangerous. "Gabriel [Quak] put in a lovely cross for my first goal and Sahil [Suhaimi] always looks busy trying to get in and around the box. So if we can continue to build on this, Geylang will grow, hopefully beyond this season." Geylang's next game will be on Monday when they entertain Ken Ilso's Home United at Bedok Stadium in their second League Cup match of Group B.
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