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After a "horrific year" in terms of injuries, Singapore winger Faris Ramli is aiming to win an S.League trophy in 2017, while helping the national team move closer to qualifying for the next Asian Cup. The 24-year-old is considered one of the Lions' most technically gifted players, who can be a match-winner on his day. But he admits that last year he fell short of his own high standards, for both Home United and the Singapore national team, as he struggled for fitness. "It was a horrific year in terms of injuries," Faris told ESPN FC. "I did my best to bounce back and I would just get injured again. "This year, I want to do my best in every game for club and country. This year's targets are very high for me." Faris, who has won 29 caps since 2013, was speaking at Singapore national practice in Geylang as coach V. Sundramoorthy builds up to the third-round qualifying campaign for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates. Singapore will play a friendly in Doha on March 23 before travelling to Riffa to face Bahrain on March 28. Faris is keen to put the lingering disappointment of the Lions' group stage exit at the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup in Philippines behind him. "It was very disappointing," he said. "We worked very hard towards the Suzuki Cup so to be out in the group stage was very difficult to take. It was a learning lesson for us to strive even harder, so the upcoming games will determine how hard we've worked. "Against Bahrain, it's going to be a very hard game. As we know they are a very strong team. But I can see our team is shaping up very well. We'll see what our coach has in store for us." Several Malaysia Super League sides, including 2015 Malaysia Cup winners Selangor, were reportedly interested in the ex-LionsXII star at the end of last year. But, in the end, he signed a contract extension with Home United. "This year, I want to win something in the S.League, and try to achieve something overall as a player," he added.
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