SINGAPORE – Young Lions midfielder Hisatoshi Nishido was Hougang United’s Halloween bogeyman, netting a brace as the developmental side beat the Cheetahs 2-0 at Bishan Stadium on Oct 31.

It was the Young Lions’ first win in 11 matches across two seasons, and their first since last season’s 1-0 victory over Tanjong Pagar United on April 10.

It lifted them a rung to seventh in the eight-team Singapore Premier League with three points, swopping places with Hougang, who have only one point after six matches.

Young Lions coach Firdaus Kassim was “very proud” of his charges’ performance.

“The boys fought really well. They were very good in many moments, and when the time came for them to grind, they could do it,” said the 39-year-old.

“I think anybody who watched the Young Lions this season wouldn’t be surprised with this result because it was a long time coming.

“We were doing well in many, many games, but the difference between us and many teams this season is the squad depth, and we were struggling with the numbers this season.

“And today, I think we could have a little bit more balance from the bench to sustain throughout the entire game and I feel this was one of the key differences.”

After losing 4-0 to FC Jurong in their season opener, the Young Lions then scored first against Geylang International, Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers, but lost those games 5-1, 6-1 and 4-1 respectively, before a 2-1 defeat by Balestier Khalsa.

Hougang began the season with a creditable 2-2 draw against defending champions Sailors, but have since lost five in a row – 3-0 to Jurong, 2-1 to Balestier, 2-1 to Tanjong Pagar, 3-0 to Geylang and now 2-0 to the Young Lions.

Nishido opened the scoring in the fifth minute on Oct 31. The Japanese midfielder collected a pass from Welshman Kai Whitmore on the right, swivelled and curled a left-footed shot into the top corner.

The Cheetahs thought they had equalised in the 56th minute when Connor Flynn-Gillespie headed past Young Lions goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, but the Scottish striker’s effort was ruled out for offside after a video assistant referee review.

The Young Lions had a chance to double their lead in the 64th minute when Hougang captain Zulqarnaen Suzliman was penalised for handball in the box.

But forward Miyu Sato fired his penalty wide of Cheetahs custodian Takahiro Koga’s post.

Nishido made sure of the win in the 73rd minute, dribbling past three players before curling his shot past Koga.

Looking ahead, Firdaus wants his team to work harder as they are expecting “tough times” to come again.

He added: “(We know) it’s not going to be rainbows every day for the next few games and we expect tough times, difficult moments to arrive again.

“But we have shown how to overcome difficult runs, and I also think that this is a very good learning lesson for the team, and hopefully, when or if these kinds of moments come again, the boys are more experienced.

“The idea of the Young Lions is to develop the players, not just on the field, but also to manage the good and the bad moments.”

After five consecutive losses, Hougang coach Akbar Nawas admits that his side “were not good enough” and believes that “there is no point making excuses”.

The 50-year-old said: “As a team and as a club, we have to take a hard look at ourselves, reflect on where we are falling short and understand what needs to change. I take responsibility for my part in this as well.

“The situation is difficult, and we know our supporters deserve better. But feeling disappointed is not enough, we need to turn that disappointment into action, work out how we reset and start finding a way to climb back up.

“It will require honesty, accountability and a collective response from everyone at the club.”

Both clubs will now head into the international break, with the Young Lions returning to action against Tanjong Pagar on Nov 21, while Hougang take on Tampines on Nov 22.