All good things must come to an end.

It is the same with Kedah’s rock-solid central defence partnership, which has lasted for five years now.

Skipper A. Victor and deputy captain Bernard Hugging will be lining up alongside each other for one last time when they take on Selangor in the Malaysia Cup final on Saturday.

Such is the pair’s importance to the team that Kedah’s two most senior players are the first names to be pencilled in when coach Mohd Azraai Khor picks his starting eleven



They were instrumental in guiding the youngsters around them to win the unprecedented Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup treble in 2007.

And now, the 32-year-old Victor has pledged to play his part in delivering the Malaysia Cup and complete a second straight treble as a farewell gift for his departing partner.

Due to the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) ruling on doing away with foreign players next season, the 33-year-old Hugging, who is from St Vincent and Grenadines, will leave Kedah when his contract expires on Aug 31.

The northerners have already won the Super League and FA Cup titles this season.

“I have truly enjoyed and learnt a lot from playing alongside Hugging for the past five years. He is a very friendly person both on and off the pitch, and will go out of his way to guide young players,” said Victor yesterday.

“He has contributed a lot to Kedah’s recent rise and all the players here want to ensure Hugging and the other two imports leave Malaysia as worthy winners. There is no better way to do it than to beat Selangor and prolong our ‘treble champions’ tag.”

The other two foreign players in the team are Hugging’s compatriot Marlon James, the 2008 Super League Golden Boot winner, and Chilean playmaker Nelson Martin.

The Kedah skipper, however, warned about the dangers of being over-confident ahead of the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Said Victor: “Just because Kedah have swept all the recent major titles at stake does not mean that Selangor will allow us to run away with the Malaysia Cup as well.

“Each final is a new ball game, and past results will not matter at all. Selangor will also be fired up to avenge their FA Cup final defeat, and we need to be at our best to win.”

For the record, Kedah defeated Selangor 3-2 in a thrilling FA Cup final in June.

The Red Giants’ attempt to challenge the Canaries for the Super League title also fizzled out during the home stretch, with Selangor eventually finishing third.

This is the first time in the history of the 87-year-old Malaysia Cup competition that Kedah and Selangor, the two best-supported teams in Malaysian football, are meeting in the final.

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