By K. RAJAN

PETALING JAYA: Armed Forces defender K. Reuben will continue to keep his chin up despite the barrage of criticism hurled against him after two embarrassing blunders in his first two international outings.

The 22-year-old made his debut for Malaysia in October 2011 and instantly became the target of ridicule after he accidentally “tackled” South Korean referee Lee Min Hu in the 5-0 friendly defeat by Australia in Canberra.

Then in the Asian Cup qualifier Group D match against Qatar in Doha last week, his miskick towards the end of the match resulted in the home team scoring their second goal for a 2-0 win.

The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia final year IT student admitted that he does get disheartened by the jeers.

But he won’t let it get him down.

“I always strive to play the best … but mistakes happen in football,” said Reuben.

“The brickbats hurled at me can be hurtful and disheartening but I intend to it all in my stride and just focus on becoming a better player.

“I believe that I’ve improved and the mistakes will only make me a better player.”

Reuben said that he would now focus on Forces’ Super League campaign after they were knocked out in the first round of the FA Cup last month.

Forces will resume their Super League campaign against Negri Sembilan at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi on Saturday. “I hope to play consistently for Forces and earn a call-up to the national team again,” said the versatile Reuben.

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