Silverware has narrowly eluded Matthew Davies so far, but Pahang's Australia-born captain says he will be better off in the long run, despite some bitter disappointment.
The 22-year-old has played in two losing finals this year -- May's 3-2 FA Cup final loss to Kedah with Pahang, and a 1-0 defeat to Thailand with Malaysia in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games football final in August.
"That's my story this year, but I'll learn from these experiences," Davies told The Star.
"Having these big matches under my belt is a good thing and will hold me in good stead.
"It's disappointing to enjoy a good run to the final, get all hyped up and then end up not winning titles."
After coming up second-best in the FA Cup and SEA Games, Davies admits that he'd take a runner's up finish in the Malaysia Super League (MSL).
With Johor Darul Ta'zim having already wrapped the MSL title, Pahang are in third place, one point behind Kedah, and three points above Felda United, Selangor and Perak.
They host relegation-threatened Sarawak when the MSL resumes on Wednesday night. Davies scored one goal, and set up another as Pahang defeated Perak 3-1 in the quarterfinal, first leg, of the Malaysia Cup last Saturday.
"We had a good win over Perak, but a strong performance is much more important. Everyone is combining well and we are looking dangerous," former Perth Glory defender Davies said.
"We expect another strong performance against Sarawak in the league. It might give us a chance to rotate the players, but we are still motivated to finish on a high."
Also on Wednesday night, Kedah host Felda United in a crucial match for the top-four race.