Having finished last in their past three Singapore Premier League (SPL) campaigns, the Young Lions were determined not to let history repeat itself in the 2024-25 season.
With just six matches remaining, the developmental side look on course not to end up bottom for the first time since 2020 as they sit eighth in the nine-team table, 12 points ahead of Tanjong Pagar United.
Following a 0-0 draw with Albirex Niigata at the Jurong East Stadium on April 13, they need just seven more points to ensure an unassailable advantage over the Jaguars.
Young Lions interim coach Fadzuhasny Juraimi said: "We want to do better than the previous year and we've collectively agreed that we want to go as high as possible.
"As much as possible, we do not want to finish last. At the end of the day, I'm more focused on them performing well first and if the result comes, it's positive for us."
The last time that the Young Lions avoided the wooden spoon was five years ago, when they finished seventh among eight teams.
It is also still possible for the team, who have 25 points after six wins, seven draws and 13 losses, to move further up the table as they are just one point behind DPMM.
Goalkeeper Rauf Erwan, who has been with the side for over three years, said: "We try to better our performances - the past few seasons we were at the bottom so we tried to make it a target for us to be higher in the standings, that's the motivation for us to keep moving."
The 19-year-old believes one key factor for the team's improvement this season is their bond on and off the pitch, as they push each other to improve during training.
Agreeing, Fadzuhasny, who took over from Nazri Nasir in January, feels that the team have gelled well and also highlighted the contributions of their foreign players.
The Young Lions, who have been a developmental side geared towards preparing local players for the SEA Games since their league debut in 2003, started the season with five imports in a move aimed at raising their competitiveness.
They are centre-back Jun Kobayashi, playmaker Kan Kobayashi - who were retained from the previous season - former Albirex Niigata central midfielder Kaisei Ogawa, striker Itsuki Enomoto and Australian centre-back Rashid Hayek.
Enomoto was key to the Young Lions attack, scoring 13 goals in 19 matches before being prised away by BG Tampines Rovers in January, while Hayek has returned to Australia to join Essendon Royals.
Fadzuhasny said: "These three Japanese (Jun, Kan and Ogawa) have been a good example to the boys in terms of commitment, discipline and they give stability to the team.
"They are always early to reach the stadium, they're on their own in the gym, after training they are doing their own runs and this has rubbed off on the local boys."
Their impact was evident in the stalemate against their former club Albirex on April 13. While the White Swans got off to a better start, they were unable to convert their chances.
The Young Lions gained some momentum in the second half and, although Albirex came alive towards the end with a flurry of chances, they could not find the net.
Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi rued his side's finishing in a match they had hoped to win after four straight losses in the SPL and Singapore Cup.
The Japanese said: "My boys worked hard until the end, this one point is very important. We made some small mistakes in front of goal and we need to further improve our finishing.
"But we have five matches left so we need to stay focused and we keep going and it's important to stay united as a team."
Analysis
While the Young Lions appear on track to achieving their target, Albirex's hold on fourth place with 36 points is less secure. To stay in contention, they will need to be more clinical in attack and tighter in defence, especially with a close battle for the middle placings shaping up.
Balestier Khalsa, who have a game in hand, trail by only three points, with Hougang United a further three behind.
