Dr. Abdullah Misfer admits his arrival at Bani Yas has not come at the most opportune time, but he is hoping his reign can be a successful one in the future.

Misfer, the former UAE Under-23 and U-19 head coach, took the reins at the middling Sky Blues after Spaniard Luis Garcia was dismissed in March.

He has won two and drawn one of his four games in charge while the club are in the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup. They face Emirates Club later this month in that competition and Misfer wants to focus on the fact they can still end a drab campaign with a trophy.

“I am planning now for the cup. We can do something (in the President’s Cup). I know it’s a very bad time to start with the team until the end of the season, but I am doing my best. It was hard for me to start with everybody waiting for the good results.

“I tried my best and in my first match against Al Wasl we won. Second match we had a lot of injuries, I think we missed our full defensive line, it was very difficult for us to replace these positions. (Against Sharjah) we came back after a big loss (5-2 defeat to Al Nasr) and it’s a very good advantage for us for the next period.”

The 54-year-old signed an undisclosed deal at the club, but insists he is here for the long term.

He added: “I have a long contract. I have approval from the UAE FA to cancel the contract and start with Bani Yas, and my plan is to stay here as long as I can.”