 However, Persiba managed to surprise him by appearing impressive the following season.In the 2009–10 season with a number of star players like I Made Wirawan, Mijo Dadic, Robertino Pugliara, Gendut Doni and Julio Lopez, the team successfully finishd 3rd under Arema Indonesia and Persipura Jayapura, and that position better than Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta.While two other East Kalimantan representatives, Bontang FC and Persisam Putra Samarinda, stated that they were outside the top 10.