Match #11 (21 Feb 08): Defied the Odds to Notch a Satisfying Win!

We were up against various odds last Saturday. Firstly, it was a very warm and energy-sapping morning but this affected our opponent, Minnows, just as well. Secondly, Minnows’ players are only in their earlier twenties, so not a slightest doubt on their stamina. And finally, the mother of all odds, we played more than half the match with a man down after Weng Kwan decided to test our resolve with his marching order 10 minutes before half-time. Yet, we walked away with a narrow but hugely satisfying 2 – 1 win. One might have thought that we rode on our luck, given the narrow score line but considering that we hit the frame of the goal four times (mind you, three times in the 2nd half when we should have been defensive), the score line actually did not do us justice at all.

Not that Minnows were pushovers. They may not be as skilful as Young Boyz, but they were robust and quick in challenging us for every ball. In their No 8, they possess a quicksilver with quick feet to stretch our defence. No 8 eventually went on to cause our usually infallible Weng Kwan to intercept a breakaway through ball with a deliberate handball and earn himself a consequent marching order before the break. Sometimes, it is more difficult to play against a team with one man down, as we proved to be. Surprisingly, we had the majority of possession in the 2nd half and could have won more handsomely if the woodwork had not denied us on those occasions.

Once again, Yong Chua was deployed as one of our front men and again, he put in a sparkling performance not only with his brace of goals but admirably leading the front line as the sole striker in much of the 2nd half. And again, not surprisingly, he was overwhelmingly voted as the Man of The Match.

Whilst Yong Chua led the line upfront, Chor Guan and his crew of Hock Leong, Weng Kwan, Chung Wen, Ng & Leo at the back doused Minnows’ effervescence with non-stop cold water. Weng Kwan’s send-off, Hock Leong’s recurrence of hamstring injury and Chor Guan’s twisted ankle were no small price we paid to fend off the onslaught from a young team. Shielding the defence were Simon and Kok Hock controlling the middle of the park. Kok Hock was clearly regaining his finesse. The way he calmly spread the ball around the pitch in the 2nd half was a joy to watch. Simon, uncompromising as usual, held the midfield together with another commanding display, enabling Weng Khong to support the attacks.

Visibly affected by the warm weather, everyone appeared lethargic with our passes coming up short and astray most of the times. The closest we came to scoring in the 1st half was when Teck Wah’s stiff shot rattled the horizontal. Yong Chua came in for the fast-tiring KH and duly made Minnows pay for their sloppy defending. Credits must be given to Hock Leong, who intelligently evaded 2 players closing him down in midfield before delivering a diagonal pass into the box. Yong Chua brought the ball down well, turned and shot past the keeper. 1 – 0! Our joy was short-lived when Minnows launched a quick attack down their left flank. A high ball meant for their quicksilver No 8 was unprofessionally stopped by Weng Kwan’s raised hand. The referee had no hesitation to produce the 2nd yellow card for WK who, despite the dismissal, nevertheless earned our respect for intelligently stopping their play. We held on to the slender lead at the break.

Despite us having a man down, Minnows did not manage to capitalize on their numerical superiority. We kept possession well for the large part of the 2nd half until the last 10 minutes when the heat really got into us. Yong Chua led the front line superbly, holding the ball well and bringing the midfielders into play. Weng Khong came close to stretch our lead but his effort also came off the horizontal after Ng overlapped from his left fullback position into the box to meet a delicate cross from Kian Hwa. Ng deployed his hairy chest to good use with a nice cushioning of the ball with his chest before laying the ball to Weng Khong but the woodwork denied a good piece of footballing action. Simon was the next one to see his effort agonizingly denied by the horizontal again. That came after some good work by Kian Hwa on the left, who turned in between 2 defenders well and teed up Simon for a shot.

Yong Chua then re-entered into play for a corner. Mike headed the ball onto the path of Yong Chua, who once again turned and converted to double our lead. 2 – 0! It would have been 3 nil up but Hock Leong’s intelligent knockdown from just outside the box trickled diagonally across the penalty box before it came off the right upright. At the back, our defence held firm to break down their offensive moves. Minnows scored a dubious consolation goal from clearly an offside position when their No 8 received the ball but he went on to slot the ball past Brandon. Teck Wah and Yong Chua took turn to provide an assist to each other and both came close to extend our lead. Teck Wah met Yong Chua’s lob into the box but his left–footed shot failed to trouble the keeper. Teck Wah then turned provider for Yong Chua and the latter’s shot from the outside the box sailed narrowly over the bar.

The heat took a heavy toll on our depleted resources but we managed to hold the 2 – 1 margin to the final whistle.

Man of The Match: Yong Chua (10 out of 16 votes)
Another sparkling performance, another convincing and deserving MoTM award!

“For the strategy to hold midfield and player rotation throughout the match, KH shd be nominated MOM. For the precise execution and imposing play, YC gets my vote today.” [Editor: Wa low eh, what kind of nomination was this? Like cock teaser! Want to nominate me, say so lah! Worse than a sympathy vote, man :)]
“my vote goes to Yong Chua. Played well as a lone striker, with two goals to win the match.”
“Yong Chua: Attack well and score a very good goal.”
“Motm is yong chua. He did not stay on the pitch for long but he is certainly effective in converting those 2 goals.”
“motm yong chua, lucky got him, convert his 2 scoring chances into goal….”
“Motm to yong chua, for scoring the 2 impt goals. Intelligent play upfront in the second half also helped the team manage the 1 man disadvantage.”
“YC for good finishing, converting 2 out of 3 chances”
“Obvious choice. YC. Played the role of striker really well. When he played alone up front he held up expertly. Plus if got two well taken goals”
“Mom is yong chua. 2 well taken goals”
“Mom is yong chua for the good holding up play as well as 2 goals to secure victory.”

The remaining 6 votes went to our defenders, a huge acknowledgement of their work at the back. Ng (2 votes), Hock Leong (2), Chor Guan (1) and Weng Kwan (1), stand up and be counted!

“Tough choice. So many had good game this week. KH, simon, khong, wah, hok hock, hock leong just to name a few. Even kwan was fantastic but for the dubious red card. But my choice to a returning prodigal son, Ng. He shut out their attacks clinically and make some nice moves upfront. Setting up a perfect chance for khong.” [Editor: Might as well mention the whole team for good performance :)]
“Motm: Ng. Thought he had a solid game n made a few positive runs forward, nearly connecting with a header. Never seen him as ‘lively’ as today.”

“MOM for last sat: Hock Leong-set up the first goal and almost scored the goal of the season.”
“Hock Leong, not for his superb defensive effort, which needs no mentioning but for his intelligence and high level of awareness. I was already suitably impressed by how he evaded the 2 players closing down on him, his eventual pass led to the opening goal was icing on the cake. His awareness of his position almost scored a brilliant goal but for the stubborn woodwork!”

“MOTM goes to Kuan for his last ditch effort to prevent possibly a goal by opponent team's no. 8, which could be a pivotal foothold for the young opponents to gather confidence & belief, thereby changing the complexion of the whole game.. Well, if that is not good enough a reason, he sacrificed his playtime in the process... hahaha..”

“Motm to guan. Reassuring last line of defence.”

[Editor: My records reveal a rather disturbing sign. Empirical evidence points that Yong Chua has a certain affinity and inclination for young men. He seems to get turned on by young men! How else would you explain this – MoTM against Minnows and Young Boyz and not forgetting coming in 2nd on 4 Jan at Temasek Sec Sch against Blue & Green Thunderbolts. All against young opponents! ]

Match #10 (14 Feb 09): Another Flattering Scoreline Despite a Scrappy Performance!

Except for Leo who remains our only Mr Romantic, we had almost a full turnout who forsook our domestic love for the love of the beautiful game last Saturday at Safra Ten-penis against Modello.

Despite the apparent quality and abundance of experience in the starting line-up, we had an uncharacteristic shaky start that defied any logic. Within the first 60 seconds, we almost gifted them a goal when sloppy passing involving Weng Kwan, Ng and Chor Guan caught Brandon out of position but our custodian recovered in time to block a certain goal on the line. Despite the close shave, we continued to play with laden legs as if everyone had rounds of humping before turning up for the match. Modello duly punished us when an innocuous pass evaded our back four and allowed their striker to slip through with ease and planted a left-footed shot past Brandon for their opening goal. 0 – 1 down!

Modello faded rather quickly after a bright start. Our quantity, for once, mattered. After introducing fresh pairs of legs, we began to run rings around them. A cross from Weng Khong on the right reached Teck Wah at the far side in the box. Not surprisingly, Teck Wah produced the equalizer. It was not just his perfect execution of the half-volley that produced the beauty but the goal was a timely tonic to calm down our nerves and set the rhythm for us. 1 – 1! And we began to run riot in the remaining 1st half. Kian Hwa then produced 3 crosses from the left in quick succession. The first presented a sitter for Gan but his lack of sharpness and confidence was too glaring for anyone to ignore, he screwed the golden opportunity to increase his tally; the other two put the Modello’s defence in sixes and sevens but without any damage to them.
Gan revealed that he was discerning and simply being selective on whose cross he wished to convert. Later, receiving a similar square pass from the left, Gan put the ball into the net but not after a near miss as the ball seemed to veer away from goal before hitting the right post into goal. 2 – 1 now. Yong Chua and Simon increasingly stamped their authority in midfield. Modello aggravated their misery with their cumbersome movement at the back. A hurried clearance went as far as Simon in the middle of the park and he nodded the high ball onto the path of Teck Chye, who was allowed to advance into the box unchallenged. With the entire defence still rooted onto the ground and mesmerized by Teck Chye’s grace, Teck Chye walloped a left foot cracker that the hopelessly-out-of-position goalkeeper could only grasp for air. 3 – 1!

Teck Chye then helped himself to a brace when he was brought down just outside the box. Confidently waving Simon away and taking over the resultant freekick, Teck Chye sent the ball to the top right-hand corner of the goal beyond the keeper’s desperate reach. 4 – 1 and we were in total command. The Tang brothers demonstrated that Valentine’s Day is not simply restricted to lovers. The brotherly love prevailed on the pitch again when Teck Chye squared another grounder from the left and Teck Wah had the simplest of tasks to tap the ball into the net. 5 – 1. We seemed to do no wrong, but we flattered to deceive. Brandon saved us from conceding another goal as his wonderful positioning blocked an one-on-one effort from Modello in the box. They persisted and punished us for another piece of sloppiness at our back. Mark needlessly gifted possession away and the giveaway proved costly as we produced all sorts of comic acts at the back except to clear the ball cleanly. Modello capitalized on our indiscretion and reduced the deficit to 5 – 2! Needless to say, our backline heard the thunder roaring across the sky….from the gallery! Mike then answered the critics with a perfect pass down the left flank that forced Gan to turn on his motor and race for the ball. Another simple pass into the box and Teck Chye popped up to grab his hat trick with glee! 6 – 2 and the timing could not be any better for Teck Chye to remind everyone that he is still the one to reckon with despite his younger sibling’s sparkling form.

No further damage was done to either side and we ended the match with a 6 – 2 win.

Man of The Match: Teck Chye (10 out of 19 votes)
“My MOTM goes to T Chye. Having not played a full match and to score a hat-trick and provide at least 1 assist, you cannot deny him of the MOTM award - fantastic game he had!”
“Motm: teck chye: excellent freekick, unselfish pass to his brother for a goal, hatrick, u name it, u have it.”
“Mom is teck chye for hat trick”
“Chye – for the hattrick”
“MOM to chye. Happy to see him back to scoring form. Took his chances well. Could have more. One assist as well.”
“Motm go to teck chye. Constant threat on the field. 3 well taken goals, inclusive of a outstanding freekick”
“Vote goes to teck chye. Goals and assists killed the game as a contest for our opponents.”
“Teck Chye. Not the hattrick but rather, good finishing when it matters.”
“Motm goes to teck chye, for scoring the hat trick. Scored a beautiful free kick just outside the box.”
“Motm: teck chye. 3 well taken goals plus lots of good build up play. Special mention to chwee leng who had a solid game at right back.”
The younger Tang grabbed 4 votes. Do we have any siblings to dilute the Tang effect?
“My MOTM for today's game is Teck Wah for his first goal that breath confidence back into a shaky start.”
“I was going to nominate Kok Hock as MOM but i figured that is his usual high standard of play, holding and running with the ball and acute distribution. Teck Wah is my choice this match.... saw him everywhere - crossing from both flanks, stealing balls midfield and ultimately scoring the goal which burst the opponent's party balloon and momentum.”
“motm teck wah – score our 1st goal when we r 1 goal down…that build up our confident..”
“Most would go for Teck Chye. But I opted for his younger bro. His first goal, our equaliser instilled some belief in us and rectified the rubbish performance from us before that.”

Simon’s authority in midfield did not go unnoticed as 3 nominations went to him:
“Motm goes to simon. He controlled the midfield and made a few defence splitting passes.”
“Despite the incredible goals and defensive play my vote goes to simon. Wonderful passing that led to a few goals and disciplined defensive play. Weng Kwan comes a close second”
“Motm to simon tan. His defence splitting passes resulted in many goals. His best game so far.”
Brandon and Kian Hwa had 1 consolation vote each:

“Mom Brandon – solid perf”
“MOTM for Safra game - Kian Hwa. make a few good crosses in 1st half and challenge for balls well.”

[Editor: One can’t help but feel that whenever KH was nominated, it was out of sympathy as the vote usually came from the eventual MoTM himself. If each player could nominate himself, which is not disallowed anyway, KH might not even get any sympathy vote :)]

Match #9 (7 Feb 09): Marine Sunday Notched An Impressive Win!

The performance against Young Boyz was not pretty but the 3 – 0 win was nevertheless an impressive one. Firstly, Young Boyz comprise players in their early 20s, who are not only naturally superior in fitness but also technically better than us. Most of their players possess nice, nifty touches with good control of the ball. Secondly, against such a young team, we still managed to keep a clean sheet, our first of the season, despite having them running at us most of the time. That spoke so much of our disciplined defending at the back, well marshalled by Chor Guan and his able lieutenants, some good positioning of Brandon in goal, and Simon patrolling the line in front of the back four just like the warships escorting the cargo vessels off the coast of Somalia.

We could attribute our win to 2 factors – better teamwork and stronger leadership on the pitch. Individually, they are no doubt better than us. As a team, our experience counts. Moreover, we are blessed with a player like Yong Chua who naturally assumed leadership in dictating play and deployed all his experience to the fullest use. No surprise that he would later be overwhelmingly voted as MoTM for this match. Collectively, we demonstrated that experience can overcome vitality.

After the opening 5 minutes of lethargy, YB seized an upper hand in possession as they started to run the ball around us with ease. They closed us down faster, a fact that we anticipated but we just don't possess the techniques and temperament to move the ball about smoothly. We kept gifting the possession back to them. YB came close to scoring on a few occasions, the closest being a dipping shot from outside the box that came off the underside of the bar and much to our relief, the ball bounced to the welcoming arms of Brandon.

Against the run of play, we stung them with a lightning counter-attack that left them with a rude awakening as the 1st half was drawing to a close. From defending a corner, we broke free with Chor Guan leading the breakaway on the left. A quick exchanges of passes involving him, Kian Hwa and Yong Chua allowed the former to beat the offside line and, without breaking his strides, hit a snap shot on the run at goal. YB's keeper did well to palm Chor Guan's initial effort to safety but sustained pressure from us kept the ball around their penalty box. Yong Chua dictated the play outside the box before spreading the ball to KH, who pulled wide in the box to dispose his marker. KH took one step to beat the last man and squared a grounder across the 6-yards box. Chor Guan was the first man to the ball to scoop it over the keeper for our opening goal. 1 – 0. YB were visibly caught surprise by our movements despite our ageing limbs.

YB resumed the 2nd half with their confident passing and smooth movements. For all their possession, they lacked that vital penetration to breach our tight backline. We delivered the 2nd sucker punch when Kian Hwa, who re-entered into the match for Chwee Leng, raced clear on the left and hoisted a lobbing cross into the box for Yong Chua, who outjumped the keeper to head the ball into the net. 2 – 0!

We then forced a corner on the right and the resultant corner was quickly played short to Kok Hock who sent a dipping cross to the far post for Yong Chua to nod it back across the goal for Mike to tap in, leaving the keeper in despair. 3 – 0! By now, YB’s spirit was drained dry.
They found no joy playing against us when their best chance for a consolation goal was even denied by the stingy Brandon. On the rare occasion they breached our defence to face only Brandon, they found our keeper a couple of inches too wide for their liking as their shot was blocked by Brandon’s chunky feet.

We wilted in the last 10 minutes of the match as the heat sapped our limited stamina but our stout defence kept them at bay no less. 3 – 0 was the final score.

Man of The Match: Yong Chua

A superlative performance from Yong Chua garnered 8 out of 15 nominations and he breezed through comprehensively to receive the MoTM!
“The one who scored one, made another & dictated play to help create the first. YC for motm.”
“I thought yc, simon and cg played very well. CG’s run up led to our first goal and he was steady at the back. Simon is the unsung hero who covered every inch of plastic grass. But my vote goes to yc for his stylish and intelligent play. Always open for a pass and cleverly playing for free kicks when he’s outnumbered. And then he scored a stellar goal and made one with a determined header.”
“Motm to yc – instrumental in all 3 goals”
“Yong Chua for 1 goal and 1 assist”
“Yong Chua for motm. Made the difference when he came on in the first half. Scored 2nd goal and help created 3rd. Initiated some of the more threatening attacks in the second half.”
“MoM is yong chua. Did very well in holding the ball and was involved in all of the goals.”
“Yong chua is mom. 1 great goal n 1 good assist. Held up play well like berbatov”
“It didn’t look like we missed Teck Wah or Gan. With that kind of performance, Gan needs to reconsider retreating to in between posts, Teck Wah dropping back to the flanks and Kian Hwa just simply out of job. Our No 10 is perfect ten for MoTM”

Our anchor in defence, Chor Guan, was impressive no less. 4 fellow teammates voted for him
“Mom Guan. Solid at the back n great goal.”
“Chor Guan. He was a pillar in our defence and scored the all important 1st goal.”
“Chor Guan. A good run down to beat the off side track and this create a first goal chance for the team.”
“MOM to Chor Guan. Quick to support the counterattack that lead to him scoring the opening goal. He also marshall the defence so well that keeper has not much to do.”

Kok Hock, Hock Leong and See Chiang had 1 nomination each.
“MOTM is Kok Hock for his midfield presence.”
“My vote goes to Hock Leong. He stopped most of the attacks in the 2nd half.”
“Difficult for me to choose between Hock leong, See Chiang and Weng Kwan. All 3 in the zone today with their game awareness. Kwan running up and down flank. Hock Leong throwing his body weight into opponent's path. See chiang industrious as ever. Tips in favour of See Chiang. Fluid passing. If nobody to pass to, he bulldozes up the flank and game restarts in opponent's half. MOM SC for me.”

Match #8 (31 Jan 09): Started the Year of the Ox On a Bull Run!

One side of the bizarre 8 – 4 score line suggested that we were a rampaging bull. The other side also suggested that we could be as listless as a castrated, domesticated bull, i.e. an ox to concede that many goals against Semangat United, a team made up of a bunch of abang-ade kawan kaki folks. Crazy football was certainly very much the order of the day! The uninitiated could not be blamed for thinking we played this match on a basketball court! Semangat United comprises players in a wide spectrum of age, ranging from a couple of wise guys in their late 40s / early 50s to a couple of teenagers, who are probably in the midst of their bull-like raging puberty and who would terrorise us with their speed. Further, they possess two national players lookalike – Indra Sahdan Daud and Noh Alam Shah and both were good for their money. However, as a team, it was clear they have not been playing regularly enough.

It was not entirely a satisfying match but a few positive takeaways provided some bright sparks. First, Melvin opened his account for the season with a sublime goal that brought back memories of Glenn Hoddle. Not only that, he lasted one half before switching to keep goal in the 2nd half. Next, Gan regained his scoring touch and more importantly, his confidence with a hat-trick in 2nd half, after guarding the posts in the 1st half. Not surprisingly, these two featured prominently in the MOTM nominations. Last but not least, Teck Wah showed his unselfish side with 5 assists and willingness to play for the team with his voluntary taking over the right-midfield position in the last 25 minutes of the match.

SU was guilty of playing a high line in the 1st half and were thoroughly punished by us. They would have conceded further ground if the referee had not been kind to them with his numerous whistle-happy offside calls against us. We did not take long to threaten when Teck Wah squared a grounder into the box for his strike partner, Kian Hwa. Instead of taking a crack at goal in that glorious position, the latter did not appear confident enough to do so when he should have. Instead he teed up Teck Chye whose feeble left-footed shot lacked direction. KH later squandered another golden chance when he and Teck Wah exchanged passes on the left before Teck Wah squared in another low cross into the box for Kian Hwa running into the box unmarked. KH trapped the ball well with his right foot and, with only the keeper to beat, followed up immediately with a left-footed snap shot that somehow found the foot of the keeper instead of the gaping goal. KH, cutting a distraught figure, was anything but sharp!

Melvin, getting back into better shape as the season progresses, showed glimpses of his glory days. And what a statement he made with that sublime goal to start the floodgate. Fetching the ball just outside the box, Melvin could have advanced further with the path opening up for him but he spotted the keeper to be slightly out of position. That was enough for him to chip the ball that curled away from the stranded keeper and dropped just below the bar for our 1 – 0 lead!
Strangely, SU persisted in playing a high line despite slower in recovery and with the referee bailing them on a few occasions. A few breakthroughs that we managed to beat the offside calls, we made them count. Our 2nd, 4th and 5th goals resulted from breaching their high defensive line with through balls. Simon’s through pass found Teck Wah beating the offside trap, who then advanced with Simon and Kian Hwa supporting on each side. With the keeper drawn out to the edge of the penalty box, Teck Wah passed the ball to his left for Simon to poke the ball into the open goal. 2 – 0! Yong Chua contributed to our 3rd goal with a brilliant piece of individual skill that could pit his goal against Melvin’s for the goal of the match. YC’s sudden turn left his marker grounded and went on to beat another defender before planting the ball past the advancing keeper into goal. 3 – 0! Kian Hwa then atoned for his earlier misses with a goal, courtesy of Teck Wah’s assist. Teck Wah released the ball onto the path of Kian Hwa running from deep, who then controlled the ball surprisingly well as he charged towards goal. Again, the keeper came off his line to expose the goal and KH’s left-footed swipe at the ball was enough to get it past the keeper. 4 – 0! Kian Hwa’s attempt to return Teck Wah the favour was smothered by the keeper. KH beat the defender well with pace on the right. Spotting Teck Wah at the far side unmarked, KH’s final square pass intended for Teck Wah was too weak and that allowed the keeper to cut the ball at the edge of the 6-yards box.

Just when SU looked down and beaten, they had other ideas. Typical of such team, relaxed in their attitude and turnout for the match, SU did not seem perturbed with the deficit and punctured our complacency with 2 goals, both capitalizing on our slackness and lack of communication at the back. Their 2nd goal saw their Indra Sadhan lookalike doing an Usain Bolt with a flashing sprint to get to the ball in between Kok Hock and Gan, who was surprisingly retreating back to goal instead of dealing with the ball. In between their 2 goals, Teck Wah broke through again with the SU defenders calling for offside in vain. Teck Wah rounded the keeper with ease to finish the half at an unbelievable 5 – 2.

SU resumed the 2nd half by plugging the gap at the back with their Noh Alam Shah lookalike anchoring the defence and unleashing 2 teenagers who caused some considerable damages to us. But they could not beat our revitalized Gan who swapped his gloves into his scoring boots to such devastating effect. Dusting the dust off his shoulders, Gan notched an impressive hat-trick to show that he is far from over the hill. The first was a screamer about 25-yards from goal. With the SU defenders crowding in front of him, Gan let fly a shot with minimal backlift on his foot that caught the keeper off-guard. The second came from outside of his right foot after Teck Wah found him in the box with a defence splitting pass. Gan beat both the recovering defender and the keeper closing down on him when he side-footed the ball into the far post. The 3rd goal came from a well-worked understanding among the front trio. Teck Wah got the ball to the byeline, spotted both Kian Hwa and Gan in the box and squared in another low ball. Kian Hwa ran towards the near post, drawing a defender to him but sold him a dummy instead. Gan was the grateful recipient of the ball and his crisp shot burst the net.

SU found enough space in our half and their Route One tactics aimed at getting the ball to their 2 teenagers at both flanks. This simple approach paid off handsomely with both flankers wreaking havoc at our back four and their Indra Sadhan lookalike notched another 2 goals in between our goals to complete his hat-trick as well. They hit the woodwork twice and Melvin did well with a couple of saves to keep them at bay. Otherwise, the match might have ended with a table-tennis score! Final score was an incredible 8 – 4 win for us.

Man of The Match: Melvin
Deservingly, Mel had his best game and notched 6 nominations out of 13.
“Motm is Melvin for his brilliant 1st goal and his first half performance, stringing good passes, giving instruction to players, play smartly.”
“Mel. Score 1 goal 1st half and make few good save in 2nd half when he stand in for keeper.”
Motm goes to Melvin. Good link-up play and passing despite lack of pace. Great opening goal.”
“Motm: Melvin wins it. Gan would have been automatic choice for his hat trick but overall contribution, Melvin tipped the scale. Lasted the whole match (notwithstanding one half as keeper), scored a brilliantly measured goal, had quite a few tricky dribbles in midfield n kept goal soundly with his creaking ankles”
“Vote goes to Melvin. Nice goal and good plays in 1st half. Was also good as keeper in 2nd”
“MOM to Melvin. Prob his best game so far. Scored a good goal, played thru the half. Was composed as keeper in the 2nd half, make a few saves.”

Gan was not far behind with 4 votes:
“Gan. He has defended well in the first half of the game and also attacking well in the second half especially when he attempted a direct shot outside the box with pinpoint accuracy resulting in a goal.”
“Gan for 3 well taken goals”
“Gan, kept goal well in 1st half and scored confidently in the second. A deserving hat trick and motm.”
“Close call between Melvin and Gan. Both scored goals that were good for their confidence. Both also kept goal well. I tossed the coin, it turned out in favour of Gan. No, that was not how I decided. Recently, he has been under a lot of fire for his misfiring, his hat-trick will prove the doubters and his critics wrong! So Gan is the MOTM”

Simon’s hardwork in the midfield did not go unnoticed and he garnered 2 votes whilst Teck Wah was nominated once:
“My motm is Simon. He controlled the midfield well, created a few goals with his defence splitting passes”
“My vote goes to Simon. Was consistent throughout and supported every attack. The fact that he lasted the whole game was doubly impressive”

“Motm to teck wah for his one goal and five assists. He was also seen defending”