Match #38 (16 Aug 09): 15 Minutes of Loss of Concentration Undid 45 Minutes of Good Work

It has become a familiar sight of late. We are a team of 2 halves – a decent team in one half, usually the 1st half; a team in self-destruction in the other half. The match against VS Staff, last match against Simply Red and now against AKFC – all the same, we threw away the lead and did injustice to ourselves. At the regularity we are failing to make good our lead and at the rate we are conceding goals, it is certainly an area of concern. We only had ourselves to kick for throwing this match away, not unlike how we fared against VS Staff after similarly securing a healthy 2-goals lead. 15 minutes were all what AKFC needed in the 2nd half to reverse the fortunes and turn the table around, from 2-nil down to a 3 – 2 lead. We had to dig deep to find the net the 3rd time to settle for a 3 – 3 draw. If there was any consolation, besides the fact that the opponent was a much younger team, it was the rare fact that our 3 forwards all scored. If there was anything alarming that we needed some soul-searching, it was our failure to maintain concentration and focus throughout the match. It didn’t help that we conceded the 3 goals when The Rock was sitting out. We certainly cannot afford to be over reliant on 1 or 2 players.

In fact, the way we ran rings round AKFC in the 1st half might leave everyone wondering which side supposedly had the oldies. Early in the match, we were denied a penalty when Teck Chye’s attempted cross from the left hit AKFC’s defender’s hand in the box but the referee ruled it unintentional. See Chiang, donning his lost-and-found beloved pair of boots, was anything but assured in his footing but he did set up Teck Wah nicely to tap in our opening goal, after the former was set up to embark on his run down the left flank. The left side of the pitch proved to be our rich harvest as Kian Hwa time and again stretched the right back, who twice brilliantly denied KH from putting the ball into the box with timely last-ditch tackles. One of the runs eventually yielded a long overdue goal for KH when he timed his run to perfection to receive Teck Wah’s through pass. Leaving the AKFC’s defenders in their wake and seeing their keeper rooting to his line, KH placed the ball to the far right side of the goal for a 2 – 0 lead. It was a long overdue striker-looking goal. Before our 2nd goal, KH broke through twice on the right but each time failed to set See Chiang up, who was lurking at the far post ready to pounce. Gan then headed the ball just above the bar. We kept up the tempo right till the half-time whistle when Melvin, left unmarked just outside the penalty box, received a long throw-in from the left and let fly a first-timer that screamed just wide off the post. We were not without our moments of scare at the back, despite Weng Kwan putting his best 45-minutes we have seen. Twice, Brandon was a step slower to meet a bouncing through ball, twice he was beaten to the ball but each time he was spared the embarrassment by our recovering defenders. A solo run by their forward beat Ng and Hock Leong along the way but from a tight angle, his shot came off the post. Apart from those, Weng Kwan and Hock Leong, aided superbly by our full-backs in Leo, Ng, Chung Wen and Chwee Leng, largely kept AKFC at bay.

2nd half was an entirely different story. AKFC seemed to have found a new source of vigour and they went on a rampage in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half, during which they put 3 goals past us and left the stand-in stopper, See Chiang bewildered. We allowed their forward the luxury of time and space to twist and turn in the box before he shot past Brandon. 1 – 3. Their 2nd goal came from a sweet left-foot strike from outside the box, again courtesy of time and space accorded by us to their midfielder. 2 – 3! Beat the iron when it is hot, as the saying goes and AKFC did just that. AKFC’s left midfielder beat a totally-committed See Chiang just after the centre line and raced towards goal unimpeded. Brandon’s moment of hesitation to come off his line presented the quick-minded midfielder to shoot past the stranded Brandon to reverse the deficit into a 3 – 2 lead for them. As in recent matches, our passing went astray in the 2nd half and we only managed to threaten from dead-ball pieces. We won a series of free-kicks outside the box – Simon’s effort was not far off the goal frame and AKFC’s keeper produced fine saves to deny Melvin’s and Teck Wah’s attempts. On a rare occasion of successful passing leading to a penetration into the box, Teck Chye shot in haste instead of squaring the ball to Gan in the box. Showing disgust with himself, Teck Chye opted for a rest immediately after ruing his wasteful effort.

AKFC was enjoying the upperhand until Kian Hwa, who was largely subdued in the 2nd half, produced a moment of inspiration to deny AKFC a certain victory. Chwee Leng won the ball on the left midfield and laid the ball to KH down the left. On full throttle, KH swept past 2 defenders before, from the outside of his right foot, laying the ball across the box and Gan threw his entire weight forward to meet the ball, which bulged the net. 3 – 3 and Gan’s joyous expression echoed the jubilation of Marine Sunday!

Both sides continued to search for the winning goal. See Chiang’s famous toe-poke, which brought him goals in last 2 matches, failed this time round. Teck Chye had another chance to atone for his earlier miss from a similar position but his shot was a foot wide off the left post. AKFC almost had the final say of the match when their right midfielder was left unmarked in the box but Brandon brilliantly denied his low shot with a crisp dive to divert a certain goal away.

The final whistle came and both sides settled for a well-fought 3 – 3 draw!

Man of The Match: Kian Hwa (12 out of 15 votes)
For this season, a performance worthy of such overwhelming nominations is few and far in between. Hopefully, KH could be more consistent.
“kh. only thing i can remember the only one still running during the last 10 mins of the game is KH...”
“MOTM =Kian Hwa. Apart from the excellent solo run that result in beautiful cross for our equalizer, he did admirely well upfront in the first half and grabbed a well deserve goal. .”
“There's one man running tirelessly & ceaselessly to ensure we don't end on a losing note. A coolly taken goal & an even better assist makes KH my Motm!”
“motm - KH. never say die spirit that make him create the equaliser.”
“Motm: Kian Hwa. While everybody melted, he dug deep for that 50m solo run down the left beating 2 players and 1 important and precise assist for the 3rd goal.”
“MOM : My MOM is KH for his lung bursting runs on a hot day to create chances as well as to act as a extra defender sometimes. Notable contribution was the run to give us our equalising goal.”
“MOTM: At the last quarter of 2nd half, most of us were already kind of give it up mentally and physically when we were down by 1 goal. Suddenly, I saw a “never give up” figure chasing down a flank and make a remarkable cross which resulted in a goal. This is the kind of spirit I wanted to give my MOTM to. He is KH.”
“MoTM goes to kian Hwa. One goal and one assist. Scored the second goal from a tight angle after bursting down the left flank and the assist for goal number was a pinpoint cross after a even more determined and tenacious sprint down the same flank.”
“MOM: KH-made at least 4 runs down the left, giving the defender hell and making one goal assist.”
“KH - Speedy runs that led to great solo goal and last ditch equaliser for Gan. Plus he kept the energy level up on a day when most of us just couldn't string passes together.”
“I agree with Brandon though I'm not sure it's a 50m run but it is indeed a commendable, Usain Bolt-type of dash down the flank embarrasing our younger opponents in the process. As for the cross whipped in, it's just simply pinpoint, out-of-reach for the keeper & eluded their defence placed nicely in front of Gan. A much needed 3rd goal for Marine Sunday & credit should go to Gan as well for converting the cross. In case you are still confused, MOTM is KH.”
“MOTM - Everyone remembered his jingling run, down the flank and his cross for Gan to score. But how come nobody mentioned about the killer pass to him. Anyway, my nomination still goes to LKH for his never say die attitude.”

Weng Kwan came in 2nd with 2 votes:
“MOTM: Weng Kwan for a terrific 1st half performance covering and mopping up at the back. best 45 minutes I've seen him play. nothing was getting past him.”
“Whilst our defence missed Hock Leong for the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half, one man toiled silently throughout the match to repel their attacks. This silent workhorse is Weng Kwan and the MoTM.”

The Rock had just 1 nomination and it was enough to place him 3rd:
“MOTM to Hock Leong - Another solid display in central defence. Provided the extra punch in defence when our opponents were running non-stop”