Match #1 (9 Jan 11): Bright Start - One Half

Just like the 1st encounter with them, we took the sting out of Venom in the 1st half, going into the break with a 2 - 0 lead, with Gan notching both goals. But Chor Guan committed the cardinal sin by remarking before 2H that the 2-0 lead should be safe. That was it, we went toothless in the 2nd half. Sloppy defending allowed them to equalise within 7 minutes of restart. With renewed confidence, it wasn't surprising that they went on to snatch the 3rd and the winning goal. We came close but fell short. Final score: a 2 - 3 loss

Match 47 (25 Dec 10): Ended 2010 with a Bang!

KH set the KPI before the match - to score minumum 2 goals in order not to end up having the worst goal-scoring season. And you guys responded marvellously - you doubled the tally to register an emphatic 4-0 win over Singapore Lions Lookalikes, an All-Malay team whom we first played against them on 2 May 2005. Then it was a nail-biting and awe-inspiring comeback-from-behind 5-5 draw. Both sides have aged and we will always remain older than them, but we have maintained our shape (in all sense) better than them. Our past encounters with them had always been close but today, we stamped our mark. Credit to our disciplined play. We didn't park any bus in front of our goal but our compactness at the back nullified their forays and stopped them in the final one-third. The fact that they had only 1 shot at goal spoke volume of our solid backline. And that only shot? Brandon showed why he's been our No 1 this season.

YC imposed so much pressure on their defender to cause the latter to turn an innocuous cross from KH into an own goal. That was how it stood at the break - 1-0! Then in 2H, our defenders showed our strikers how goals are scored. Kok Hock broke the offside line to half-volley in our 2nd goal. Then in the last 10 minutes, Chor Guan was pushed upfront and duly converted 2 through-balls. Before that, our left-back Chwee Leng had a brilliant one-on-one opportunity, only to be denied by the toes of their keeper.

4 goals, clean sheet. Perfect greetings for Merry Christmas.

Hope you guys enjoyed the 2010 season and had derived much fun and satisfaction from playing with Marine Sunday. See you in 2011 :)

Match #46 (4 Dec 10): Galactic Win

What was expected to be a tough game turned out to be a platform for MS to rise to the occasion. Perhaps we were spurred by Barca's thrashing of the Galacticos on Monday that we registered the same total score.

We got off to a flying start as within minutes, our slick yet simple passing and fluid movements caused havoc in the final third. YC headed us in front and Chye then added a second with an unstoppable freekick. Further smart interchanges eventually found Teck Wah with time and space to curl a sweet one over the keeper from outside the box. 3-0 at half-time & we prepared to avoid an arsenalesque crumble.

Galacticos came out pressing us hard in the second half and scored after some relentless pressure. st killed any hopes of a comeback with a long-range freekick, all accuracy absolutely no power. Final result 4-1, thoroughly deserved!

Match # 45 (27 Nov 10): A (possibly) Season-End Harvest

Chwee Leng was so kind to plant a tree of low hanging fruits for us to harvest but in the opening 10 minutes, we didn't look like we were even getting the seeds. The heroics of Chor Guan and Gan in goal shut Another Team of Man Utd Fans in White (ATMUFW) out. We were still in slumberland in the opening period and ATMUFW should have capitalised on it.

Our reluctant striker, Teck Chye, opened the floodgate for us. Thereafter, our Route One football took over and the accidental striker, Chor Guan, notched a hat-trick from taking advantage of their static and high line. KH made it 5, scoring directly from a corner. In the 2H, Teck Wah grabbed a brace, Gan was "ass-isted" by Simon to find the net, Weng Khong nodded in a cross from KH and to top it off, Chor Guan literally found a durian dropped onto his feet - a spill by ATMUFW's custodian had the ball dropped onto Guan's shoulder and diverted into the net. Talk about durian-picking?

But the goal of the match was ironically ATMUFW's consolation goal. The playmaker's brilliant piece of solo effort saw him weaving past our Rock and Kok Hock before sliding the ball past Teck Chye, our 2H keeper, then wheeling away with delighted screams of 'KPI achieved! KPI achieved!'. You can't help but be pleased that we didn't try too hard to keep a clean sheet :)

10 - 1...a morale booster, though unreal.

Match #44 (17 Nov 10): Our Spirit Was No Match Against Spirits United

We have been on roller coaster ride in past few matches, alternating between adrenalin-high win and frustrating loss. After last Saturday's satisfying win, we suffered a 2-0 loss against Spirits United. For the first time in two months, we failed to score a goal. Despite our gallant effort, we were outplayed throughout the match. I suppose there weren't any complaints.

Match #43 (13 Nov 10): Hardfought But Satisfying Win Over Dell

We threw a 3-0 lead away the last time we met at Temasek Sec. We thought history was going to repeat itself when we squandered the 1-0 lead. The fiasco between their keeper and last man allowed Teck Wah to win the ball and set up for Mike to tuck it into the open net but we allowed them to equalise before the break. Gan and Teck Wah settled the issue in the somewhat nervy 2nd half. When you looked at Ng putting in that kind of tenacious tackle against their ang mo winger, Teck Chye gamely commanding in between the posts in 2H.....we ain't gonna let lightning strike twice.

A hugely satisfying 3 - 1 win. And as YC observed it, all our strikers scored...that can only be a good sign.

Match #42 (7 Nov 10): Fightback Came Up Short; Hype Was Punctured

After the much vaunted hype from last weekend's thumping win, we were punctured by an agonising 2-3 loss against Orange Company. Yes, one of those encounters which we shouldn't have lost but we just came up short in every department though our fightback in last 20 minutes from 0-3 down couldn't be faulted. With a bit of luck, we might have overturned the deficit. KH hit the post, Gan and Teck Wah couldn't connect with KH's flick-on, KH was a step too early to connect with OC's keeper's fumbling of Teck Chye's cross....we were just so close. Gan coolly converted from the penalty spot and Teck Wah benefited from YC's square pass brought us from 0-3 down to a respectable 2-3 loss.

Despite the lack in fitness, tactical awareness and footballing brain...we still packed spirit aplenty!