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6-0 up and with 5 minutes left to play, complacency set in and allowed opponent to score 2 quick consolation goals. It was frustrating to see a clean sheet being unnecessarily denied by our own sloppiness. Up to those last 5 minutes, we were in control throughout although our passing could have been better.
3-0 up at the break, courtesy of Teck Wah's cool finishing, Weng Khong finishing off Teck Wah's cut-back and Woon latching onto Gan's backheel pass to side-step Opponent's keeper. Gan then added a brace in the 2nd half, with the his first coming from distance after spotting Opponent's keeper way off his line and his second was a credit of his doggedness in the box to finally put the ball in the net after being hauled down before that. Teck Chye thumped in a header from a corner by Teck Wah. We looked to further increase the margin but instead the final 5 minutes denied us the icing on the cake.
Young wasn't enough, we have to contend with ferocity as well, and how we ganned them down. Opponents, perhaps with their affinity for speed and power and thus named themselves Carrera (a model of Porsche, you know?) clearly knew how young they are compared to us. In an altercation with Ng, the rude opponent indicated as much declaring that we are old enough to be their father! Where's the respect for the elderly? Ferocious they were, as straight from the kick off, their battle cry bordered on the maniacal as they came charging at us like a pack of wolves. But they could not contend with our fine blend of composure, wisdom, resilience and a man who goes by the name of Gan.
Just as Arsenal acquired the king of assists, the match today was in large part significant for Gan's triple assists. First, he took a difficult ball and advanced into the box causing the panicky defender to pull him down. Weng Khong took responsibility and promptly put us one up. Then he dealt with a high bouncing ball, nonchalantly chesting it into the path of Simon who powered a stiff grounder which the keeper could only deflect it to spin into goal. Two goals up at half time.
Carrera came into the second half with renewed energy and pulled one back quickly. Suddenly, the tide seemed to start turning as they attacked in waves. Nevertheless, two incisive counter-attack from inside our own half did them in. The first defence-splitting pass found Teck Wah sprinting down the left to square for Gan who was too strong for their defenders and they had to drag him down again. Up stepped Teck Chye to restore our two-goal cushion. Then a replica of that pass found Teck Chye whose cross caused havoc in the defence. With the keeper stranded, Rashpal recovered the ball and passed to Alex whose delightful chip was heading for goal until a defender pawed at it. That was the cue for Alex to step up and score from the spot.
Final result - a well deserved 4 - 1 win.
Marine Sunday refused to get intimidated by the impressive looking Boon Lay Old Boys who were decked out in pristine all-white. We started confidently and ended the match impressively. Their keeper seemed to have a split personality - a bundle of nerves and spilled every ball in the air in the first half; but was so full of confidence and plucked every ball in the air like harvesting mango with ease in the second half. But his dismal first-half performance allowed us to surge to a commanding 4-0 lead at the break, and could have been more if Alex had been alert to react to an open goal and Gan would have been credited with a goal after his long clearance bounced over the keeper into the net but the goal was disallowed for a dubious offside call on Teck Chye.
Still Mike, Teck Wah, Alex and Teck Chye, in that order, got us the goals. Our fluidity stretched their defence with ease and they must be relieved to hear the whistle for the break.
Boon Lay Old Boys came back with a heightened sense of purpose when the match resumed and began to impose themselves but without real threat to us. We were pinned back for the first 15 minutes and it took a poor clearance from their keeper and the brilliance of Teck Chye to put the ball beyond the stranded keeper for our 5th. Then Alex set up Teck Wah nicely for the latter to place the ball beyond the despairing dive of their keeper for our 6th. And that was the last touch of the match and the referee's final whistle ended the slaughter.
You could say that we reduced Boon Lay Old Boys to literally a....BLOB.
What could be more satisfying for a bunch of mostly mid-40s uncles when facing a crew of young guns in some fearsome-looking outfit? Just stand up to them and dish out some disciplined and effective football without all the fanciful footwork. Result? A handsome 3 - 0 win, which the young guys, Lutador FC also could not quite figure it out.
We did labour in the early stage before Teck Wah opened the account after receiving a brilliant cross-field pass from Kama. Teck Wah finished it, just another day in the office. Woon then added to our scoreline after he reacted quickest to a loose ball that cannoned off the post and put in the rebound. Second half did not produce much cutting edge but a quick movement involving KH, Weng Khong set up Gan to score from just outside the box. 3 - 0
Opponent, oddly named Refugees, certainly didn’t look famished or malnourished. They were perhaps a tad too fast and too fit for us to handle. We wilted in the 2nd half whereas they were highly spirited and motivated to come from 0-2 down at the break to equalize in injury time for a draw.
Chwee Leng got his first goal of the season when Refugees' keeper spilled his speculative high lob into the net. While the first goal was courtesy of a huge dosage of luck, our 2nd goal was a textbook routine meeting the corner in the box and Woon did just that with a thumping header to put us 2-0 up at half-time. But 2nd half was a completely different story with their playmaker, No 8, spearheading the attack and he wreaked havoc with his determined run at our rearguards. An assist and a fine goal, and he could have more if Gan had not produced some fine saves to deny him, stamped his class. His equalizing goal deep in injury time was avoidable but it resulted from KH's crucial defensive lapse, allowing the long punt from Refugees' keeper to reach the No 8, who then sidestepped Kok Hock before walloping a low ball from a tight angle to beat Gan at near post.
Experience overcame youth and exuberance once again as Marine Sunday emerged victorious with a convincing 6-2 win over Raven. But the match was not as easy as the score-line suggested. It was 2-2 up to the 60th minute when Raven fought back from 2-0 down to level the score. They were obviously uplifted but a defensive lapse allowed us to claw back a 3-2 lead and from then on, it was a point of no return as we rampaged home further 3 goals to register an easy-looking 6-2 win.
Kama, Chor Guan (2 goals), Kian Hwa, Leo (penalty to open his account for the season) and Teck Chye (after missing 3 golden one-on-one chances) made us look good :)
It was a day where we were no match against the vitality and vibrancy of Orange Young Men, most of whom are still undergraduates in the universities. That means one can guess the age gap. If we had not been a bit robust, read experienced, in our approach, we might have let them overrun us. While we came up short in getting to the ball, we were ample in spirit but that was a tad insufficient for today's narrow 2-3 loss against them.
We conceded the 3 goals through free-kicks and in each occasion, the goal was avoidable if we were defensively alert and disciplined. First goal, why was there a need for Weng Khong and Gan to swap positions in the wall, they themselves knew better, and the goal came via deflection off Gan's head and wrong-footed Brandon along the way. Second goal, the entire defence was expecting a referee whistle and had gone sleeping, and they took the free-kick quickly for their winger to slot the ball past Brandon. Third goal, Brandon was busy organising the defenders and had his eyes off the incoming ball from the free-kick. Three silly goals conceded. In between each of their goals, Mike and Teck Wah made the scoreline respectable.
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