Match report by the Rock!
We started the game with zero unemployment. Mel's nephew was called in beef up the numbers as we decided to go slow & not fast in our game plan... & he proved to be a much needed substitute later on in the game when our legs struggled to hold out. And we were glad to be further reinforced by a last minute turn-up by Mark & the game commenced with two substitutes. Game on with very much the same problem that we would like to perform a comeback - conceding a goal first to a very well-taken & low shot by Trinity's striker after tearing down our right flank. Our opponents are firing a lot of crosses that caught the defence back-paddling on numerous occasions. But, as usual, comeback we did & Wah showed Trinity Boys his version of a low & well-taken shot on the right flank and we are back in business. First half finished with one a-piece.
2nd half started with substitutions & rotation of positions according to the strength of our players - moving Mel to last man & Kwan to the left back. Credit to Mel's strategy in keeping the defence line low which congested our half with midfielders compacting the mid line doing their 'loansharking activities' - harassment. Gan did a great job as a central midfielder doing the harassment work with his henchmen - Mark (defensive central mid), Woon & Khong, left & right mid respectively. This deployment cut off crosses by our opponents & we started to string passes together after winning the ball in the midfield & defence areas. Tiredness started to seep in but MS boys showed their determination, with carefully well-strung passes found Wah again twice, Khong once & Gan once bringing the final score to a satisfactory 5-3 win for MS, albeit Trinity boys making a serious attempt to come back into the game scoring two more goals towards the later part of the the game. Good try but too late....they forgot we are the authentic comeback kings!
Must state that Gan's goal was quite a beauty after having dribbled past 3 opponents down the left flank & cut back to cross. Upon receiving a rebound, he volleyed in a shot from a very tight angle catching Trinity keeper off-guard. In conclusion, MS was a cohesive fighting machine that day with every cylinders(players) firing!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Match #28 (24 June 2012): 1-2 loss to Yellows
Despite the reputation of Yellows as a good team featuring little plump stocky fella with a venomous left foot, we were not awed at all. For all their swaggering possession, Yellows were not able to find a way past us until we suffered a loss of concentration and they gifted a stroke of luck. Their stiff shot from outside the box was never going anywhere in a crowded penalty box but struck their own striker who reacted smartly to turn the ball in. We deservedly equalized through Wah's simple header off Mel's teasing corner.
We maintained our discipline and composure in the second half and stayed in contention to win the match until the ref failed to make a call on an offside decision. This allowed their old striker to cracked a firm grounder which turned out to be the winning goal. Final score 1-2.
We maintained our discipline and composure in the second half and stayed in contention to win the match until the ref failed to make a call on an offside decision. This allowed their old striker to cracked a firm grounder which turned out to be the winning goal. Final score 1-2.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Match #26 (9 June 2012): First Time Failing To Find The Net And A Frustrating 0-2 Loss!
Another bunch of kampung relek kawan and true enough, they just felt compelled to uphold their renowned traits: blatant disregard for punctuality and disrespect for opponent with their tardiness and care-less attitude. This bunch would take the cake - Mother of All Latecomers...we only got to start the match at 5.45pm. Doubt it is any insult if they are referred to as Tidak Apa Gang.
On the other hand, very typical of such opponents, their players are technically gifted and experienced. Despite starting the match with 2 players short and without any sort of warm-up, they still rang rings around us. Preferring to keep the ball to the ground and relying on short passes to move around, they stretched us at times and their 2 goals resulted from midfielders embarking on intelligent off-the-ball running in from deep and beat our otherwise solid defence line to score past Brandon.
We were not without our chances but our forwards must have put on their ballet shoes for the day. They would rather forget how we ended up failing to find the net for the first time of the season. On the few occasions when they found the soccer boots, TAG's goalkeeper was simply brilliant to deny us.
The only positive of the match was to see such commanding performance from Brandon. Like a territorial wolf guarding its hunting (or mating?) ground, Brandon's authoritative play only means one thing, i.e. instilling confidence in us. And that can only be good.
On the other hand, very typical of such opponents, their players are technically gifted and experienced. Despite starting the match with 2 players short and without any sort of warm-up, they still rang rings around us. Preferring to keep the ball to the ground and relying on short passes to move around, they stretched us at times and their 2 goals resulted from midfielders embarking on intelligent off-the-ball running in from deep and beat our otherwise solid defence line to score past Brandon.
We were not without our chances but our forwards must have put on their ballet shoes for the day. They would rather forget how we ended up failing to find the net for the first time of the season. On the few occasions when they found the soccer boots, TAG's goalkeeper was simply brilliant to deny us.
The only positive of the match was to see such commanding performance from Brandon. Like a territorial wolf guarding its hunting (or mating?) ground, Brandon's authoritative play only means one thing, i.e. instilling confidence in us. And that can only be good.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Match #25 (3 June 2012): Sunday stroll in the park
It seems like a long time since we don't make life difficult for ourselves. Yet for half an hour against Mixed of Whites, a team that is clearly one step behind (us for a change), we dominated but couldn't apply the finishing touch. So it was with much relief that Wah cooly finish for us after Simon had split the defence with a well-weighted cross-field pass. He added his second with a smartly taken shot from Kamar's long flighted cross. Two nil at half time seems like a good platform for durian harvesting.
It took surprisingly turn soon after the restart. MoW clawed back a goal with some determined work. As if affronted, we responded emphatically by restoring the 2 goal cushion within seconds - a few quick passes upfield and Wah was at the right place to notch his hattrick. Further punishment was meted out as Chye emulated his younger brother. Simon added a brace in between Chye's hattrick. There was still time for MoW to win a graciously-awarded penalty which Brandon valiantly got a hand to, only for an alert MoW player to slot in the rebound. We had the final say when Woon slotted a firm grounder to complete a big win for us.
Final score 9-2.
It took surprisingly turn soon after the restart. MoW clawed back a goal with some determined work. As if affronted, we responded emphatically by restoring the 2 goal cushion within seconds - a few quick passes upfield and Wah was at the right place to notch his hattrick. Further punishment was meted out as Chye emulated his younger brother. Simon added a brace in between Chye's hattrick. There was still time for MoW to win a graciously-awarded penalty which Brandon valiantly got a hand to, only for an alert MoW player to slot in the rebound. We had the final say when Woon slotted a firm grounder to complete a big win for us.
Final score 9-2.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Match #24 (26 May 2012): We can't win by going in front .....
Dire situations require desperate measures. Back-ups came in the form of one who hasn't played for months and a sprightly fourteen year old. Opponent was an all Malay team, with some degree of nastiness in some.
Yet we ominously went in front when Brandon's long punt eluded the defence and Gan went through to lob over the keeper. Opponent that equalized and we stubbornly went ahead again against our natural instinct. Leng's superb cross from the right was expertly first-timed by Khong low past the keeper. As expected, opponent restored parity and both teams went into the break two apiece.
We were to pay dearly for the few opportunities not taken earlier. Two quick fire goals saw us going behind for the first time in the match. Is this what we asked for? Going behind seems such a natural thing to enable us to play properly. Sustained pressure led to us winning possession and Khong fed Guan to round the keeper. Simon then released Wah with a ball over the top and the former made no mistake slotting the ball home to put us on even terms. And the expected outcome was accomplished when Khong sent Woon galloping away down the right to deliver a precise cross for Wah to apply the coup de grace.
That's not all. What was also eye-catching was young trialist Alex Koh's composed performance. A few good crosses was supplemented with disciplined defensive cover when we lost possession. Chief scout may wish to take a look - player available for a free transfer. A few beers should buy the agent's favor :)
Yet we ominously went in front when Brandon's long punt eluded the defence and Gan went through to lob over the keeper. Opponent that equalized and we stubbornly went ahead again against our natural instinct. Leng's superb cross from the right was expertly first-timed by Khong low past the keeper. As expected, opponent restored parity and both teams went into the break two apiece.
We were to pay dearly for the few opportunities not taken earlier. Two quick fire goals saw us going behind for the first time in the match. Is this what we asked for? Going behind seems such a natural thing to enable us to play properly. Sustained pressure led to us winning possession and Khong fed Guan to round the keeper. Simon then released Wah with a ball over the top and the former made no mistake slotting the ball home to put us on even terms. And the expected outcome was accomplished when Khong sent Woon galloping away down the right to deliver a precise cross for Wah to apply the coup de grace.
That's not all. What was also eye-catching was young trialist Alex Koh's composed performance. A few good crosses was supplemented with disciplined defensive cover when we lost possession. Chief scout may wish to take a look - player available for a free transfer. A few beers should buy the agent's favor :)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Match #23 (20 May 2012): Flow Inter-rupted: Another Brilliant Comeback!
No, not that giant from Italy but our opponents must have fashioned themselves to be by virtue of their previous jersey :)
So, except for 1 who is 47-years old and is only 2 years older than most of us, the rest may not even have their age starting with 4. We felt they had misrepresented slightly and maybe that was why they weren't surprised that they stole an early lead on the 3rd minute when a few of our players hadn't even touched the ball. Their movement was swift and their football was pleasing to the eyes, and for a split second slower in movement, we tripped their forward just outside the box. For that, we paid a heavy price as their play-maker, No 16, curled in a beautiful shot from the resultant free-kick. This play-maker could have inflicted more damage on us with another free-kick from almost the same spot but it hit the side netting instead, leaving our shaken Brandon visibly relieved.
We slowly got to the grip of the match. Teck Chye and Simon broke up their play in the middle and the latter quickly released Teck Wah on the right, whose low cross into the box was forced into an own goal by Inter's defender under the pressure of Mike. The defender regretted falling to Mike's trap as he realised later that had he left Mike alone, he was actually harmless as proven later. Teck Wah set Mike through on a one-on-one but our physics specialist took too long to calibrate his momentum and calculate his force of inertia. With only the keeper to beat, Mike screwed the ball wide. And the Inter's defender then realised the trick :). The introduction of Weng Khong produced immediate impact as he intercepted a ball and headed back into the box for Teck Wah to shoot past Inter's keeper. Teck Wah could have notched a hat-trick in first half but his 2 other efforts kissed the horizontal instead. Kama had a header cleared off the line. Otherwise, we could have ended the half on much more than just 2-1.
We resumed the match with a simple game plan, i.e. shackle their No 16 and choke the supply line. Kama, and later Simon, worked their socks off to great effect. We began to gain more possession of the ball. Gan fended off the attention of their pesky left-back and produced a delightful cross that sailed beyond everyone's head and dropped nicely onto Weng Khong's path. His turn-and-half-volley produced the fruit and brought an immediate substitution by Inter - the goalkeeper changed his gloves! Wow! That was serious stuff!
Not to be outdone, Melvin showed Inter's No 16 that he could score directly from free-kick as well. At a much further distance from goal, about one-third length of the pitch, at 45 degree angle to goal, Melvin's shot produced that kind of flight which goalkeepers hate. And it went into the top left-hand corner of the goal, leaving their keeper wonder why he bothered to change the gloves. Mike then produced another of his tricks to fool Inter's defenders to notch goal No 5 for us. Doing his trademark seagull run towards goal and without looking at where the ball was landing, it gave their defenders false hope that it was leading to nowhere. But all the remote controls on the sideline cued Mike on where the ball was and more importantly, where Inter's keeper was standing. Mike dutifully lobbed the ball over him and we gave ourselves top mark for such team coordination :)
5-1! A convincing win and we hugely deserved the beer after the match.
So, except for 1 who is 47-years old and is only 2 years older than most of us, the rest may not even have their age starting with 4. We felt they had misrepresented slightly and maybe that was why they weren't surprised that they stole an early lead on the 3rd minute when a few of our players hadn't even touched the ball. Their movement was swift and their football was pleasing to the eyes, and for a split second slower in movement, we tripped their forward just outside the box. For that, we paid a heavy price as their play-maker, No 16, curled in a beautiful shot from the resultant free-kick. This play-maker could have inflicted more damage on us with another free-kick from almost the same spot but it hit the side netting instead, leaving our shaken Brandon visibly relieved.
We slowly got to the grip of the match. Teck Chye and Simon broke up their play in the middle and the latter quickly released Teck Wah on the right, whose low cross into the box was forced into an own goal by Inter's defender under the pressure of Mike. The defender regretted falling to Mike's trap as he realised later that had he left Mike alone, he was actually harmless as proven later. Teck Wah set Mike through on a one-on-one but our physics specialist took too long to calibrate his momentum and calculate his force of inertia. With only the keeper to beat, Mike screwed the ball wide. And the Inter's defender then realised the trick :). The introduction of Weng Khong produced immediate impact as he intercepted a ball and headed back into the box for Teck Wah to shoot past Inter's keeper. Teck Wah could have notched a hat-trick in first half but his 2 other efforts kissed the horizontal instead. Kama had a header cleared off the line. Otherwise, we could have ended the half on much more than just 2-1.
We resumed the match with a simple game plan, i.e. shackle their No 16 and choke the supply line. Kama, and later Simon, worked their socks off to great effect. We began to gain more possession of the ball. Gan fended off the attention of their pesky left-back and produced a delightful cross that sailed beyond everyone's head and dropped nicely onto Weng Khong's path. His turn-and-half-volley produced the fruit and brought an immediate substitution by Inter - the goalkeeper changed his gloves! Wow! That was serious stuff!
Not to be outdone, Melvin showed Inter's No 16 that he could score directly from free-kick as well. At a much further distance from goal, about one-third length of the pitch, at 45 degree angle to goal, Melvin's shot produced that kind of flight which goalkeepers hate. And it went into the top left-hand corner of the goal, leaving their keeper wonder why he bothered to change the gloves. Mike then produced another of his tricks to fool Inter's defenders to notch goal No 5 for us. Doing his trademark seagull run towards goal and without looking at where the ball was landing, it gave their defenders false hope that it was leading to nowhere. But all the remote controls on the sideline cued Mike on where the ball was and more importantly, where Inter's keeper was standing. Mike dutifully lobbed the ball over him and we gave ourselves top mark for such team coordination :)
5-1! A convincing win and we hugely deserved the beer after the match.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Match #22 (12 May 2012): Comeback 3-2 Win!
0-2 down by the 15th minute, it could have been worse if referee had not ruled their 3rd goal offside, against another opponent of young players, Nitro FC..... things looked bleak. Not when you have experience and commitment to count on..... The last-minute unscheduled appearance of Teck Chye after some 'pitiful plea' by KH; the long-awaited comeback game for See Chiang; Weng Khong and Leo who are rarely deployed as strikers; willingness of the Rock to hold the defence line; the commanding performance of Brandon...these were just some of the factors contributing to this hugely satisfying comeback win! Of course, nobody should discount the usual dependable contribution from the other members of the elderly brigade...Simon, Yong Chua, Chung Wen, Ng, Chwee Leng, Mike, Woon and our hotshot Teck Wah.
After withstanding the early onslaught from Nitro, we settled down and began to carve out half chances. We managed to reduce the deficit just before the break when Leo slotted a through ball for Teck Chye to coolly beat Nitro's keeper. 1-2 at half-time.
We had the better of the possession in the 2nd half. Yong Chua, Teck Wah and See Chiang had chances to put the ball in the net but wasted all. At our rear end, Brandon bailed us out on a handful of occasions with his safe pair of hands. It took us a stroke of luck to equalise. Woon's shot in the crowded penalty box took a wicked deflection past the wrong-footed keeper. 2-2! With 7 minutes to spare, we continued to build on the momentum. Our winning goal could not have been more pleasing to the football purists. YC started the movement from our box and found See Chiang on the left. SC's ball into the box for our stand-in forward, Weng Khong, was well cushioned down by the latter and he set his strike-partner, Teck Wah, up for our hotshot to finish the job with his trademark left-foot volley to give Nitro's keeper no chance at all. A superb football movement leading to a great goal and a fantastic 3-2 win!
After withstanding the early onslaught from Nitro, we settled down and began to carve out half chances. We managed to reduce the deficit just before the break when Leo slotted a through ball for Teck Chye to coolly beat Nitro's keeper. 1-2 at half-time.
We had the better of the possession in the 2nd half. Yong Chua, Teck Wah and See Chiang had chances to put the ball in the net but wasted all. At our rear end, Brandon bailed us out on a handful of occasions with his safe pair of hands. It took us a stroke of luck to equalise. Woon's shot in the crowded penalty box took a wicked deflection past the wrong-footed keeper. 2-2! With 7 minutes to spare, we continued to build on the momentum. Our winning goal could not have been more pleasing to the football purists. YC started the movement from our box and found See Chiang on the left. SC's ball into the box for our stand-in forward, Weng Khong, was well cushioned down by the latter and he set his strike-partner, Teck Wah, up for our hotshot to finish the job with his trademark left-foot volley to give Nitro's keeper no chance at all. A superb football movement leading to a great goal and a fantastic 3-2 win!
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