[The field is walking distance (5 mins) from Dakota mrt station (Circle line)]
Attire: Blue jersey, black shorts and black socks. (Keepers: Our opponents are wearing red)
Hey peeps, since the school is directly opposite the Old Airport Road hawker centre which serves excellent food, let's have our dinner there together after the game? It would be a great way to get together and just chill after the game. Shit, sorry i keep forgetting that the muslim guys are fasting. Sorry guys. Cancel order...
I’ll try to be as concise and accurate as possible so pardon me if I miss out anything.
So here it goes.
Ysosrs faced a daunting task of travelling to Tanglin without their manager Mok. It was their first ever game without their gaffer and there was a big question mark to whether their caretaker Ws could somehow lead the team to a victory. Coming back from a heart-breaking defeat last weekend, the jokers needed 3 points badly to keep their title aspirations in sight.
The situation was further compounded by the absence of several key players, some dropping out at the eleventh hour. Only a modest number of 15 players (including 2 keepers) were present, including Calvin, a new acquisition who turned out to be a revelation.
And in a glorious fashion we took on the game.
We controlled the momentum of the game from the start. Defensively, we kept our shape throughout, covered for each other and kept constant pressure on our opponents. We were dangerous on our attacks and could have possibly scored a few more throughout the game. Juf nearly scored very early on in the match when his shot hit the top of the woodwork from a ball cleared out of a corner. However, we finally managed to score a few minutes later with Zl drawing first blood. A ball was picked up in the middle and fed to Zl who dribbled and muscled his way before putting it to the back of the net. Goal! We were far from complacent, but however we conceded shortly from a a header from a well taken corner kick to the far post. The team was slightly rattled but far from given up. We continued to play a dominant and patient game which nearly paid off minutes later. Dinie managed to find his way into the opponent’s penalty box and was brought down. Penalty! Juf stepped up, and buried it to the back of the net. Goal! Or not. The referee ordered a retake as the provider of the penalty had crossed the line before the kick was taken. And it was not meant to be. Juf’s second attempt was well saved by the keeper and Juf failed to convert the rebound. Bad luck! Just minutes before the half-time whistle was blown, we took the lead again. Calvin was fed by a long ball and (fuzzy recollections) he brought the ball into edge of the penalty box and deftly placed an inch-perfect shot past the keeper and into the net. 2-1!
And then due to my super short-term memory I can’t remember everything and arrange them in chronological order.
So I will just try to list all our goal attempts.
We had several one-on-one attempts throughout the game when the ball was fed over their backline. Our balls were always menacing but there were many of them which were ruled offside but we clearly thought otherwise. From what I remember, Law, Dinie, Juf, Calvin, Ronald, Ah Coolall had one-on-one chances that could very possibly turn into goals. (Not Ah Cool. He had one shot, one kill) Law, especially, withstood all the hammering to his legs and dribbled like a dog past 20 coke players to face the keeper, but only to kick it to him. He also had a near beauty of a goal with his overhead kick, crossed by Juf, just grazing the wrong side of the post. Just a hair’s breath away! It was an exact prelude of how Berbatov scored later against West Ham. I also nearly had my Stevie G moment when I thought I had finally broken my scoring duck. Calvin and I also had our chances from free-kicks. We were clearly frustrated with not capitalising on our chances as we knew that 2-1 is a too precarious scoreline to be sitting on. Coke might just pull a goal out of nowhere and it would be heartbreak all over again. Then it happened. On the 75th minute, Ah Cool and Zheng Liang was brought on to solidify the midfield. And what an immediate impact they made. Ah cool, set free by a header from Zl on the counter, and with his first or second or third touch, lobbed it over the keeper and into the net. Wooo! Zl is good-looking and resilient enough to ask to be brought in to set up the third and final goal.
But to only list the goals and goal attempts is an understatement to the whole performance of the team. Everybody did their part in this victory. Our defence was solid. Hizam, Huijie, Ronald, Farhan, Hoe Guan and Sian Wei all did their part winning headers and throwing tackles and clearances. Our centre midfield was solid also. Dinie, Syafiq were ever so commanding in their presence and without them I could not have sat behind comfortably. I felt that Dinie had an exceptional game and was the bulk of their troubles in the middle. Ronald, Ah Cool and Zheng Liang were also causing mayhem down the wings and were also always covering the flanks defensively as well. Juf was leading the forward line well as the lone striker and was very lively throughout. He also dropped down to the middle to help out in many instances when the opponents tried to hit us on the break. He could have scored at least 2 or even a hat-trick and it was just bad luck that he didn’t.
And also last but not least, I would like to thank Calvin for making it for the match. Your physical presence and speed were always causing their defence problems and I really hope that you can join us. I believe that you will surely score more when you get used to us.
Lastly, I would like to thank everybody who came down today to make my managerial debut a success. And also a special shout out to the muslim guys who were fasting. And Mok for his guidance (Sorry I omitted it in the beginning but you're not an afterthought!).
Please tell me if I have missed out anything. Oh ya, Man of the match.
Man of the Match
There a few candidates I feel who deserve the man of the match. And seriously everyone is a man of the match in their own right. But I have to say that Dinie is my man of the match. He had a wonderful performance in the middle and was a handful for the opponent’s centre-mid to handle. He was so languid in his movement and skills but was the focal point of all the one-touch passes and action in the middle of the park. So this one is yours, buddy.
Zheng Liang, Ah Cool, Juf and Calvin also had wonderful games and were my candidates for the award as well.
On the whole I think that it was a very enjoyable game of football. We were focused about winning and playing and we kept our cool even though our opponents were whacking our legs like crazy. We let our feet and the ball did the talking and 3 goals was our answer.
Allan (Our experienced custodian): Our RB & LB coordinated well with the wingers. Their performance totally shut out our opponent's wing play and limited their crosses in. Because of that, we were very much in control and rarely threatened by our opponents. Kudos to them for sticking to the plan and doing their job well.
Attire: Blue jersey, black shorts and black socks.
Time to stand up and be counted. I(mok) will not be at the game this sat, so Jufri and WS will be in charge of team matters for the weekend. Assist them pls. The defeat last week stung like hell, time to put it right AS A TEAM. Hopefully all of us get into the same mindset by the time the coke game comes around as like it or not we will be finishing the season over the next 4-5 weeks. 4 wins is what we need if want to stand a chance. Do think about it.
More battles like the one above are to be expected. ;)
Bedok Green Sec: Hooyah FC vs Naranja AFC
Henderson Sec: TH vs Team Goat
Mayflower Sec: Serangoon Utd vs SOS
Tanglin Sec: YSOSRS FC vs Coca Cola SSC
D2D Sat 3pm League Preview
OPOD News Center – Team Goat continues to edge closer to the Division 1 league title however they face a tough test against Thunderveluboomqiesi this weekend. With 4 games remaining, every point is crucial as Team Goat looks to claim all 3 points against Thunderveluboomqiesi. On the other hand, Thunderveluboomqiesi aims to finish in the top 3 by conjuring a decent result against the league leaders.
YSOSRS FC who are currently in 2nd are not giving up in their title chase as they look to secure full points against Coca-Cola Singapore Sports Club. Team Goat leads by 3 points at the moment however with 12 points from their remaining 4 games still up for grabs, YSOSRS FC will be hoping to complete their side of the claim by grabbing full points from those games and hope for slip ups from their fellow rivals.
Serangoon United FC strives to finish their season on a high as they face bottom table strugglers Sons of Selarang. Having suffered a disastrous spell of 10 defeats, Sons of Selarang will aim to salvage some pride by obtaining a decent result against Serangoon United FC.
In Division 1, a title decider awaits VNPNUS as they face Swee Swee 1 FC in a top of the table clash. With a game in hand, Swee Swee 1 FC will probably happy to salvage a draw against VNPNUS as they look to claim pole position on the top.
Zespol FC is mounting a title challenge as they face a tricky fixture against STAR CF. Trailing league leaders VNPNUS by 2 points, Zespol FC aims to secure a victory and claim pole position on the top.
Hi guys, i was just looking back at the first few posts in this blog and it led me on a rather long thought process. Unknowingly, we have already come through 5 months as a team. It is not an outrageously long time but it has been a rather amazing period spent together. Our 1st match was against Schwarz Star FC at Canberra Sec on the 27th of March. It was the 1st time that majority of us had even seen each other, lest to say play footie with each other and yet somehow we all seemed to strike the right chord and we romped to an early 7-0 victory. The fact that I also scored with a rare scorching long range shot on that day made it all the more perfect.
Fast forward 5 months now and to see ourselves in this position of being involved in an exciting title hunt despite having only played together as a unit for a short period of time, leaves me filled with pride as to how things have panned out thus far. Social teams normally play together for countless months and years before they embark on the ride to test their capabilities. We on the other hand, rather hastily put together a team and joined a league within a few short weeks. Our start to the league was nothing short of amazing. Having now been through the customary blips that all teams normally will have to face, i am glad that we have continued to stick together despite the setbacks.
More importantly, i would like to say that although we started out as strangers, through YSOSRS FC, i have made so many more friends and had so many enjoyable weekend sessions of footie with you guys. The process of putting together this team from scratch all the way to the now settled stage which we are at, with huge turnouts each week, everything has far exceeded my expectations. I now start my weeks just hoping that saturday comes around as soon as possible.
Whatever the eventual outcome of our team this season, do know that I am proud of whatever we achieve cause the mere fact that we continue to gather together each week to pull on our blue jerseys and fight for the common cause of the team is probably the greatest achievement this season. Of course, a special shoutout to all the girlfriends and even friends that turn up for our games week in and week out when you could perhaps be doing something else more important and also for showing understanding towards the fact that the team takes up a precious afternoon each weekend of your partners time. Thank you guys and girls for making the team what it is today. I look forward to many many more months of footie with all you guys.
Let's end the season in the same spirit we started it and hopefully with luck we will end it with some gold around our necks!
After the long wait, I am glad to announce the resumption of our player feature segment!
And for this feature, we will interview Jasmond, who is sadly out for the season due to an unfortunate injury to his ACL. As his impending surgery approaches, let us pay tribute to him by attesting to his contributions to the team.Personally, I remember vaguely back in my temasek days that I thought that Jasmond was a superb left back and very good with his dead-balls. And that was after he rammed the ball into the goalpost in a free kick during a friendly game! Indeed, Jasmond is everything and more of what I had thought of him. The road to recovery from an ACL injury is long and difficult so let us give Jas our encouragement on the comments section. Take care, Jas!
Hi Jas. How are you doing lately? What have you been up to?
Hello! I’ve been really caught up with hall commitments lately, and of course school has started.I’ve also taken up the role of soccer captain for my hall’s soccer team and also coach of the girls’ team too ;)
Can you give us an update on your injury?
Well I can confirm that it’s a complete tear of the ACL and meniscus of my left knee and I was scheduled to go under the knife on 2 Sept but unfortunately, the op may have to be postponed because they found out that I have abnormal heartbeat and now I have to see a cardiologist to clear me for the op. The doctor says I have a heart rate of 30 beats per minute and the average human being’s is above 60. Maybe I’m too chillaxed. Haha
Do you still remember exactly what happened?
I was chasing a loose ball (which according to mok, was already going out for a throw to us) together with SOS No. 5 H X Gan (I bear grudges hahaha) when he suddenly tried to knock me off balance with a nudge from the right. At that exact moment, all my weight was on my left leg and I remember hearing the much dreaded ‘pop’ sound in the knee. And the rest, as they say, is history..
How do you feel about being out and how long do you expect yourself to return to football again?
It’s very demoralising to be out for so long, but this injury has made me realise how much I actually love football and being active in general. It sucks when everyone else has the freedom to prance around and play their hearts out on the field while all I can do is watch on from the sides, but this also gives me extra motivation to work hard in the gym after the op. The specialist said it will take around 6 months to be back on the pitch, but I’ve heard of cases of people taking only 4.5 months and I certainly hope I can be back in that amount of time too!
Okay, let’s talk about football. Which football players do you admire and do you try to emulate your playing style to them?
I’m a loyal fan of the Red Devils (GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!) and naturally, my favourite player is Patrice Evra. He’s fast, he defends well, he can dribble and provide an additional threat up front as well. What else can anyone ask for? I like his style of play and try my best to chip in attacking-wise as well with the occasional long punt up.
I would also like to make a shout out to David Beckham for his never say die attitude. He may sound like a girl, but he definitely has the heart of a lion (pun unintended). I can still remember his last minute free kick goal against Greece during the final qualifier match for World Cup 2002 which sent England into the finals and that for me is the epitome of playing your hearts out.
What do you think of our chances in the league as it approaches its tail-end?
We’re currently in 3rd place and with 4 games to go, there is still everything to play for. The plan is simple. Collect all 12 points and hope that the rest drop points!
Anything you want to say to the team?
Treat every game like it is a friendly and just go out there and enjoy ourselves. We definitely have the ability to go far. Just relax and play our beautiful style of football.The results would take care of themselves. Stick together as a team and wait for me to come back! Take care of yourselves
And so here it goes, our potential title decider on the astro turf of Bedok Green Sec. The stage was set for an epic clash, and so it proved to be... The initial reaction as we prepared to begin the game was how small the field was. However, both sides were playing on the same field and it can come as no excuse that Goat were faster, hungrier and more up for the game as they came in hard and fast into all challenges.
After early sparring exchanges between both sides, the boys in blue who had been buoyed by 10 goals scored and none conceded in the last 2 league games, took the lead via a corner from mok that was sweetly nodded home by midfield maestro, syafiqo. 15 minutes on the clock and our tails were up.
And yet, as if overawed by the magnitude of the game, the team contrived to freeze and concede 2 quick goals to our hungrier opponents, although it has to be said that the marking left much to be desired. And so it was, 2-1 at the half with it all to do again.
A shuffling of formation at the half saw the twin towers of dinie and syafiq partnering in the middle of the park. This partnership very nearly dragged the team back into contention as we saw magic in the boots of dinie as he waltzed past 2-3 challenges however the finishing failed to match the excellent buildup. With our opponents sitting deep with their enormous defenders, the game was gradually slipping away as we struggled to penetrate Goat's defensive line. Ah Cool who had been relatively quiet for most of the game had other ideas as he accelerated onto a sweet through-ball by syafiq and tried to beat the gigantic centreback with a flick of his boot. The end result was a handball called against Goat and the awarding of a penalty for us. Our top marksmen stepped forward and calmly slotted home. 2-2 with everything to play for.
I'm pretty sick of talking about the events after this for it did not turn out well for us although the winning goal was a stunning freekick from our adversaries which deserved to win any game in the world. Yes, we did hit the frame of the goal while it was still 2 a piece however the final score meant that for all of our efforts, we had to accept coming away empty handed.
My M.O.M: Syafiq. Hands down the most outstanding performer for us today. A goal to his name and provider of the ball that eventually led to the penalty. We missed your presence on the field when u were not playing dude. That says it all.
Special mention to HG whom i felt played his heart out in the time that he was on the field. The effort u put in was outstanding. Thanks dude. Similarly, well played too Dinie. Your laser guided through balls from the middle of the park were fantastic and at times a delight to watch. Stay positive man. You are too young to retire and we still have plenty of time together as a team to grow. On another day with luck on our side as well, one of those passes would have come off and we would have won. And finally to all those who were fasting and yet battled on bravely, thank you guys.
My thoughts: The scoreline does not lie and as upset as we are, let's pick ourselves up and move on. The hungrier team on the day won. 4 more games to go, 4 points behind. However, until it is mathematically improbable for us, we will keep fighting and continue hoping that Goat will slip up eventually. Have belief. Next week, Coke. Fight hard and fight on guys.
D2D Sports Enterprises is proud to announce the draw for the third edition of the D2D Sat Cup will be taking place on 28 August 2010. The Sat Cup is scheduled to take place on 18 September 2010 as 16 teams will be vying for cup success this season.
-Taken from the D2D website
Rest of our fixtures as organised by the league organiser.
As I flipped through the back pages of the newpaper this morning, I saw an interesting page about the fiasco surrounding the Astroturf pitch of the Young Boys. In it, Harry Redknapp slammed the pitch for direct or indirect causation of 4 of his players’ injuries and further stated that Astroturf has no place in the UCL. Having written an interview for Jasmond a few nights ago, his predicament was still fresh in my mind and I recalled that he too tore his ACL in the artificial pitch of Queenstown Secondary. Moreover, I myself was a recent victim of Astroturf when I unwisely wore studs to play in the bare turf of Fico and sprained my ankle in the process. So inevitably, I asked myself: Is Astroturf overrated?
I don’t know. Nor do I have the experience like Harry to decide. But I guess we just can’t be too assured of our safety no matter what kind of pitch we are playing on. Sometimes even the most inconspicuous bump on the pitch can set off a serious injury. I’m pro-Astro. Mok, for one I know, is the most die-hard Astro guy. And I can understand why. Compared to the usual botak, unpredictably fast and hard when dry, slow and muddy when wet natural field that is the norm here, Astroturf provides a much better and safer alternative for a smooth flow-y game at our level. I hate to play on a natural field especially when wet. It just makes the game so slow and heavy.
But then surely there are many others out there who follow the old-school school of thought that the grass is always greener than the Astroturf.
