Punggol Secondary, 1500hrs
SUFI FC 2 Zespol FC 1
(Law x1, Juf x1)
A very brief summary of the day's happenings as I allow my body to get some much needed rest after being baked under the hot tropical sun this afternoon.
SUFI FC and Team Goat were presented with their respective medals and trophies this afternoon by the D2D organisers which kick started the events for the day. The customary applause by Zespol who were the guests of the day and also our Division champions, Team Goat probably didn't make it feel any better. The faces of our boys were etched with disappointment at what could have been.
However, fast forward to the friendly game itself against our Div 1 champions, Zespol and the boys were expecting a tough game to kick off our Pre-season campaign. Cheered on by the girlfriends and friends of a couple of the players as well as boosted by the appearance of 2 new trialists, Jason and Benjamin, SUFI burst out of the blocks and duly got an early goal.
A corner was floated in from the right by AhCool and at the far post was Law who calmly finished with a simple header into the net. 1-0 after 5 minutes. Furthermore, it was quite apparent from the start that SUFI were more up for this game than our opponents as we won most of the 50-50 challenges and also kept it tight at the back.
Our 2nd goal duly came when Jufri our goal scoring machine registered his 1st goal of the new season by slotting home after Law's good work down the left. 2-0 against the champs and once again, excellent combination work between Law and Juf.
With a couple of changes at the break, SUFI sought to retain their dominance in the game and on more than one occasion, they probably should have put the game beyond doubt. Mok's amazing miss from just inside the penalty box after a good flick on by Juf was blasted high and wide however in defense, it did hit a divot just as I was about to side foot it. Apologies anyway! Crappy finishing. Zespol did eventually hit back with a goal as the clock ticked down after a dreadful mix up at the back that allowed their left winger to saunter through our backline unchallenged and he duly prodded the ball home, pass the despairing dive of Sianwei. The goal did make for an uncomfortable last 15 however we did well and finished the game strongly. 2-1 to the boys in blue was how it ended.
Gaffers thoughts:
1st game of our pre-season and perhaps our more illustrious opponents were not up for it but in truth, we did put in a good, efficient performance. The defense of Farhan, Ronald, Hizam and Jason was particularly outstanding. Weisheng himself revelled in his defensive-screen role and probably also the added motivation provided from his new CTR boots made him a player different from the one we saw towards the end of our D2D season. Aggressive, strong and yet simple. Good play dude. Our player of the season, Syafiq was also outstanding especially in the 1st half as he toiled and tormented our opponents. The support from the effervescent Vic definitely did complement them well. I also have to give credit to our front trio of Law, AhCool, Juf and then later Rudee for their clinical and incisive movement in front of goal. Of course, Dinie-tov's touches and ballerina like movement that allowed the man to float past challenges with ease was the icing on the cake for the day. Well played guys, and lets work on improving constantly as a team.
My M.O.M: This has happened only once in the history of what was then YSOSRS FC, when goal-scoring machine Jufri, who got a hattrick against Schwarz Star FC in his debut game and thus obtained the M.O.M. Fast-foward 7 months later and what is now SUFI FC, Jason, our diminutive and yet solid as hell trialist came into the game as a complete stranger to the team however describing the way that he fitted into our backline like a glove is no exaggeration. Fast, solid in defense and yet composed enough to play the ball on the ground. The man may only have played his 1st game, however, he looks the complete package as we seek an answer to our left back void. You were everywhere and i can only congratulate you on what was a top class debut. Well done and I am looking forward to more.
Personnel:
Sianwei, Phileo
Farhan, HG, Ronald, Hizam, Jason (Trialist)
Rudee, AhCool, Law, Dinie, Mok, WeiSheng, Kass, Syafiq, Vic
Jufri, Benjamin (Trialist)
Fans in attendance:
Allan (Injured), Aisyah (Thanks for the pix!), Rudee's Girlfriend (SORRY! I cant remember your name!), Syazana, Vic's 'friend', Benjamin's Girlfriend (SORRY, i wasn't introduced to u. Thanks for coming!), Fadilah (Late entry. Me bad!)
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