The In's and the Out's

As with every transfer window (albeit it being a uber short one of a mere week?), transfer activity is to be expected when it comes to a team like YSOSRS FC. There has been much movement behind the scenes with enquiries and rejections aplenty. However to quote a 'wise' man, there is always good news on the horizon.

So let us have a look at the departures from the team that have severely threatened it's well-being.

Naqib, Yasin (Out)

Ronald, Alaric, Habib (Bogged down by school commitments)

Rudee, Alan Teo (Injury hit for the rest of the season)

A mere glance at the number of peeps that would be unavailable would leave any manager freaking out. However the gaffer alongside his able senior members have pulled the rabbit out of the bag by successfully bringing in some much needed quality to not only replace the outgoing members but to also arguably strengthen the side as the jokers attempt a push for the league title and cup double.

Official confirmation will come soon once the finer details have been finalised but a defender, a winger and a striker are likely to be on their way to the club in the coming weeks coupled with the likely return of prodigal son, Wong Ci once his NFL days are over would mean that the team remains in good stead numbers wise for the run in.

With the Cup final in particular a date that all jokers are rubbing their hands in anticipation for, the gaffer is hopeful that the players step up to the plate and start hitting top form in the coming weeks as places up for grabs for the cup final are likely to be at a premium.

Finally, there is also likely to be news on a possible exciting collaboration in the coming months but once again that will only be announced once the specifics have been ironed out. So hang tight jokers. This ride isn't gonna be over anytime soon. Cheers.

1 step from the Cup

Old Jurong Stadium, 1700 Hrs

YSOSRS FC 1 H4 UTD 0

(Jufri x1)

A huge huge game for us today as it the Saturday League Cup Semi-Finals was played out at the huge pitch of Jurong stadium. Unfortunately for the sprinkling of supporters and substitutes, the game was played at walking pace for much of it's duration. To be honest, there was not much to report of during the game aside from the fact that we kept possession for long periods with our opponents holding the fort and defending their half. Despite the fact that we had plenty of the ball, clear cut chances were few and far and we had to dig deep and score from a typical YSOSRS route. No disgrace in that though.

1-0: With the half drawing to a close, a deep floated ball by Mok off a freekick from the left of the field into the penalty box saw Santosh leap highest to thump a header towards goal. Fortunately for H4, the keeper reacted quickly and saved it (i believe) but the rebound fell for our top marksmen Juffie boy who scrambled home the ball from just outside the 6 yard box. Scrappy, and scrambled but it all counts. Immense relief was seen on the faces of the boys in white as we had huffed and puffed with nothing to show for.

A very brief overview of the 2nd half would be as such. We did create a couple of half chances but the final pass was seemingly lacking on a really slippery pitch. The fact that we thought too much before making the pass as we dwelled on the ball for an extended period also resulted in much frustration. If it had not been for a smart save from Allan off a rare H4 freekick, it could have been 1-1 with our opponents not registering a single shot on goal (off or on target for that matter). Full time eventually came with mixed feelings as we had just entered the 1st ever finals of our clubs history and yet the performance left a bittersweet taste.

MOTM: Most of us were having off days. With little service up front and much labouring on the pitch. Thus i will give this week's award to Allan who kept it simple in goal and maintained concentration throughout the game. The potentially tricky freekick which he eventually dealt with was good evidence of that. Kudos to you Allan.

Gaffers thoughts: We should try to stick to our game. I continue to believe that we can pass the ball, but do know when is the right time to release it. There were times where we held onto the ball for too freaking long and ended up giving it away when we were in a decent position to threaten the opposition's goal (Yours truly was responsible for that too. Apologies). Play smart lads. We have to do so. Furthermore, complacency also crept into our game today as we were half hearted at times. Whatever the case, I would like us to eradicate both the complacency and the sluggishness from our game play come the St Andrews tie. I repeat again that we are a decent team of footballers. And we are a neat footballing side who plays expansive counter attacking football. Do not be afraid to play the simple pass and then a long one to slice open our opponents. Stick to what we are good at lads. Onwards to the finals now and whatever happened on the field, will stay on the field. Cheers to the lads who made progressing to the finals a reality. =D

Personnel:

Allan

Yasin, Huijie, Hizam, Chris (T), Jason

Rudee, Santosh, AhCool, Mok, Law, Dinietov, Syafiq, Khai

Juf, Habib

Saturday Cup Semi-Finals

Time: Be there by 4.20 PM

[It's the semi's for gods sake. Let's show that we are up for it]

Opponents: H4 United

[Link: http://www.espzen.com/teamsdiv.asp?teamno=686&leagueNo=87]

Venue: Old Jurong Stadium (Grass)

[Link to venue: http://www.espzen.com/pitches.asp?id=43]

Attire: White Top, Black Shorts and Black Socks

With most of our guys busy with our daily lives during the week, the biggest game in our team's history has silently crept upon us. This Saturday, we face H4 United in the less heralded but nevertheless still a huge tournament for us, the Saturday Cup Semi-Finals at a perfect venue that is befitting of such an occasion. Think of Wembley, and for social footballers on this little island, Jurong Stadium comes as close as it can get to being just that. Oh of course, fans will be at a premium though. Haha, but seriously I doubt that any of us really care.

Anyhow, we have had many fond memories playing on this ground. Playing our 1st ever Espzen Trial game here where we beat FC Hospitality 4-0 and of course the epic 2-1 win over FMFC in last season's Division 2 tie. A lucky ground for us? Well, I would not want to curse it but it is true that not only does the size of the pitch favour us but also the fact that it's a pristine (I hope!) grass pitch means that playing conditions cannot get any better.

Just a brief overview on H4 United and that is they are currently in Division 4 of the Espzen Sat League. They are actually the football team from Hall 4 of NTU for those who'd like to know. And I'm only saying this to psyche you guys up so PLEASE do not be overconfident boys. I only just found out that H4 United recently went down 5-0 to Rosso FC in a league game. And as you may remember, Rosso is the team whom we beat to get to this stage of the competition. Anyhow, from what I understand, it is likely that H4 United will play a defensive counter-attacking game to frustrate us. Very much like how we play every week.

Despite that, we will stick to our usual game however the key will be to play with aggression and desire. For motivational purposes, i would like you to simply just remember that we have one goal in our minds and that is barring a huge upset, we hope to meet Team Intense in the finals. You guys know how much that means to us especially after our demoralising last gasp defeat to them 3 weeks back.

Let's make it happen boys. See you at Jurong Stadium early and all ready to go. Ciao!

Expected Personnel: 16

Allan

Yas, Jason, Huijie, Hizam, Chris (T)

Rudee, Santosh, AhCool, Mok, Law, Dinietov, Syafiq, Khai

Juf, Habib

Not the best performance in the world but 3 points are what we got

St Wilfred Complex, 1500 Hrs

YSOSRS FC 2 GreatsII FC 0

(Jufri x1, Santosh x1)

Sorry boys, i am really really tired right now so I will just give a quick summary of the game today yo. 3pm kickoff, and it was an overcast sky accompanied by a light drizzle.. Perfect conditions for a good game of footie on the weekends. However, come 330 and after slogging it out on the field to no avail for close to half an hour, the sun decided that it had to make an appearance and basically started frying us all. Awesome.

On the huge pitch of St Wilfred, the weather certainly did not help us as we lugged our bodies around in search of the ball. To be honest, it was just a scrappy scrappy game with the jokers probably edging it slightly more in terms of clear cut chances on goal.

1-0: After much huffing and puffing in the central areas, a loose ball in the middle was pinged out to Habib who started out wide on the right today. Facing up to his marker, Bib did his trademark move to sidestep and accelerate past him towards goal. Showing great maturity as the whites of the goal frame loomed larger with every stride, the boy pulled the ball back to a waiting Juffie boy who had been starved of service for most of the half. Taking a step to set himself up, he calmly guided the ball into the left hand corner of the net to the relief of the boys in white. As we have come to know of the man, clinical as always. A crucial goal just before the half and much of it was down to the determination shown by Bib. Smashing!

2-0: Having had to deal with a couple of scary moments at the back with Greats pushing forward in search of an equaliser, the boys in white were able to score a classic sucker punch of goal towards the end of the game. Allan came out and caught the ball confidently from a cross. He then proceeded to punt the ball forward to our Nepalese boy who was lurking near the half way line, the boy wonder brought it down and surged forward towards the Greats goal. Doing what he does best which can infuriate at times, he went on to beat no less than 4 players before thumping the ball home from inside the penalty area. It was a brilliant solo effort that deserved the applause it got. A good quality goal to seal a game that had been devoid of energy and ideas for large parts of it.

MOTM: Santosh will take this one as he was the embodiment of the word 'hardwork' and he probably showed a tad more quality together with Juf on what was a subdued day at the office for most of the boys. Gaffer included. Well done toshie boy, if you finish half of the chances you create with your amazing runs and also release the rest of your teammates at the right time, i'm pretty sure we would be able to add on average at least 2 more goals per game. That's how devastating you can be. Remember that.

Gaffers thoughts: We were tired and at times struggled to string passes together. We need to have faith in the abilities of each other and pass more boys. A huge field with an excellent playing surface which we failed to take full advantage off today. Well, off days we are due and we should be thankful that we were able to keep it business like and still bag 3 points in the process. The season remains a long one but we are in good stead to finish as high up as possible. It may be a huge ask but chasing down Team Intense remains a likelihood and we will keep on going on. Hopefully we get the stroke of luck we deserve in the coming games and make up some ground on them. Lets keep working hard boys and rest well during the week. See you at the biggie come next saturday. Division 4 or 5, we are not going to take them lightly. Onwards and we are going to be giving our all yo!

Personnel:

Allan

Farhan Ronald Chris Hizam Jasmond Jason

Santosh AhCool Habib Syafiq Mok Dinietov Law Yas WS

Juf

Greats Awaits

Time: Be there by 2.20 PM

[This game determines the direction of our season]

Opponents: Greats II FC

[Link: http://www.espzen.com/teams.asp?teamno=582&leagueNo=87]

Venue: St Wilfred Field (Astro)

[Link to venue: http://www.espzen.com/pitches.asp?id=78]

Attire: White Top, Black Shorts and Black Socks

As we move into our 6th game of the league season in Division 1, the boys in white are lodged firmly in mid-table. This week, we face Greats II FC who are currently in 2nd and doing relatively well. However, the need to keep pace with the leaders will hopefully drive us on as we continue to harbour ambitions of finishing as high up as possible in the division.

It may be our first foray into the premier division of the Espzen Saturday league but with the talent that we have within our ranks, we should probably be aiming higher than just wherever we are at the moment. Whatever the case, our opponents for the weekend, Greats II FC have seemingly achieved a balance within the team after suffering a near miss last season by which they only just survived relegation. Their results this season have shown that they are not pushovers in this league. FYI, their sunday league team is in Division 1 of the Espzen Sunday league.

A huge, pristine field this saturday that normally works to our advantage and with almost nearly a full strength squad available to the gaffer this weekend, the jokers will be looking to go for the kill and hopefully gather all 3 points in what is likely to be a pivotal point in the season. Win this game and we will continue to keep pace with those at the top, fail to do so and we are more or less likely to be stuck in the middle with the possibility of being sucked into a relegation battle. Let us prepare ourselves for a game that we will hopefully come out of as victors. We out~!

Expected Personnel: 17

Allan

Farhan, Ronald, Hizam, Chris (T), Jason, Jasmond

Santosh, AhCool, Law, Mok, Dinietov, WS, Yas, Syafiq

Juf, Habib

Mid Season Friendly starts well but ends in defeat

*So near yet so far

East Spring Sec, 1500 Hrs

YSOSRS FC 2 Singapore Vipers 3

(Mahdi x1, Santosh x1)

Another big game but this time round it was a friendly against the EFL champions, Singapore Vipers. I'm gonna do a fastforward rundown version of the game here. We were 2-0 up in the 1st half with goals from the players above despite Vipers having dominated possession for much of the 1st 20 minutes. Our attacking thrust was a potent weapon that had our illustrious opponents on the backfoot and constantly worrying. We clearly could and probably should have added a couple more with some lacklustre finishing in front of goal but that was how it ended at the half.

However that all changed in the 2nd half when Vipers regrouped and played at a higher tempo. I personally felt that we more than dealt with it but catastrophe struck our makeshift backline (Elfi, Chris, Azmi, Jason) during the closing periods of the 2nd half. We had been doing very very well up till then although it has to be said that we hardly fashioned another clear cut chance in the 2nd half either. Unlucky in terms of conceding the 1st penalty with 8 minutes to go and then the collapse at the end to finish the game with a defeat when we were clearly in a strong position for the win. Tough on the boys but thats footie and a harsh learning experience.

Vipers Match Report: [http://www.footballopod.com/viewarticle.aspx?id=4636]

Gaffers Words: Today's game was a chance for the boys to stake a claim and show what they had to offer in the coming weeks and I will have to say that some did indeed shine more than others. Crucial games coming up and although the general practice is for everyone to have as much game time as possible, certain games and scenarios may not allow for that to happen. After todays game, there was a clear indication as to who was up for the challenges ahead. As for the trialists, thank you for coming down and giving your all. It was a tough game to get acquainted with the team but I appreciate your efforts. Tough defeat to stomach but a really good run out anyhow. Hope all of you guys enjoyed working those limps sufficiently still! Oh and, a friendly it may be but we have to learn if we wana keep growing as a team boys. It's okay to make mistakes. But keep on persevering in correcting them aite.

Finally, thank you to the fasting boys for sacrificing your bodies to play. The weather was atrocious and hopefully, you enjoyed yourself enough.

Hope to see a good, solid and strong squad for next saturday at St Wilfred then. Start confirming with me your attendance by latest Monday please. Do kindly make my job easier so that I can plan in advance. TYVM. I hate to beg, so just help me alright. Same practice. Keep it going. Cheers!

Mid Season Friendly 1

Time: Be there by 2.20 PM

[It may be a friendly, but tradition does not go outta the window. On time please boys!]

Opponents: Singapore Vipers (EFL Champs)

[Link: http://www.vipersfc.net/home.html]

Venue: East Spring Sec (Newly laid Astro)

[Link to venue: http://www.espzen.com/pitches.asp?id=117]

Attire: White Top, Black Shorts and Black Socks

If you haven't already seen, Vipers have put up a preview of this game and I have also pasted the link to it on our FB group. Check it out there. Similarly, I will be using this game to allow the players who haven't been playing too much in recent weeks or have been recovering from injuries to get some much needed game time against quality opposition. Furthermore, I will be handing trials to at least one if not two players as we have already seen a departure and are expecting at least one other to leave us in the coming weeks. This will be announced on our FB group as well. Whatever the case, enjoy ourselves and let's see how different a newly laid astro turf is from the usual that we get to play on. Perhaps the ball runs faster on it... Hmmmm... Haha whatever the case, see you lads there. Ciao.

Expected Personnel: 16

Allan

Jason, Jasmond, Elfi (T), Hizam, Christopher (T), Azmi

Santosh, AhCool, Rudee, Mok, Law, Vic, WS

Khai, Mahdi