Moving Up The Gears. Slowly But Surely.

1st Toa Payoh Sec, 1500 Hrs

YSOSRS FC 1  Hiadis 0

(Law x1)

Back to writing duties after a long hiatus, this is Mokie in the house peeps. For the ones who missed me, heyya. For the ones who hate me, loveya anyway. 

After last week's rain off at the half in an intense-filled (pardon the lousy pun) friendly game against Intense, we faced off against reigning Div 5 champions, Hiadis FC. As we have become accustomed to, we were slow in preparing for the start and our decision to change our formation was badly scuppered by the sudden massive downpour that engulfed our poor bodies just prior to kickoff. 

It showed as we kicked off a chaotic first 20 minutes in which the pinkies hardly had a touch of the ball and we were literally chasing shadows. Buoyed by the success they were having in outpassing us, Hiadis grew in confidence and attempted to put us to the sword. There were a couple of occasions in which we tried out best to supply them with the final through ball to put them in on goal. Thank goodness, none were converted. 

True enough, we started to churn out a couple of really decent chances after the change back to our usual formation as we regained our foothold in the midfield. Our best chance in a maddening 1st half fell to midfield general, Del Syafiqo who thumped a loose ball in the penalty area agonizingly against the crossbar. It would have been harsh on an impressive Hiadis side but boy have we grew used to eeking it out during our lacklustre moments. 

2nd half and with renewed vigour and a couple of fresh faces, a series of corners saw an old combination brought back to life yo!. A literal blast from the past as oldie, Rudee Tudee swung a delightful corner that was met emphatically by the head of our returning Law. (D2D days yo) Bottom corner and we were 1-0 to the good. Set piece delight. The ensuing celebratory scenes were filled with awkwardness as Law attempted to celebrate his goal with the gf yet ended up in a belated embrace with Rudee. Sorry dee, u were the back up plan in his celebrations. Heh. (More of the same next time and im sure emphatic celebratory scenes with the gf can be expected yo!) 

Anyhow, we huffed and puffed but neither side really showed enough cutting edge to score another goal. Though we did have a clear cry for a penalty when Law dispossessed the opposing keeper, rounded him and was upended in the penalty box. Funnily enough, a freekick was awarded on the edge of the box to us and... Thats that. 

Plenty of things to work on but also positives aplenty. The pinkies enjoyed their run out amidst tough conditions and I guess our little machine will hopefully creak into action once our league campaign begins. We out folks!

Pre Season Friendly 2

Time: Be there latest by 2:30 PM

Opponents: Hiadis

[Link: http://www.espzen.com/teamsdiv.asp?teamno=883&leagueNo=110]

Venue: 1st Toa Payoh Sec (Astro)

[Link to venue: http://www.espzen.com/pitches.asp?id=36]

Attire: Pink Top, Black Shorts, Black Socks

Expected Personnel:

Khai

Eric Farhan Hafiz Eugene 

Hafeez Owen(T) Fiq Ws

Rudee AhCool Mok Ubai Law

Habib Dinie

Pre Season kicks off with a lightning show

1st Toa Payoh Sec, 3pm

YSOSRS FC 1  Team Intense 0

(Nigel x1) 

[Game rained off after 48 mins]

Just an update: 

We were leading 1-0 to a goal from new boy Nigel when the game was abruptly brought to a halt not long after the 2nd half kicked off due to lightning streaks appearing in the vicinity.

Splendid result and decent performance even though it was our 1st game after 6 long weeks and considering that we had only 12 lads for e game today with a couple of new and new-old faces in the mix. Intense had a strong numerical showing of 18 lads FYI.

Nonetheless, our day was made even better by the impromptu purchase of 2 solid Mikasa balls at the school by the old uncle living there for 10 bucks each. Fawesome day boys. 

Next Saturday, same time and place. Our pre season continues.

Team: 
Khai

HoeGuan Eric Hafiz Ismail Eugene

Ws Syafiq Yas

AhCool Mok Nigel

Habib

Division 1 Season 11 Team Line Up

Season 11: Espzen Saturday League Division 1

El Retador 

St Andrews

YSOSRS FC 

Team Intense

TeamCuzz 

Rosso FC

Eclectico 

RockU FC

Bakar Bersatu 

Big Belly FC

This is for the ones who are not in touch with the team via our Facebook group. No worries as there will continue to be updates here on the blog folks.

Season 11 promises to be a really exciting affair as an unprecedented 10 teams make up the top most division of the Saturday League. Familiar sides such as Team Intense and St Andrews take up their spots as per usual. Likewise can be said about Retador who will be a force to be reckon with plus the likes of TeamCuzz and Rosso.

Interestingly, 4 sides were promoted from Division 2 in what was a nail bitingly close title race in Season 10. All that separated the top 4 sides were a couple of points. The last time that 4 teams were promoted into Division 1 saw FMFC, YSOSRS FC, TeamCuzz and Supernova make the leap 3 seasons back as well. =)

Anyhow with 18 games in all to be played by each side, we can expect plenty of twists and turns in yet another intriguing league season. Kick off for the boys in pink begins in January with pre-season starting in late december.

Mark those dates down in your calendar folks as we renew our hope at bagging that elusive title after going ever so close last season.

We out~

Sabbatical

Hi all, there will be NO game this saturday as Classique Futbol Clube are not available. 

Thus all YSOSRS FC activities will be suspended from now till at least the last 2 saturdays of december where we will commence on our "pre-season friendlies". 

At least 6 saturdays of rest will ensue so... Enjoy it folks. For those who would like game time, do let me know cause my sunday team is open to some new faces for the time being and I believe Supernova in midweek would too. If Ubai needs it of course.

P.S: Anyone in the team who will be joining other saturday teams and no longer continuing with YSOSRS FC for Season 11, kindly have the courtesy to at least inform me before disappearing please. I will not be against you doing that of course but basic courtesy at the very least yo.As for new players (i.e trialists), you guys will be contacted soon with regards to trial dates. Please stay tuned.

For now, take care lads and till I see u again. ♥ ♥ ♥

Some Season It Has Been. But Not The Ending We Wanted.

Tampines Sec, 1500 Hrs

YSOSRS 0  St Andrews 1

Where do we begin. 

No words can describe the emotions that etched on the faces of le jokers as the full time whistle went at Tampines Sec. A point was all that was needed going into the penultimate game of the season. A goal was all that we needed with an hour of the game to go. 

Yet as we have all come to know now, that elusive goal never came.

 And with that went our chances of our first ever triumph, arguably at a higher level than the last time we were involved in a end of season title decider. 

So much can be said about how the goal we conceded could have been prevented. 

So much more could be said about how we could have been a whole lot more prepared for a St Andrews team whom we had faced on so many occasions in the past. 

And finally, so much more could be said about how we really should have kept our composure as we threw the kitchen sink and everything we had at the St Andrews goal. 

Unfortunately for us, that was how the cookie crumbled. Luck was not on the side of the jokers on a day in which 2.5 years of hard work was suppose to finally bear fruit. 


Setting all that disappointment aside, it has been one helluva ride. Being in a position to challenge for the title amidst some fierce competition from the likes of Intense, St Andrews and also the very talented lads from Retador and Stamford, we were always cautious of shouting out loud that we were in a title race. 

Belief was the key and despite it not coming to fruition as the fat lady finally sang, it had been a journey well worth remembering. Positives aplenty with the likes of our youngsters coming to the fore and also the old timers leading the way and setting the right example. 

A joker put it all into perspective perfectly after the game: This season wasn't our time. But our time will come soon. 

Come Season 11, the journey continues and the experience of it all will certainly put us in good light as we aim once again to be right up there come May. 

League Game 16

Time: Be there latest by 2:30 PM

Opponents: St Andrews 

[Link: http://www.espzen.com/teams.asp?teamno=620&leagueNo=102]

Venue: Tampines Sec (Astro)

[Link to venue: http://www.espzen.com/pitches.asp?id=127]

Attire: Pink Top, Black Shorts, Black Socks

Expected Personnel:

Khai

Eric Farhan Ronald Hafiz Isk Amin 

Hafeez Syafiq Mok

Alvin Mahdi Ubai LawSantosh

Izwann Dinie

An Epic Title Decider With No Conclusion As Yet

Bendemeer Sec, 1500 Hrs

YSOSRS FC 1 Team Intense 1

(Santosh x1)

A battle between 2 sides perched at the top of the division. 

A battle of 2 sides that had been locked head to head in epic clashes in the past. 

And best of all, a battle of 2 teams that harbored the same ambition to win the title.

Cue epic music for what was to be one helluva clash.... ;)

The equation going into the games was if either side won the game, that side would have built an insurmountable lead at the top which naturally means... Champions for the winners. With such high stakes surrounding the game, anxiety was the last thing that the gaffer of the jokers wanted to allow to manifest within the camp. And thus, hardly anything was said about the magnitude of it.

The situation in and around the jokers camp in the build up was one that was both relaxing and most definitely a cheery one. Just what the gaffer had ordered! Well game day came along and the lads streamed into Bendemeer Sec that would play host to the smashing tie, in trickles as I would describe. Yet as time ticked ever so gradually to the start of it all, it began to seem as if we were seemingly taking this game a little too lightly as loads of players were late. 

True enough, we started the game with more than 11 players yet with men in unfamiliar positions all around the pitch. Our captain stood bravely between the posts while our young prodigal son and goalkeeping phenom found his way to the arena. The same could be said about the rest who were unfortunately not present at kick off time. 

Whatever the case, Team Intense and YSOSRS FC. Championship decider as this was classed and both sides started the game as if it was a cup final. Tentative and edgy. Neither side allowed the other to really settle in possession and honestly speaking, it was somewhat of a bore down along the sidelines. Both keepers could have had a cuppa and perhaps the mass orgy that was created in the middle of the pitch would still never allow the ball to reach them.

That finally changed as the Intense keeper had a rush of blood to the... Head. By that I mean the one up top for all you ladies reading this. Heh. 

1-0: Showing sleek composure to feint and side step Dinietov, the Intense keeper then proceeded to mess it all up as he ran out of his box and laid of a pass that was just short of reaching his fellow Orangey. Pouncing onto the loose pass 25 yards from goal was our Nepalese boy wonder who needed no 2nd invitation to calmly place the ball into the back of an unguarded net. The lads celebrated knowing what a priceless goal that was... 

Despite the goals lead and orgyness in the middle, Intense continued to threaten via Mr Rory Delap aka Mr Lionel Wong (Hope any Intense players do not mind me naming your lethal weapon here). Throw ins anywhere in and around our half was hoisted deep into our box as players lined up time and again for the missile. Panic was never too far away with the size of the Intense players as their flick ons from these very missiles wrecked havoc. Thankfully, luck was on our side as our goal led a charmed life thus far. 1-0 it was at the half time, and the pinkies were daring to dream!

With a whole host of supporters (players past and present, on sabbaticals and in retirement) cheering by the touchline, the 2nd half kicked off as the jokers were only 40 minutes away from a history making result. 

Alas as luck would have it, Intense equalized via rather controversial circumstances as our lads would put it. 

1-1: Another missile of a throw that was hoisted in was flicked up into the air by an Intense head. The sequence of events that followed read something along the following line. Ball bouncing all over the place, Intense players desperate to get a hair on the ball whilst the Jokers were desperate to clear it away without smashing it into the back of the net. Well in the end, the mass of bodies in and around our goal proved to be the ultimate weapon for it apparently blocked the referee's view as an Intense player was able to scoop it over the line *reportedly with the use of a hand as the guys involved in the chaos would later claim*

Madness ensued as several of the jokers lost their heads in their pointless protests to the beleaguered referee. However, one took his argument too far and was unfortunately sent off in the heat of the moment by the man in black. Back all square and with a man down. The entire complexion of the game could not have changed anymore drastically in the space of a minute. 

Cue balls jangling 30 minutes to come for the gaffer and those watching along the sidelines. Every Intense throw in came straight into the box and it was really a bag full of nerves just watching it unfold in front of me eyes. 

Unluckily for the pinkies though, our sporadic moments into the Intense half failed to bear fruit. A throw in of our own *albeit with slightly less venom* saw Dineitov flick on a stunning header that had golazo written ALL OVER IT. Sadly it wasn't to be as it cannoned off the upright and bounced to safety. I swear to you, the supporters were going nuts at this moment. 

Time for cliches yo: "The stakes could not be any... Higher"

There was to be another moment for the pinkies to seal the game and title as a 4 on 3 breakaway eventually saw our marksman, Mr cockroach took aim.... And fired. Sadly, it didn't provide us with the same joy as we have been so accustomed to all season. A splendid save by the Intense keeper saw them just about hang in the game whilst the pinkies rued a great opportunity missed. ARGHHH. 

Ping ponging to the end, the final chance for Intense in "fergie time" trickled ever so slowly across the box through a mass of bodies and narrowly.....wide. The time it took for that ball to bounce its way happily across, was the time in which my own balls dropped to the ground and back up. Holy smokes.

In the end, 1 apiece it was as the Jokers leave the game knowing what is at stake in the final game against St undies and with it all to do. Whatever the case, what an epic clash it was at Bendemeer Sec. One that we hopefully would like to play a part more frequent part in, in the future. 

Cheers to the Pink warriors who turned up and played. More cheers to the ones who didn't play yet wholeheartedly supported the team. 

1 more game lads. Lets do this. 

League Game 15

Time: Be there latest by 2:30 PM

Opponents: Team Intense 

[Link: http://www.espzen.com/teams.asp?teamno=675&leagueNo=102]

Venue: Bendemeer Sec (Astro)

[Link to venue: http://www.espzen.com/pitches.asp?id=9]

Attire: Pink Top, Black Shorts, Black Socks

Expected Personnel:

Khai

Eric Farhan Isk Ronald Hafiz Eugene 

Ubai Hafeez Syafiq Mok

Alvin Yas Dinie Mimi Santosh

Izwann John