Match Report - Dec 11, 2004

PS: If you are curious to know why earlier this report does not have any capital letters, check my personal blog for the reason Red No. 3 blog - Why no capital letters

Final Score:
3-2
(Choong Wei, Hamdan, Tony - Edmond, Jufri)

Players:
Every players turned up. Francis managed to make it, so did Ajis and Alvin. Good! However, punctuality seems to be a problem. We have to work more in this area.

We have David, Daniel, Francis and Steven as defenders. Midfielders Alvin, Ajis, Hamdan and Choong Wei. Strikers Tony and Peter.

The Game:
The game started with Choong Wei scoring the first goal. Err.. we just started the game, it was such a short time. I did not really notice how it happened but it did. Too soon.

Then the equaliser came from Edmond. This goal happened too soon also. Edmond lobbed the ball from outside the left goal box. The goal keeper (that's me!) did not do well in punching the ball but let it slipped in. (We must not let opponent clear shot from out the box! Someone block! Confront him!)

The third goal came from Hamdan. In counter attack, the ball went from goal kick to Hamdan on the left midfield. Peter got the ball from Hamdan and drove it to the upper left before crossing in. A bit of one-two passing saw Hamdan getting the clear shot for 2-1. All this happened within 20 seconds from the goal kick. So I suppose sometimes, counter attack needs to be fast before the opponent can recover.

The second equaliser came from Jufri. A momentary defense lapse allowed Jufri to get a ball for a one on one with the keeper who failed to rush out to confront him. He shot and the ball slipped past the keeper's outstretched leg.

The winning goal came from Tony. Prior to the game, everyone was very sure we would lose just because no 7 is back. I guess that motivated him to make sure that he scored that deciding goal.

There was almost a 3rd equaliser 5 minute to end time, when a high ball was presented to the keeper again. Seems that the opponent had decided that high ball was a weak point for the keeper. Glad the keeper punched it, and did not go in. (I did it! I did it!). Tony 'confessed' later about the moment when he saw that high shot, he thought "Oh shit, please don't go in". So I was really pleased, when the shot was blocked. (We must not let opponent clear shot from out the box! Someone block! Confront him!)

The game was exciting with both sides attacking and counter attacking. A couple of missed chances from both sides. Plenty of corners. Notice that Hamdan can also take corner effectively.

Today we have outstanding performance from Choong Wei and Steven. Choong Wei have more varied play, making himself really unpredictable but effective. I see him all over the field. Steven has improved stamina, providing defense and occasional wing support.

Our midfield is solid, ball flow smoothly. Good play from Ajis, Hamdan and Alvin. Good to see even no 9 coming back to support many times (although he took one hard painful landing).

Personally I think goal keeping is a let down today. Good to have reliable defenders supporting the keeper, picking up those loose balls. Daniel and Francis both have good reading of the game acted well in limiting the scoring chances for the opponent. David's invaluable support at our end ensure deliverance of ball towards our midfield.

Tony proven today he is not 'jinx' to the team?

Overall, I think we played well. Well done everyone. What do you say?

Casualty:
No 3 injured his right little finger. Looks bad and we may have keeper crisis soon.

Prepayment Accounting (this part for my own note):
just in case you curious, i am deducting our appearance fees from the field booking i paid.
74-22=52