Another champions league game at Tampines Safra and things didn't look good at the start of the game with ks and jq down with flu and JLO, Reubs and Seng playing on a full stomach.
We didn't start well and the opponents controlled the game. Wenwei, our new goalkeeper import from 'Germany' made several good saves at the start keeping the team in the game. Thus it was with absolute excitement that we scored our 1st goal courtesy of Leslie in the 15th minute. Coming against the run of play, the team had won a corner, which Jialiang had delivered beautifully to the far post, which Leslie tapped in with the slightest of touches! 1-0 Unido.
The lead was not to last. With the opponents making several through passes, and with ks and reubs having to make last ditch sliding tackles, it was inevitable that 1 got through. Turning ks and leaving him in his wake, the opponent striker rushed through and tapped the ball under Wenwei. 1-1.
Yet the team rebounded swiftly with 2 quick goals from JLO. Pushing the ball, and using his pace to his advantage, JLO put the game beyond doubt in the 1st half with 2 quick goals, leaving the opponents bemused with our version of 'Usain Bolt'. Yet JLO was rewarded too, with a yellow card for a minor fracas with the opponent midfielder, who had kicked him.
3-1 the score at half time.
With such a comfortable lead, the team sat back to defend it with a more defensive formation in the second half, sitting deep and absorbing attacks. Wenwei made several good saves again, and the opponents were left frustrated, especially their star midfielder, no. 2, who was well-shackled by both JQ and Seng. The midfielders and the defenders worked well to contain the threat, and we counter attacked on several occasions. it was with shock that the team saw JLO make good progress down the wing with his pace, putting in the cross, and seeing Shian miss the shot from 1m out and the keeper well beaten =P. Other than that, JLO had the other chance of the game but fluffed his chances of a hat trick by shotting wide.
Nevertheless, the whole team played well. Great teamwork. It would be a tough call for MOM between WW and JLO, but i think my call would have to go to WW who kept us in the game with several outstanding saves =).
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Rush of Adrenaline 30 Jul, 2009.
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Ball of Opportunities 30 Jul, 2009.
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Tactical Approaches 30 Jul, 2009.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Seems like Sunday morning games always start late. And it also seems like Sunday games bring about the most injuries, be it due to accidents or foul play. Yesterday's game was no exception, save for a serious incident that marred the victory we scored over the opponents, who seemed to be more interested in shoving, elbowing and assorted foul play over enjoying a proper kickabout.
We adopted the same, one-wing formation that brought us success against the Sepoys, but it was not very effective as the opponents were quick, and managed to cut out a few passes before they reached the wings. But long balls forward caught them out a few times, and it was only due to some poor finishing by Alex that we did not trouble the goalkeeper too much.
The opponents were quick on the break as well, but resorted to foul play as we took the ball off them and cleared our lines. Although they showed some great skill and ball control, the game was marred by some disgraceful shoves and reckless tackles that would have drawn yellow, or even red cards, in competitive matches. As such, credit to the referee who spotted the dirty tricks as the opponents tried their best to feign innocence.
A horrendous error resulted in our one goal. Seng released JLo on one of his marauding runs down the flank, and he slid a low cross into the box. The keeper fumbled under a challenge from Alex, who gleefully tucked the ball into the net from close range.
The pushing and tackles came fast and furious, and Leslie was the first casualty, having to go off after being sandwiched by the keeper and a defender's shove resulted in a twisted knee. I was next, falling victim to a knock on the ankle during a 50-50 challenge. The most serious came in the second half, as again, in a 50-50 challenge for a high ball, the opponent's knee slammed into JQ's lip, resulting in a split lip which required stitches at the hospital.
Nevertheless, the remaining 11 players (including an injured Leslie who played through the pain) gave their all, and despite Seng's best efforts to allow the opponents a way back into the game with his 10-minute spree of crazy passes, we managed to hold out for a scrappy 1-0 win.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
We got stuffed 5-1 the last time we played the Sepoys, hence it was no surprise when Reubs, who'd just came back from Australia and was playing his first game in 2 weeks, said "Today is come to kena thrashed one".
Cap was away so KS took over the armband for this one. It was an experimental formation we put in, as Hong Loon was allowed to roam the entire left flank, with Kelvin shifting into the centre to provide support to Reubs and Seng. JLo was as usual, bustling down the flanks and firing crosses in for Leslie and Alex.
Alex's persistence paid off early in the game, he robbed a defender and fired a low shot into the back of the net for a deserved 1-0 lead. This did little to discourage the opponents as they surged forward, the number 11 on the left looking particularly threatening. And it was from one of these runs that the ball fell to the number 10, who promptly fired a dipping shot into the top corner to make it 1-1.
This spurred us into action, as KR replaced Kelvin and I replaced HL on the left, while WR replaced Guan on the right. We reverted to our 4-4-2 and attacked down both wings. And it was from one of these attacks that Alex hit the post. But we failed to capitalise on the added attacking advantage and the score was 1-1 as the match went to half-time.
We reverted to the conservative 4-2-3-1 formation for the second half, Kelvin replacing JLo and moving into the centre, giving WR the flank to cover, while KR stayed up on the left. And not two minutes after the restart, we were ahead.
Seng, who was having a poor game by his standards, played a wonderful pass to KR, who cut inside the defender and slammed the ball past the keeper for a 2-1 lead. The goal seemed to settle us into a bit of a slumber as we allowed the opponents to come at us. But we put the result beyond doubt as Seng scored from his own rebound to make it 3-1.
The opponents threatened to score as the number 15 had one or two gilt-edged chances, but failed to convert them both as he either slipped or miskicked at the critical moment.
The final whistle came as a relief for both teams as the match ended 3-1 to us.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
We'd played Team Trinity 'A' before, scraping out a 2-1 victory at The Hiding Place. What we had in store this time, was instead a younger and more vibrant Team Trinity 'B', again at the same location. What we did not expect was the opponents to turn up with a foreign import, and still have not enough people to put out a full team.
Their bright green jerseys were as bright as the sun as the match got underway. And with our very first chance, we scored. Jialiang supplied the pass, KR the finish. It was probably the yellow jersey curse that got us as we started to fall asleep and misplace passes, although a few cross-field passes from wing-to-wing did find their mark. And we paid the price for our complacency, their nippy number 6 getting in behind KS to chip Jackson for our first goal conceded in 2 matches.
From then, it was all one-way traffic as they gradually tired. The wingers were darting onto passes and creating dangerous openings, and it was from one of these runs which earned us a corner. Jialiang's inswinger was met by a firm header by Seng, who saw his header deflected past the goalie.
It was all one way traffic as we vigorously pushed the ball forward seeking our third. All our good work was undone by the very obviously biased referee, who called an offside almost every time an excellent ball caught the Trinity defence napping.
However, we were not to be denied as Leslie broke away from an onside position to put in the third.
It could have been more but for some awful refereeing, some good goalkeeping and some poor finishing, most evidently from Derek, who skied a cross when it seemed easier to tuck it into the back of the net.
Marcus and Reubs report live from Pint on Punt, Melbourne =)))
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Singapore isn't that big after all. This was the second in the series of our 're-matches' which do not involve Shangwei's team. And to top it all, we played them twice in two weeks - in a home & away format.
1st leg: Unido 4-0 'Jesus Saves' KB, 10 May 2008
It was a blustery morning that greeted us as we arrived sporadically at Farrer Park. I'd had some difficulty with my new contact lenses, and together with almost the whole team, arrived later than expected at the pitch. There was a slight drizzle and grey skies, which helped cool the normally humid mornings down.
We knew we'd played them before, and drew with them at Carlisle the last time. However, we were determined to do better this time around and confidence was high despite the previous week's 2-2 draw.
However, we played like headless chickens for the first 20 minutes. Passes went astray, ball control was virtually absent and link-up between defence, midfield and attack was abysmal. Perhaps it was a severe case of nerves.
Despite this, it only took us 25 minutes to break the deadlock. Seng broke through the defence and placed an outside-foot shot into the far corner to give us the lead. The goal calmed us down some, and allowed us to slip into our normal game. Passing improved and our play became more fluid.
5 minutes to half-time, and we doubled our lead. A looping header by Hogan was diverted into his own net by the Koreans' number 21, not that it mattered much since it was on its way into the goal anyway.
Their number 7 was lively, as was the number 19. However, the defence stood up well against their attacks, and broke them down easily. That was the way the first half ended.
The second half saw the introduction of their number 10, who was a tall, lanky fellow with some silky ball skills. He managed to put some shots in, but Jackson was equal to the task, even managing to palm away a stinging shot in a one-on-one situation. Try as they might, they were continually frustrated by a combination of excellent shot stopping, offside calls and fouls. Their tempers began to fray as the number 10 began to sulk and look disinterested.
Then, a long ball out of defence sprung the offside trap, leaving Leslie with a simple shot past the keeper for a 3-0 lead. Not long after, a pass by Seng was left by the defence, who stood still thinking Leslie was offside, and SA sprinted away from an onside position to beat the keeper from close range to make it 4-0.
The final whistle sounded not long after as we ran out deserved 4-0 winners.
2nd leg: 'Jesus Saves' KB 0-2 Unido, 17 May 2008
There could not have been a bigger contrast in the weather for the return leg. For the second time in three matches, our dear captain managed to turn up 5 minutes before kick off! And again, we endured a nervy start as they made a few changes, fielding their older players for this game.
Number 10 started upfront, and as he was continually frustrated, switched into the heart of their defence. Their left wing back, number 21, was at his dirty best as he used every trick in the book to try and stop JL from making his dangerous runs down the wing.
This time they managed to capitalise on our nervy start as the number 7 raced through and sprung the offside trap, but Ben did well to chase back and make him rush his shot, which was wide of the goal. KR had a glorious chance to break the deadlock as well, but the number 22 managed to get back in time and stole the ball off KR's toes as he was about to shoot.
The number 10 did a sterling job in defence, as we were also continually frustrated by a combination of their good fortune and our misses in front of goal. The half ended 0-0.
The Koreans threatened a few times in the second half, but either they shot wide or Jackson was equal to the task. At the other end, we continued to push forward and attack their weaker flanks, but again the number 21 was tugging at shirts and whatever he could get his hands on, preventing us from getting a quick break.
But again, we prevailed as KR struck a sweet shot into the net from close range in the 70th minute, helped by some appalling defending. The goal spurred them a little, as they pushed number 10 up front again, but as fate would have it, JL got his first goal since his return from injury. Exactly the same spot, exactly the same type of goal as KR to make it 2-0.
You could see the despondent looks on their face as they began to use every dirty trick in the book. The number 16's shirt-pull on Seng was the straw that broke the camel's back as the referee failed to spot it despite the obviousness of it all, and Seng was booked for retaliation and a free-kick awarded to the Koreans. Even that failed to make any impact and the game ended 2-0 in our favour.
Final aggregate score: Unido 6-0 Jesus Saves Korea Branch
Monday, May 5, 2008
You just know its not going to be your day when the phone rings while you're on the cab and approaching the match location and the caller-id shows that its one of your teammates.
Good thing KR reached us in time for us to redirect the taxi driver to Dorset Road instead of into Carlisle Road and that ulu-pandan patch of grass. Although it would have been better given the condition of the Farrer Park pitch. It was dry, but bumpy and threatened to trip you anytime.
And the opponents were familiar. Especially "Bus 151", whom I "crashed" into and hurt my knee in our previous meeting, which ended at 1-1 and with me up front chasing long, hopeful punts.
But there was to be no repeat of me reprising that role as we had our regular front two (SA was absent for the previous fixture) as well as Alex, who had been shifted into the advanced role with some effect in our previous game against "Spain".
And, perhaps the most shocking revelation of all: our dear captain arrived 5 mins AFTER kickoff! ;)
We had a 16-man squad for this match, and for once, I didn't start the game, the place going instead to Kelvin. Otherwise, the defence was unchanged, even with the return of Hong Loon from his unfortunate training ground injury. Seng partnered Reubs in the centre of the park in the other change to the lineup for this game.
The match finally got underway 20 minutes late, after the referee arrived late (As always, when something is late, the outcome for us is usually unfavourable). Both sides created chances, but in the first 10 minutes, failed to score. This changed after SA picked up a through ball on the left wing, beat three defenders and squared it for Leslie to tap into an unguarded goal.
Our lead did not last long. The opponents threatened and barely five minutes later, were level through a lob-shot which Jackson misjudged due to the sunlight shining into his eyes. The goal gave them confidence and we had to be on our toes to repel wave after wave of attacks. We had some chances of our own, notably another square ball from SA which found JLo who poked the ball wide, and another speedy run by JLo which put him clear but he could only manage to poke the ball straight at the keeper.
Half-time score, 1-1.
The malay guys changed their central midfielders in the second half, and that gave us the advantage. It was our turn to launch waves and waves of attacks, and when SA was fouled 30m from goal, Ben stepped up and delivered the goal of the month. It was a sweetly-struck free kick from 30 metres out which flew over the wall and into the top far corner of the net. The keeper was taken by surprise and didn't even move.
That goal spurred us on as we held firm in defence and had some good attacking moves up front. But for some lacklustre finishing and an unusually subdued performance by Alex up front, we could have been 3, 4 or even 5 goals to the good.
Alas, it was not to be our first win in a long long time as a hopeful cross by the number 19 was turned into our own net by KS.
Final score, 2-2 and KS with egg on his face. =)))
Monday, April 14, 2008
This match saw the return of SA to the side, after he missed the previous two Saturday games due to other commitments. It also saw some experimental positioning, as Alex was shifted into a more advanced forward role, while Weirong was moved to the right-back position. Ben took up the centre-back role next to KS.
It was a tentative start as the match kicked off late. Both teams were putting out feelers as the ball yo-yoed back and forth between both halves. "Spain" had a few good chances, but KS and Ben were resilient at the back and the frustration shown as one of their strikers reacted angrily to some disruptive play by the centrebacks and got booked by the referee for his unnecessary outburst. The half ended 0-0.
By then, grey clouds obscured the sky and rain pelted relentlessly down as the teams took to the field for the second half. Alex got his chance up front, while Hogan came in on the left wing.
The waterlogged pitch did no favours to either side and as tactics got thrown out the window, "Spain" grabbed a deserved lead. A quick through-ball over the top and their striker put it past Jackson to make it 1-0. Heads sagged, but before long, an elementary mistake by the "Spain" keeper from a cross by JQ allowed Hogan to nip in and grab an equaliser. This was the catalyst for more attack-oriented play, but "Spain" gave the left-back some real problems as the defence played a high line, and punished us with two goals in quick succession, even if one of them seemed a little fortunate.
The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle, and spirits were lifted as Alex steered in a cross from the right after Reubs had shown great vision and released KR down the flank. He showed his speed as he sprung the offside trap and slid a low cross to a grateful Alex, who calmly stroked the ball past two defenders and into the net.
And not surprisingly, we got right back in it. Another through ball by Reubs to KR, who broke free and attempted to round the keeper, who stuck out a leg and steered the ball out for a corner. KR took the corner, and screwed it up awfully, but a fortunate deflection saw the ball come back out to the flank. A pinpoint cross found a leaping Hogan, who sent in a looping header which dropped under the crossbar and into the net.
3-3, with 5 minutes of the game remaining.
Alas, it was not to be as "Spain" broke out of defence and some confusion in our defence allowed them to steal a fourth at the far post.
By then it was too little, too late as we fell 3-4, but the performance was heartening as we played well and the cohesion and adaption to the new formation and tactics shone through the gloomy afternoon.
Monday, April 7, 2008
(Post-dated!)
After swearing off the Yishun pitch, it was a wonder that we actually returned to face these opponents on this patch. Various comments heard regarding the state of the pitch after the draw with Shangwei's new-look team are better left unsaid.
But a bad pitch is better than no pitch as we faced up against a NTU Hall 11 side made up of players who probably were in the same age group as ourselves. They had their grey shirts, with "Eleven" emblazoned on the back, two guys with the number "11", and even a captain in the number 6, who didn't really call the shots (so I dunno what the armband was for anyway). But they had despatched our last opponents on that pitch 5-0 (we could only manage a 0-0 stalemate!) so it was going to be an uphill task.
In addition, we were in our dreaded yellow kit, which made the task seem even more ominous.
The match got underway in the hot 11am sun, and it was a tight encounter in the centre of the park, as both teams played three across. Leslie was left alone up front, with support from Seng, who was making his first return after a period out with some groin trouble. Reuben was in goal for Jackson, who had to "serve the nation".
Hall 11 broke the deadlock first, a through ball well put away by their number 11 with gold hair (the other fella had black hair). However, it didn't take Leslie long to show why he was the first choice striker, chasing down a loose ball and from a narrow angle, slotting home to bring us level just minutes later.
It was 1-1 at half time, as the sun bore down relentlessly on these madmen who were duking it out in midfield. After the restart, both sides had glorious chances to win it, but scuffed shots and lucky blocks ruled the day as the match finished 1-1.
The curse of the yellow jersey - yet to be broken.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Twenty-five year olds just don't have the same lung capacity as those spritely-ORDed twenty year old fresh faces. It's a damning cycle: You enlist, eat well, exercise a lot, then ORD and hit the downward spiral. You end up flunking the annual IPPT (ok, so maybe its just me) and get breathless chasing that kid who glides effortlessly along.
Such was the theme of yesterday's game against a side made up of these 20-year olds.
The tactic of the day was to defend, and attack, as a team (for those who missed it, see KS's last post here. Well, we did...or at least tried to do that. Those kids were freakishly quick, and seemed not to run out of breath. They closed us down at every opportunity and didn't allow us to settle down.
Even the referee asked JQ why we were out of sorts.
Anyway, on to the match details: we managed to carve out a few opportunities, the closest being Zhiwei springing the offside trap to slot past the onrushing keeper, only to see the ball bounce agonisingly wide of the post. KS also had a clear header on goal which he put over the bar. Otherwise, our attack lacked bite, probably due to the new tactic we had adopted.
Although we were losing the midfield battle, at least it didn't translate into too many opportunities for them. Jackson was brilliant, tipping over what seemed to be certain goals, but unfortunately, near the end, he was beaten by a combination of poor marking and fortune on the opponent's end.
The defender ghosted in unmarked to score at the near post, a downward header that really, really, should not have been given away. We did try to hit back, as the urgency increased and we began stringing some passes together, but as usual, it was too little, too late.
MOTM: Jackson - for his superb saves which kept us in it and kept the score to a respectable one goal only.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Everything was late for this one. We were late, opponents were late, and the ref was even later. The police even had time to come and rescue the guy stuck in the drain. And when the game finally kicked off, you could see sweat glistening on the faces of our own players as if we'd already been through the first half.
The opponents this time were no "New Balance" wearers; before the match they had their little trophies and medals on the sidelines, and even their very own team photographer! We were suitably impressed, but as we always tend to do, we managed to take the game to the opponents.
Neither side got the better of the other in the first 10-20 minutes, as the game went back and forth from our half to the opponents' and back again. We had a gilt-edged chance which Seng put wide, before they took the lead near half-time with the overlapping full-back beating the offside trap and hitting a shot past Jackson.
It was 0-2 early in the second half, as the left and centre backs got into a little of a mix-up, allowing the number 10 (in his flashy yellow boots, no less) to nip in between and tuck home the second. But we never gave up and ShiAn gave us a fighting chance with his 7th goal, although he could have more but for a combination of good goalkeeping and some questionable offside calls.
The overall assessment for the match was that our passes were rather disjointed and we tried too hard to play long balls forward instead of using the midfield as a pivoting point. But as our cap said, we tend to up our game for such opponents who offer up a "challenge".
Let's hope we break the streak for our yellow jerseys next week by raising our game even higher than this. =)))
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
"We better win this one, they wearing New Balance to play one leh..."
Upon hearing KR say that and seeing our opponents donning their proud New Balance shoes, we somehow know that this team is there to be slaughtered.
Indeed, my hunch was right. They started with 10 men and ended with 8 or 7. Not because they were "Red-carded" but because they chose to sit out due to fatigue.
Finally, the final score - "5-1." We won by a rather large margin but we were not very happy with our performance. Despite winning 5-1, we show that our team still has plenty of room for improvement. Personally I feel that the last 20 mins was horrendous. There are several things to note.
- Positional Discipline.
After leading 5-0, I feel that the team totally lost its shape. Many of us were playing out of position. Many wanted to score and thus did not have the discipline to stay in our own position. Honestly, we lost our game plan and we even let a 8-men team score against us. Which is rather depressing.
- Temperament and Composure
Due to some reasons, some of us lost our cool because of the way we played or.... However, if there is anything to learn from this episode, it should be the fact that we should learn to keep our cool and be patient with our team. Even if the team is "anyhow playing", we should not give up.
- Attitude
Sometimes, we can be overly hard on ourselves. Come on, we won! OK. Like what Qiang say, winning is not everything. Like what Alex say, winning is everything. Another lesson we learn is that the most important thing is to be happy. Winning 5-1 unhappily is not better that losing 1-0 happily - like some of us mentioned.
To conclude, this game could easily have been 10-0 or 20-0 if we were clinical and disciplined enough. However, we decided not to make it a rugby score line. :) Most importantly, remember not to take the fun out of the game.
Onwards we march! Bros.
Mahjulah Unido!!
CHEERS!!!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Good job guys for the win. Clean sheets seem to be a rarity for our team and it's the 1st clean sheet since a very long time. Well done. Though, the referee did award a goal to the opponent in the dying minutes, we are sure that the ball did not cross the line. As Ah Seng said, "Just write 2-0 on the website." So let's not let an incompetent referee take away our clean sheet. So 2-0 it shall be and let's rejoice. In my opinion, our defence did quite well. (Their attack also quite 'chui', but let's focus on the positives rather than the negatives.) We dug in deep and was able to frustrate the opponent with our resilience and determination.
Our midfield did well with Reuben providing the defensive cover and the wingers providing the width. Reuben is a revelation as defensive midfielder. KR linked up well with Leslie and Qiang was as energetic as ever. Personally, I was quite impressed by Seng's all-action tackling. I feel it gives us the aggression in the middle of the park where we lacked in several occasions. (Honestly, I prefer his tackling to his talking. :))
On my part, I thought that our attack was quite OK, managing to take our chances.
On the down side, I was quite upset with the standard of refereeing. I was kicked in the face and hacked down in the penalty box but the ref was ambivalent about it. Worse of all our Mr. Nice guy, WR, was needlessly attacked from behind by the opposition. The ref ignored our claims for fouls and it seemed like the opposition's transgressions were all forgiven in a split second. Seeing our players hurt is the last thing I want and I hope it wouldn't happen again. Luckily, our players survived, despite WR having a swell on his hand. Thank God there was no fight!
To conclude, good game good win. Maybe we play better in the future and continue to keep clean sheets like we did. Cheers!!!
Monday, January 7, 2008
(Note: back-dated post)
Hot & Sunny; @ SAFRA Tampines; Artificial turf.
Squad present: 11+3
[with GuestPlayers: HongLoon(CS') ZheLong?(KS')]
Half-time = UNIDO 1 : Rb'sFren 2
Full Time = UNIDO 2 : Rb'sFren 3
After-match thoughts:
1. We played a cautious game with a pre-match expectation that the opponents would be good. They proved to be so, with their confident passing and movement giving them a slight edge over our side especially in the first half. After the break, we wrestled for control of the game and created decent chances as the opponents seemed to have shifted to a lower gear. The hot humid conditions probably had something to do with that. Competent refereeing facilitated fair and flowing football. Overall, it was a spirited performance especially in our determination to comeback from the early deficit with disciplined gameplay.
2. Playing on artificial turf for the first time(at least for me) and with guest-players were some of the things that I felt made an impact on the game. Artificial turf provides an excellent level surface but affects ball-response as I observed:
a. the artificial "grass" material generates more friction so passes had to be more weighted
b. the "soil"-black rubbery pellets that hold the "grass" together disperses upon impact; causing high-balls that land to bounce less and slow down earlier; doesn't hurt as much when one falls(except in the case of abrasions! :-( Marcus:Ouch!)
3. Our guests had fairly good games. HL continues his stint with a good second match; passing and supporting the flank as a Right-back. ZL displayed firm handling when it was required of him and made some saves. Apart from the second cross-cum-shot goal conceded due to questionable positioning(and, plus me; somehow allowing that cross to fly in :-/), I guess he had a good debut. (So... Will we sign them?)
Comments, Suggestions anyone?
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Cloudy weather; @ Tampines Ave 8; Fairly level pitch.
A match where we played with only one sub.(only 10men for first 10mins or so)
And no referee.(someone mentioned he "went hospital?")
Half-time = UNIDO 2 : DH 1
Full Time = UNIDO 2 : DH 5
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After-match thoughts:
1. In general, we played a calm and controlled game most of the way.(only a few stray passes) D.H. midfield proved to be quite a challenge - allowing only few chances for us through their defence. At times we were out-muscled/outrun but did maintain our composure.
2. Without the luxury of having subs, I guess most of us had to reserve our stamina to try to last the whole game. In the absence of our regulars, our guest-players had to up their game quite a bit to keep pace with the play.
3. Without a neutral referee officiating, it was rather disrupting especially in the cases where we've caught our opponents off-side already only to have to keep pursuing them because no one was around to blow a whistle! >:-#
4. I confess to being de-moralized... especially after failing to intercept the opponents in a few crucial situations. I personally felt responsible for the header and the goal after it.
Argh. :-( Sorry Ruebs.
Some more thoughts...
1. In all our matches so far, we rarely have all the perfect match conditions(weather, pitch, opponents, refreeing). And we've hardly got the time to train together before each match to build understanding, individual technical ability, tactics & etc.
2. But what we do have full control of is the attitude we each bring into every match.
Think about it. Whether we enjoy our game or not, sometimes, rests simply on how we've upheld our team spirit. A favourable score-line makes a difference of course.
Yet, if each of us played our hearts out as a team-player, for the team; with full trust and respect for one another regardless of position, ability or current performance, I think we'll have a good time and win or lose gracefully. We just take whatever comes in our stride.
3. Also, though we might not be able to organize and forecast every match with one/two weeks advanced-notice, let's help those of us who are organising matches out by replying promptly.
Organizers: Hopefully you can receive at least 12 player-confirmations before proceeding to make the bookings.