Shahid - Akim - Imran - Firul
Omar - Helmi - Fazli - Shafi
Syaifudean - Rafeeq
Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Joharie
Rahman
Fairuz
Scorers:
Fairuz
Firdaus Masdar
Own goal
Imran
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Match 41 was an eagerly anticipated game, at least on my part, because due to the holiday season and perhaps the resulting low demand for football fields around the island, we were able to snap up the Football field at Farrer Park (many thanks to Mus whom scouted for it) which gave KFC a regular break from the more 'local' fields that have proven to be a major source of frustration to many in th team in consideration of the poor playing surface that would certainly require attention of SSC. Though the field was hard, and rather bumpy with considerable potholes at some patches of the pitch, it was certainly playable if given the comparison of the Tampines and Queensway fields with the former some would argue be a leading factor to the slump of form of many in the team.
Besides getting to play at a new venue, it also happened to be the 2nd fixture for Kambing FC and Fushan FC, with the first played to a convincing 5-1 victory to KFC at Singapore Polytechnic amidst poor weather, and it would be interesting to see the development of the Fushan team since. However, as it turned out, Fushan did not and could not field a full-strength team (primarily due to them being a predominantly Saturday team, i suspect), and so did we in losing a few of our regulars whom were overseas during the holidays, though it seemed that our in-depth strength of the team was evidently proven by the flexibility and versatility of many of our players in the team.
Kambing Fc did not fare well in the first half, and it was made clear the intentions of Fushan in the opening minutes of the match. They sent a number of adventurous passes through the heart of the defence which at many times sent the Kambing defence scrambling to clear away. The team was, admittedly, a little lacklustre then, and perhaps the new partnership of Mus and Imran in the heart of defence needed some time before it could start to gel. Fushan FC gave them no such thing, and within minutes found a way to slot the ball past
Chasing the Game
Having failed to make the first entry on the score sheet, the team had to dig deep to get back in the game, and no thanks to some stoic defending from Fushan FC, by which time they were already on reverse gear to preserve their slender lead, we realized that things don’t come on a silver platter. Fushan continued to defend well, and many times we were thwarted by good goalkeeping, and if not, the bar when Mus managed to sneak in completely unmarked to the near post to attack a cross from a corner kick, but he only managed to slam the ball straight to the bar, much to the dismay and frustration of the team. I too waited an apportunity putting the ball over despite the wide open gating goal.
We continued to not do well, and it was only through God’s mercy that we were not to chase the game from two goals down when Fushan failed to capitalise on a follow up shot that was as in Mus’ case, slammed (mercifully this time around) on the crossbar. We were let off big-time and we knew it. Tempers flared owing to perhaps the tackles that went in, and the boiling frustration of some.
A New Start for the Team
When things seemed to go all wrong for the team, a long throw-in from Fazli (he had many of those that day) saw the ball taking a rather fortuitious bounce that deceived the Fushan defender, before Fairuz, in open space, put the ball over the keeper and into the net. It was 1-1, and a lifeline for the Kambings to amend their errors in the second half.
The second half proved to be much more promising, as we do not know how Fushan would react in response to the equalizer. The second half they attempted to stamp on their midfield presence early on, but our midfield held our own to hassle the ball away from them and move it more quickly than they would have liked. Seeing this, I would speculate that the Fushan FC midfield were now only content to have absorbed the pressure before trying to hit us on the counter-attack, which our defence did exceptionally well to nullify, due to perhaps, the lack of composure of the Fushan attack, and also to a large part, the quick and highly mobile players we fielded that day. Having the influence in midfield in the second half meant that we were able to control the pace of the game, and in many instances made space for many manoeuvres (one of which was picked to be the hot play of the week, where the team saw a good build up to attack, with Shafi contributing a little bit of flair with a cheeky back-heel one-two). However, we still could not break down the Fushan defence to, for the first time in the match, put us in the lead.
Fushan did not have the better of luck in the second half, and Jo managed to somehow squeeze a goal from a Fushan defensive error. It was unlucky for them to have conceded the goal especially in the manner they did and we were lucky to have that goal, though I have to say in credit to the team, that luck is most of the time, the fruits of engineered design. We were lucky yes, but most importantly we deserve that goal, which in part was a tribute to the pressure we enforced upon them. Firdaus scored his first goal for the team in three games, with a superb lob that the backpedalling keeper could not keep out despite having a hand on it, and Imran too foraged upfield to put the icing on the cake, giving Kambing Fc the flattering 4-1 scoreline.
MY TAKE ON THE MATCH
Though we won Fushan and showed a bit of resilience, it is very Important to note that the match could swing either way. One key moment of the match was FAiruz’s equalizer, and had it not come, it would have been very difficult to predict the outcome of it all. An important thing to take note is that before we CAN WIN the match, we first HAVE To win the battle from within, meaning all feelings of frustration, and disbelief that may have crept into us during the many moments of the game be held suppressed, because if not, there is no way we can effectively contribute to the cause. Choose how you might want to respond to a calamity; through the expression of ANGER or frustration, or through other means. LET the frustration not take control, but make it fuel your drive or desire to win. Let it not be for your personal desires, but rather, the team effort. Hard play by an opponent is usually a tactic to drive you away from your teammates and thus limit your teamplay and effectiveness on the pitch.
Another edge that we have over Fushan Fc was also the number of substitutes we employed in the game. This point here is to acknowledge and highlight the point that everyone in the team matters, even the substitutes, to make things work for the team, especially, in this case especially, to lift the team where and when we need it.
Shyairah - Team Pictures/Videos/Debt collector