Kambing FC

Match148: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 12 vs Villagers FC 1-9 loss

2012-02-06T06:03:00.002+08:00

HT: 1-4 FT: 1-9
Scorers (Assists)
Akim (Azmi)
Yellow card
Ernest

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Aidil Dzulqarnain - Ernest - Farid

Joharie - Akim - Kelvin - Huang - Omar

Rafeeq

Subs:
Azmi
Shafi
Nas
Azman

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Anderson Sec 3pm -

Akim

match147: 29 Jan 2012 vs. unknown team (white) 1-4 loss

2012-01-29T20:54:00.003+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 1-4
Scorers (assists)
Nas (Akim)

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Shahril - Azmi - Farid

Shafi (Gk 2nd half) - Ernest (debut) - Kelvin - Azman - Nas

Rafeeq

Subs:
Aidil Dzulqarnain (debut)
Kariim
Rahman
Joharie

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Sembawang Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match146: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 11 vs Inglourious CF 0-5 loss

2012-01-22T20:52:00.001+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-5

Bobos (GK)

Rahman - Azmi - Andy - Farid

Omar - Akim - Ys - Azman - Farhan

Joharie

Subs:
Farzlan
Kelvin
Ariel Shahril
Rafeeq
Rafi

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Orchid Park Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match145: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 10 vs Inglourious CF 0-4 loss

2011-12-05T05:02:00.000+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-4

Bobos (GK)

Akim - Azmi - Fairuz - Farid

Joharie - Azman - Azhari - Khairul - Omar

Syaifudean

Subs:
Rahman
Helmi
Sheikh

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Juying Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match144: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 9 vs Huat FC 0-5 loss

2011-11-27T20:00:00.001+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-5

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Alim - Azmi - Firdaus

Khairul - Akim - Rahman - Azman - Kelvin

Syaifudean

Subs:
Farid
Joharie
Ilyas
Azhari
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Crescent Girls Sch 5pm -

Akim

match143: 20 Nov 11 vs. unknown team (white) 4-1 win

2011-11-20T23:26:00.000+08:00

HT: 1-1 FT: 4-1
Scorers (assists)
Farhan (Fairuz)
Farhan (Ariel Shahril)
Ariel Shahril (Farhan)
Azman (Rahman)

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Alim - Azmi - Fazli (Nas' friend - debut)

Raden - Akim - Nas - Fairuz

Farhan - Helmi

Subs:
Azman
Rahman
Ariel Shahril

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Coral Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match142: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 8 vs Khatib Rangerz 0-11 loss

2011-11-13T22:35:00.003+08:00

HT: 0-6 FT: 0-11

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Alim - Farzlan - Shafi

Omar - Rahman - Nas - Azman - Khairul

Akim

Subs:
Yazier
Shahril
Raden
Sheikh
YS
Ilyas
Syaifudean

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Crescent Girls Sch 5pm -

Akim

Match141: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 7 vs JSSL Arsenal 0-4 loss

2011-10-30T22:15:00.002+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-4

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Shahril - Azmi - Fairuz

Omar - Kelvin - Nas - Akim - Khairul

Rafeeq

Subs:
Shafi
Firdaus
Sheikh
Raden
Azman
Huang
Ilyas (debut)
Syaifudean

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Victoria JC 5pm -

Akim

Match140: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 6 vs Huat FC 11-1 win

2011-10-23T17:49:00.002+08:00

HT: 6-0 FT: 11-1
Scorers (assists)
Ariel Shahril (-)
Own goal
Farhan (Fairuz)
Yazier (Rafeeq)
Khairul (Akim)
Own goal
Akim (-)
Khairul (Akim)
Sheikh (Huang)
Khairul (Sheikh)
Sheikh (Shahril)

Bobos (GK)

Alim - Shahril - Azmi - Syafiq Othman

Sheikh Hussein - Akim - Kelvin - Fairuz

Farhan - Ariel Shahril

Subs:
Huang
Azman
Yazier
Khairul
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Jurong West Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match139: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 5 vs Khatib Rangerz 0-9 loss

2011-10-16T17:27:00.001+08:00

HT: 0-6 FT: 0-9

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Sahmadi (debut) - Syafiq Othman

Khairul - Akim - Azman - Shiva - Fairuz

Farhan

Subs:
Firdaus
Shafi
Huang
Sheikh Hussein
Jo

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Naval Base Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match138: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 4 vs Osiris FC 1-5 loss

2011-10-09T17:42:00.006+08:00

HT: 1-2 FT: 1-5
Scorers (assists)
Jo (-)

Akim (GK)

Firdaus - Azmi - Alim - Syafiq Othman (debut)

Khairul (Azman's friend) (debut) - Azman - Edmund Siow (debut) - Ridwan (debut) - Khairul

Jo

Subs:
Yazier
Rahman
Sheikh Hussein (debut)
Huang
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Pierce Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match137: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 3 vs Villagers FC 0-1 loss

2011-10-02T21:04:00.006+08:00

HT: 0-1 FT: 0-1

Bobos (GK)

Salleh - Azmi - Alim - Fairuz

Rahman - Azman - Kelvin - Ys - Akim

Khairul

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Omar
Shafi
Huang
Jo

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Bowen Sec 3pm - My shocking miss, a lapse of concentration that led to the only goal, a glut of chances coupled with excellent goalkeeping and a series of bad offside calls that went against us; it was a highly-entertaining match that surprisingly ended in a low-scoring narrow 0-1 loss, or as Omar said, "a bad lose (sic)". The latecomers did not help with the initial team selection with the midfield consisting of 5 naturally central midfielders, though it meant we could attempt to play a more compact game similar to the way we ended last week. Alim made his season debut as Azmi's 3rd defensive partner this season and Khairul, also making his season debut, led the attack.

There were a lot of early hard running by both teams but Villagers FC began to control the game and played a combination of fluent short passing and crossfield passes that transited into threats especially down our defensive left flank. We did not crack under the pressure even if I still would like to see more composure on the ball instead of punting it away. Villagers managed shots from range, which we were happy with. Bobos did give us an early scare when he fumbled a routine catch that led to the first corner of the game. We relied on the counter-attacks, though at least 3 bad offside calls went against us and somewhat disrupted our momentum going forward.

The best chance of the game fell to me midway through the first half. Villagers had carelessly given the ball away at the halfway line on the right flank and there was suddenly a 2-on-2 break. Khairul led the break and Rahman was on hand to assist and he finally managed to find me in the box. Despite having time and space in the box, I could only shoot straight at a defender's leg on the goal-line that was just about a most shocking miss as it can get. We were punished for that miss soon after. Bobos, apart from his earlier fumble, had been irrepressible and got down to make at least two excellent saves to ensure the score remained 0-0. There was nothing he could do however when Villagers scored what turned out to be the only goal just as half-time loomed. We lost concentration after conceding a corner and the defence took too much time to organize. The opponents played a short corner and with our defence still all at sea, an opponent rose highest to head the ball into the net. With half-time approaching, it was a very disappointing goal to concede as we had held out impressively before that.

Seconds after the restart, Joharie's header from Khairul's cross sparked immediate life into the team. Joharie then had a glorious chance to equalize, after good work from Khairul again, but the GK foiled his shot in the 1-on-1 face-off. We came close again after Firdaus, of all people, initiated the best attacking move of the game, with the composure that I like to see more from him. The move began deep in our defence and we passed our way upfield to find Khairul, who was having a trailblazing start to the 2nd half, in another 1-on-1 situation but he could not finish off that excellent move after his shot was parried by the GK. Villagers fought back to regain control and we endured some close shaves even if Bobos was otherwise comfortable in goal.

We then suffered our worst spell of the match after repeatedly losing the aerial challenges from Azmi's goalkicks and highlighted our frailty yet again, as Villagers took advantage and poured in shot after shot. That spell was finally stemmed out when Kelvin was brought on to stabilize the team. We looked like we were on the verge of making a breakthrough but the referee was still having a bad day in the office after he made another couple of bad offside calls against us, with Villagers, like they did in the 1st half, playing a risky high line. As the match drew to a close, we desperately pegged Villagers back in search of the equalizer that never came, though by now, our reaction in the 2nd half was generally superb.

The misses in the game, from Jo, Khairul and myself, obviously dented our chances of getting at least a point, with my miss the worst of the lot as we could have taken the lead then. It also meant a record-extending 4th straight game that we failed to score, where previously, we had only played 2 games in a row without scoring. At the other end, our defensive performance, led by another impressive goalkeeping display by Bobos, kept the score down, and this continues to augur well for our league games this season. The manner in which we conceded our goal was very disappointing, and given our positive response in the 2nd half, a typical display of grit and desire, it made the result even worse. We must learn to appreciate that such a lapse might just prove to be the difference in a Div 3 game. Following on last week's draw, and our reaction in the 2nd half, I just cannot help but feel we had wasted our playing time in Div 2 last season, as we are clearly now in our depths and giving a better account of ourselves. At least we are here now. Let's get that first win soon.

Akim

Match136: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 2 vs Osiris FC 0-0 draw

2011-09-26T16:26:00.004+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 0-0
Yellow card
Kelvin

Bobos (GK)

Shafi - Shahril - Azmi - Fairuz

Omar - Azman - Kelvin - Nas - Farhan

Akim

Subs:
Huang
Kevin
Rahman
YS
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Springfield Sec 3pm - Following last season's relegation, we welcome a move back to Div 3 as we kicked off season 7 in D2D league. We started with a 0-4 loss to JSSL Arsenal in our first game but gained our first point against Osiris FC in a goalless draw.

We could have been down by a few goals early on as Osiris shots fizzled wide and over. Kelvin was the key man in midfield who held his own to cut out some Osiris threats in the middle of the park but Azman and Nas, who completed the central midfield trio, could have done more to help him out. We resorted to long balls, played out with commendable precision by Azmi, Shahril and Bobos, to advance in opponent's territory but often conceded possession easily. We were also guilty of indulgent individualistic play down the flanks when a simple pass to an open team-mate was the better option, but it is something we can improve for sure. We almost took the lead after finally registering a shot on goal through Fairuz's excellently-struck freekick. After a midfield shuffle, there was more stability and organization as we grimly held on to go into the break with the score remaining 0-0.

The second half was a much more open affair with Osiris still registering shots but Bobos was not duly troubled in goal and he was calm and assured especially when dealing with crosses. When he was beaten once, the crossbar saved us. We looked dangerous on the break but the delivery from set-pieces was very disappointing. Azmi then whipped in a cross which Rahman almost got a decisive touch as the GK scrambled to palm away the ball at the far post. With the game in the balance, one goal would surely mean victory for either team. We defended magnificently and displayed great team spirit and determination to limit Osiris' forays. Kelvin led by example after an eager challenge right on the halfway line though he was rightly cautioned.

The display set up a platform for us to threaten and nick a goal. A tactical formation to keep it compact and narrow in midfield was paying dividends. Nas, who looked off-form today, unleashed a shot from distance and while he was not far off, a return through pass, to complete a one-two with me, might have tested Osiris' backline more. At the death, Huang could have set me up with a through pass en route a clear path towards goal but his pass was easily cut out and it was virtually the last touch of the game.

The draw was a welcome result and we have our first point. We also kept a clean sheet for the first time in over a year and hopefully, there are more to come during the season.

Akim

Match135: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 7 Division 3 match 1 vs JSSL Arsenal 0-4 loss

2011-09-19T13:07:00.005+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-4

Bobos (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Fairuz - Firdaus Masdar

Omar - Akim - Nas - Azman - Shafi

Farhan

Subs:
Salleh
Farid
Farzlan (debut)
Danial Iman
Joharie
Rahman
Yazier
Kariim

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Victoria JC 5pm -

Akim

D2D Sun 3/5pm Cup

2011-08-09T13:39:00.006+08:00

2nd round fixtures scheduled on 14 and 21 Aug 2011:

K B United vs Kentridge Rangers
Industmarine Football vs Villagers FC
Kambing Football Club vs Platinum FC
Orange County vs Redbacks Football Club
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Inglourious CF
Macheda vs GreenVenom FC
Luchaz Locos vs Team BBG
Holland Park XI vs All Reds FC
Outsiders FC vs FC GENESIS
FC Simpang vs Woodland Vista FC
Team Beyond Imagination vs Osiris FC
Apex Rangers vs Quintero Isla FC
Samalongkok vs Red Stallions
1980s United vs Eastchester View Football Club
Team Kangtao vs HUAT FC
Team Tsubasa vs Shining Sitare FC

We will adjourn our game till after Raya. - Akim

Match134: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 14 vs Holland Park XI 0-3 loss

2011-08-01T10:45:00.008+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-3
Yellow card
Kevin

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Nas - Farid

Alan (debut) - Kelvin - Yazier - Azman - Rahman

Rafeeq

Subs:
Omar

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Fuchun Sec 3pm - Kambing FC finally completed a valuable experiential league campaign. It has been mostly a season of losses with only a solitary win and three draws attained out of 14 matches and only 11 goals scored against 45 conceded. We have also suffered a goalkeeping crisis with 6 players filling in goal while Helmi has sustained a serious long-term injury and a variety of commitment issues have kept the likes of both Shahrils, Andrew, Fairuz, Farhan and Shafi from playing more prominent roles. We still have a cup tournament to look forward to but we, myself especially, can also now look forward to life in a lower division.

Against Holland Park XI, I started in goal yet again and the team started with 10 men with Nas filling in at centre back. Alan was a debutant at right mid. HP went on the offensive from the start but we rather impressively kept them at bay with the upright keeping out an opponent shot early on and a couple of close shaves followed suit. Yazier finally arrived to restore parity and we continued to resist HP very well. Our resistance was finally broken when HP took the lead. A perfectly-placed through ball in between Kevin and Azmi was latched onto by an opponent and my scampering was in vain as he flicked the ball over me. They doubled their lead through the most fortuitous circumstance, when a cross was played in across goal and though I kept out the initial shot, a followup shot crashed into the bar and straight down at my arm into goal.

We were 0-3 down in the second half after my goalkick was lost in the middle of the park to HP and the counterattack was swift and decisive equalled by the calm finish. The upright again saved us from a curling freekick but with both sides devoid of options from the bench under the heat, it was turning into a stroll in the park akin to building match fitness. Kevin earned what i think was his first yellow card ever with a rather sly tackle but we will need more such grit. We did enjoy a period camping in the opponents half and though HP always look threatening on the counterattacks, there were no further goals to the scoreline.

Our 4th season in D2D league has been a steep learning curve and we were totally, but wholly expectedly, caught out like fishes out of water. My personal opinion is that it was disappointing the league organizers chose to push us higher just so we can fill up the gaps in Div 2 and without ever consulting us too. By the time the news reached us, we were already just about to start the season. Hopefully they wise up for the new season.

My assessment of the players who played? Nas' versatility was evident as he filled in roles in defence, midfield and attack while Kevin and Farid were both again impressive alongside Azmi in defence, and both fullbacks will look to enjoy brighter spells in the new season. Azmi has been virtual ever-present since his NS and it is good to have someone who can play long balls out of defence. Alan's attacking instinct was perhaps curbed by our relative weak attack but his defensive aspect was admirable as he tracked back often to assist Kevin. We will look to give him more games. Rahman was working his socks off down the left flank as a false left winger with Omar as both got a lot of time on the ball and both had half-chances too. Azman vastly improved on his display last week and won a few key headers while Kelvin and now Yazier are competing for places as anchors in midfield, Kelvin in particular will be a key player if his fitness gets better. Rafeeq had a bright start to menace HP's defence and worked hard as usual but was otherwise starved of service.

Final word for now, thanks to the players who have played their part in our games this season. Let's all look ahead for a fresh start.

Akim

match133: 24 July 11 vs. Osiris FC (white) 1-2 loss

2011-07-25T20:48:00.005+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 1-2
Scorers (assists)
Akim (Bryan zC)

Yazier (GK)

Firdaus Masdar - Ariel shahril - Azmi - Farid

Omar - Rahman - Nas - Azman - Bryan ZC (debut)

Akim

Subs:
Shahril
Joharie

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Damai Sec 3pm - This friendly match was played against familiar and potential future opponents next season that ended in defeat for Kambing FC. All 3 goals came from corners as Osiris FC overturned a first half deficit to snare a narrow win. Bryan ZC was the latest face in the team and we got off to an explosive start. Bryan made an instant impact when our first corner led to the opening goal. I met his deep cross at the far post with a header that just crept into goal. The game then settled into a balanced state of play and Osiris almost drew level but the opponent unbelievably struck the bar from 2 yards out with the goal at his mercy. The relative ease which our defence gifted that chance was a concern though with Azmi especially looking less steady than usual as the game wore on. Our chances fell only to Azmi and Bryan from set-pieces that were routine saves for the tall GK while he also had a close call with a save on the goal-line. At our end, Yazier kept out a couple of stingers, including a dangerous cross, and later, we were fortunate that no opponent was on hand to turn a low cross into goal. We were having trouble creating chances and the lack of depth in reserves did not provide us much options. Our short passing was evident only in rare patches that further limit our attacking impetus with a clearly unfit Azman not at his influential best so much so that an unwell Rahman outshone him in comparison. We can count ourselves lucky to remain 1-0 ahead at half-time with fatigue clearly showing in our lackluster play towards the later part of the first half.

After the restart, Osiris, having built up gradual momentum, drew level when an opponent headed in a corner. Their corners seemed to be drilled from the training ground but our defence kept them out following that equalizer. Indiscipline then crept in our game when laughs were heard while the ball was still in play. Osiris finally took the lead when the opponent scored directly from the corner with Yazier beaten by the awkward pace and power of the left-footed inswinger. I could have equalized from yet another corner but my header from Bryan's delivery crashed against the upright and my goalbound effort, when I met Jo's flick on the edge of the box, packed no real punch, and that was just about the last decent attack for us despite our last-ditch efforts to force an equalizer.

We should not be totally displeased with the loss but clearly, we could have played much better. The likes of Osiris are the type of opponents we can strive to match on an equal playing field, while our fitness, as it was in the game, could do with a stark improvement as well. The indiscipline I mentioned earlier was also something that we should cut out and I have to again comment on our punctuality when we could have arrived early and used the time to get used to the pitch in the form of a kickabout prior to kick-off.

Akim

Match132: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 13 vs Holland Park XI 1-7 loss

2011-07-19T09:40:00.006+08:00

HT: 1-3 FT: 1-7
Scorers (assists)
Radin (Nas)

Yazier (GK)

Kevin - Andrew - Azmi - Farid

Khairul (debut) - Azman - Kelvin - Nas - Kariim

Radin

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Huang
Akim
Rahman
Omar
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Canberra Sec 3pm - Kambing FC suffered its heaviest defeat since the 0-7 loss to Outsiders FC earlier this season, in our penultimate league match against Holland Park XI (HP), a former Div 2 champions. I had faint hopes that we could lift ourselves from the foot of the table if we won our last two games against HP but this loss effectively put to bed our most disastrous season ever in D2D. Surprisingly, our opponents themselves are languishing in the bottom half of the table this season. Khairul made his debut on the right side of midfield.

HP utilized the size of the pitch to full effect and we were troubled by their speed and precise passing. Their patient probing paid off early on as they scored two early goals. Radin pulled a goal back after yet another assist from Nas to score his first ever goal for the team, after getting a second bite of the cherry in the penalty box. Our typical fighting spirit then appeared to peg HP in our best spell of the game but HP regained their 2 goal advantage after a lob from long range caught Yazier out. Going into half-time, I felt we were not totally out of the game yet.

Instead, worst was to come after the restart as we conceded another goal shortly after the restart following another HP's swift and decisive piece of attack as they took a commanding 4-1 lead. Azman then spurned the best chance of the game for us when he missed a free header from Rafeeq's delightful cross and while that miss would probably have not been costly anyway in the end, we have to be more clinical next season. Instead, HP capitalized on a calamitous defensive error to score their 5th goal. They scored 2 more goals to round up the scoreline and the manner in which they casually stroked the ball around the park highlighted the painfully obvious gulf in quality between the two teams. We were simply not good enough as we struggled to muster any serious threat against HP's defence.

We will play HP again in our last league game of the current season, and for me, it cannot end soon enough. A cup campaign is on the cards and hopefully, we will provide a stiffer test.

Akim

Match131: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 12 vs Luchaz Locos 0-3 loss

2011-07-10T03:38:00.004+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-3

Aminudin (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Fairuz - Farid

Omar - Akim - Kelvin - Shafi

Farhan - Ariel Shahril

Subs:
Salleh
Shahril
Yongsheng
Azman
Huang

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

North Vista Sec 5pm -

Akim

match130: 19 June 11 vs. JSFC (yellow) 1-3 loss

2011-06-20T02:43:00.000+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 1-3
Scorers (assists)
Akim (Nas)

James (GK)

Kevin - AJ (debut) - Azmi - Farid

Rahman - Nas - Azman

Shafi - Akim - Radin

Subs:
Yazier
Alim
Raymond (debut)
Yongsheng
Shouzi
Huang
Ben
Danial Iman
Fairuz

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Bedok Green Sec 3pm - Luchaz Locos adjourned their potential title-clinching match with us, so it turned into a friendly match with JSFC instead. We had our best turnout for some time, with 9 players on the bench, including an extremely rare replacement for Azmi, and since this was a friendly, it avoided a likely mess, as past experience has shown how disruptive an oversized squad could be in the course of a match. That being said and set aside, after suffering a loss against a team that was clearly inferior to the opponents we defeated last week, we must show more consistency if we kick off a likely journey in a lower division next season. Indeed, we were guilty of spurning the best chances throughout that included Fairuz's missed penalty in the closing minutes of the first half and my sitter in the second.

We were the better team in the opening minutes and registered 4 back-to-back shots in a 4-3-3 formation on the smaller than usual familiar pitch. JSFC responded with some hard running off and on the ball deep in our half as the balance of the game went back and forth. James was a formidable presence in goal yet again while AJ impressed on his debut (no surprise as I have seen him play for my Saturday team) and the combination alongside our ever-impressive backline of Azmi, Kevin and Farid was crucial in keeping the score at 0-0. Rahman was influential at both ends of the pitch, going in for the tackles while attempting to drive the attack. When the rotation from the bench finally completed its first cycle, the deadlock continued. We continued to threaten in the final third though there was no significant bombardment on goal, although Huang came close to scoring, and JSFC also pressed to break the tie. Minutes before half-time, we were presented with that chance, when Fairuz was bundled over clumsily in the penalty box. He stepped up to take the penalty but his kick was straight high and direct at the GK who palmed the ball upwards over the bar, when either side of the goal would have been better options in my opinion.

The '2nd team', except for Ben and Azmi, took to the field for the 2nd half and the game became stretched as JSFC suddenly found space on both flanks of the pitch and continued to do so far too often. To our credit, our defence stood up to the test, led by none other than James, while Raymond and AJ reprised their Saturday's team combination at the heart of defence to head away any aerial balls. When the rotation from the bench completed its second cycle, the score remained goalless. Soon after however, JSFC took the lead following yet another flank play on our right side of defence. The opponent somehow managed to break through despite Kevin's close attention and powered a piledriver across James into the far side of the goal. Again, to our credit, we did not let our head down and foraged for an equalizer. The best chance came when Rahman, continuing his influence on the game, controlled Nas' throw-in and dribbled into the penalty box. Just as he almost ran out of space on the byline, he pulled back a low cross, and just like last week, it deflected off a defender's heel, into my path this time, but my left-footed shot packed too much power as it sailed harmlessly across goal.

We kept up the pressure as JSFC suddenly found themselves back against the wall during our best spell of the match perhaps, apart from the opening minutes. We were attacking hard in the final third and our efforts were rewarded with a desperately deserved equalizer. 3 players were involved in this play. James, having made a routine catch in goal, released the ball to Nas in midfield, who in turn fed my run with a perfectly-placed through pass, and I atoned for my earlier miss to calmly score. We found our voice both on and off the pitch as we called for a goal that would give us the lead. Try as we might though, despite the ball firmly staying in the opponents' half and JSFC clinging on to dear life, we could not score that goal. Instead, JSFC regained their lead in a controversial fashion.

We had given the ball away cheaply which led to the opponents' counterattack. It appeared to be offside when the scorer received the ball in our penalty box and again, the goalbound shot was drilled across James' goal into the far side of the net. Our appeal was waved off by the referee and we have to come from behind again. There was a chance of a penalty appeal when Raymond appeared to have been manhandled in the penalty box following our corner but the referee blew for a foul in the opponents' favour instead. JSFC was now closing out the game efficiently as tired legs took its toll on us and we lacked inspiration to revive our earlier momentum before the opponents' 2nd goal. Our hope of getting at least a draw died out in the dying minutes when JSFC scored from a freekick to secure a 3-1 victory.

Akim

match129: 12 June 11 vs. Platinum FC (black) 2-1 win

2011-06-13T12:29:00.001+08:00

HT: 2-1 FT: 2-1
Scorers (assists)
Shouzi (Rahman)
Nas (Huang)

Yazier (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Fairuz - Farid

Syafiq - Rahman - Shouzi (debut) - Nas - Huang

Akim

Subs:
Alim
Yongsheng
Azman
Ben
Ler (debut)

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Naval Base Sec 3pm - Kambing FC sampled a familiar, enjoyable taste of a lower division with an overdue 2-1 friendly win against Platinum FC, who are thriving in Div 6 in the current season and are on course for automatic promotion. All 3 goals came in the first half. The matchday squad featured 2 debutants including Shouzi who orchestrated and influenced our play like no other player has since Muhammad. However, Yazier was almost certainly the man of the match with an outstanding performance in goal especially when we were defending desperately.

Fairuz was a notable change in defence while Syafiq was poised to add width and pace on the right flank. It was Shouzi who fitted in seamlessly from the start to link up well with Rahman and Nas, both of whom provided the required midfield presence to allow Shouzi to exert his influence on the game. Time and again, he kept looking to spread play at both flanks but the opponents' defence did well to catch us offside often in the early part of the 1st half. Meanwhile, our defence stuck to their tasks well and kept the opponents' attacks at bay with Fairuz displaying his versatility at the heart of defence alongside Azmi. Kevin and Farid, and Alim later on, displayed the kind of necessary aggression to limit the threats from the opponents' flanks as best as they could. It was Platinum FC that took the lead however when we finally committed a defensive lapse and failed to clear our lines convincingly. With our defence in a shamble, an unmarked opponent rifled in a low shot from just inside our penalty box. There was a controversial decision minutes later after the referee overruled my goal to whistle on a foul on Syafiq on the edge of the penalty box just before my goal. My personal take was that the referee should have allowed play to continue to see if there was any advantage in our favour, which there was. Fairuz's goalbound effort from the resulting freekick saw the GK tipping away a potential goal and it remained 0-1 to the opponents.

We enjoyed a dominant spell from then on in search of a equalizer, and with Yazier a very safe pair of hands in goal, we finally equalized. Syafiq freed a surging Rahman with a pass down the right flank. Rahman attempted to find me with a low cross and while an opponent's heel deflected the ball away, it rolled perfectly into the path of Shouzi's run outside the penalty box. Shouzi took it on and finished with a brilliant left footed shot into the low corner of the goal to score on his debut. We took the lead as half-time loomed and when I felt our dominance was close to its peak in the game. Nas, who is already our key player in the short time he has played for us, continued his effervescent form to explode into life at the right time. There had seemed to be no imminent danger when he dribbled forward towards the opponents' goal. However, a sudden exchange of one-twos with Huang on the edge of the penalty box caught out the opponents' defence and Nas found himself free in the box. He kept his composure to finish off a well-worked goal to give us a 2-1 lead at the break although he, Syafiq and Shouzi all sustained slight knocks.

The game see-sawed after the restart as chances opened up one after another in an open game. Yongsheng and Azman, having came on for Rahman and Nas before half-time, were more than adequate replacements to continue as foils for the tireless Shouzi. Ben and Ler started on the flanks for the 2nd half, with the former especially impressing on the right side of attack. I continued to link up well with Shouzi and should have extended our lead after Shouzi played a slide-rule pass for me. With all the time in the world, I opted for a lobbed shot that was atrocious in its execution. I then had the ball in the net for the 2nd time in the game after Shouzi had threaded another fine through pass. The referee's call was again questionable when he disallowed the goal. We could only guess that the call was on Ler who was offside when the ball was played because I certainly was not in an offside position. Syafiq, who came on to replace me, and Nas, on for Shouzi who finally succumbed to yet another knock, also had sniffs at goal as we did well to pass the ball and retain decent possession.

We did find ourselves in a desperate situation in the closing stages of the game when the opponents pressed for their own equalizer. Yazier came to the fore and bailed us out with a few key saves to preserve our lead. The opponents' desperation showed too as they attempted harmless long punts which Azmi and Fairuz calmly intercepted repeatedly even as Kevin and Farid, and Alim later, continued to shut down the flanks when other teams might have caved in to the pressure. While we could have perhaps defended from the front instead of deep in our half, nonetheless it was the type of defending that we all could have asked for especially when we rallied one another towards a deserved victory at the final whistle. Such a performance bodes well for us as I looked forward to life in a lower division.

Akim

Match128: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 11 vs Team Tsubasa 0-2 loss

2011-05-30T01:32:00.004+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 0-2
Yellow card
Rashid

Akim (GK)

Alim - Andrew - Azmi - Shafi

Helmi - Rahman - Nas - Huang - Danial Iman (debut)

Radin

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Rashid
Omar
Fairuz
Azman
Kelvin
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Clementi Woods Sec 3pm - Some of us might have looked forward to this game against Team Tsubasa because it was against the only team we had beaten in the league this season, but by the end of the game, we counted yet another defeat. Despite the loss, I was pleased with how we had followed up on our performance last week. Danial Iman made his debut in the starting XI while Andrew and Rashid also returned to the team after a period of absence, with a heavy rotation evident throughout the squad today.

It was a cagey first half with both teams restricted to long-range shots despite the size of the field. Keeping goal again, I gave cause for concern early on when I fumbled a routine high ball. Fortunately, the opponent could only skied the loose ball with the goal at his mercy from two yards out. The first half was devoid of highlights but Danial's debut featured much promise down the flanks with some fancy footwork. Not to be outdone, Omar marveled with a slalom dribble on his own, though his cross was off the mark. Defensively, Andrew was menacing, which was typified when he made a couple of key interceptions. It was goalless at half-time.

Minutes after the restart, Omar was withdrawn after sustaining an injury while Helmi also had to hobble off soon after. TT threatened in the final third at our end of the pitch without registering any shot on target from open play. They came close from a freekick which I kept out with a single-handed save. Danial who came on after Omar's withdrawal, was our most viable threat and carved out the best chance of the game. He had completed another dribble down the right flank into the penalty box and picked out Huang at the near post, but Huang could only shot wide when it had looked easier to score. TT capitalized on our profligacy to take the lead from a counter-attack. All eyes were on Azmi when he headed a harmless TT crossfield pass into the path of an opponent. He bore down on our goal and slid a through pass for his team-mate, who eluded Andrew and drilled the ball low past the slightest touches of my fingertips into the corner of the goal. TT doubled their lead after an opponent sprung our offside trap with a through ball for his team-mate, who calmly finished to score. We could have pulled one goal back after Danial again provided a chance from the right flank. This time, he was hacked down inside the penalty box to win a penalty. With myself keeping goal, Rashid who seemed eager to impress on his return, took over and perhaps looked slightly overconfident when he could only dispatched the penalty kick wide to the left of goal. Fairuz's long throws and a couple of wasted freekicks were our last resort but we could not score the goal that could have made for a dramatic conclusion towards the end.

After last week, the excitement and energy oozed in our team yet again in spite of the various permutations caused by the heavy rotation. In my view, we all seem to be having fun playing soccer recently with all pressure off. The injuries to Omar and Helmi (and Fairuz's shoulder aches) look worrying but hopefully, they will recover well. Three league games more to be played but I am already looking forward to next season when hopefully we can count more victories than defeats next time.

Akim

Match127: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 10 vs Industmarine Football 2-2 draw

2011-05-22T19:37:00.007+08:00

HT: 2-2 FT: 2-2
Scorers (assists)
Akim (Syafiq)
Nas (Azman)

James (GK)

Yazier - Azmi - Akim - Alim

Nas - Azman - Kelvin - Rahman - Huang

Syafiq

Subs:
Shahril
Radin (debut)

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Clementi Woods Sec 3pm - Kambing FC finally snapped a losing streak of 5 games, including a friendly game loss, to grab a point after overcoming a 0-2 deficit in a 2-2 draw against Industmarine Football. That streak has finally seen us become the bottom dwellers in Division 2 and facing certain relegation with 4 games left to play, but our typical fighting spirit was pleasing to see. James was the 5th new face in goal this season, our 6th GK overall including that friendly game, while Syafiq made his long-awaited return to the team. Debutant Radin had to be content with a place on the bench. By the end, these 3 players made such an exciting impact to the team's performance to give us all a positive lift as we wind down our season.

Defensive solidity was exhibited early on with Kelvin especially starring in the anchor role while Shahril and Azmi typically combined well to snuff out the attackers. There were hardly any chances created at both ends of the pitch. IF caught us out often on our flanks but Syafiq and Nas counteracted for us, with their pace causing plenty of problems for IF's defence. We finally carved out our first real chance of the game after I put Syafiq through on goal inside the penalty box. Our diminutive striker looked to have broken the deadlock but he inexplicably missed with a wasteful effort. I then should have done better with a free header from a corner from 2 yards out. We were punished for those misses when IF took the lead from a corner. I was at fault with for failing to challenge the opponent at the near post and his header gave James no chance. We conceded a disappointing second goal when IF again caught us out on our left flank. An opponent tucked in the wicked early cross from close range.

We gave ourselves a chance when I made amends for my earlier miss and that poor challenge which led to the opening goal, to score with a diving header from Syafiq's delighful cross. The fightback was on and we finally equalized. After winning and keeping possession in midfield, Azman threaded a pass to Nas who came infield and and fired an amazing effort from long range. We continued to dominate before and after the break against a tiring IF. We had to question some refereeing decisions that went against us including a blatant handball inside the penalty box (an incident which the referee admitted after the game that he did not see) but we failed to make our early 2nd half pressure count, and we became more predictable as the game wore on. Syafiq came closest to breaking the tie with a header (yes, the shortest one) from a corner and later with a freekick effort that just blazed over the bar late on. James' goalkicks and punts were also useful weapons. Ultimately, we failed to capitalize on our domination against a strong IF defence that were always looking to hit on the break as the match ended in a draw.

Our 4 remaining tough league games are against Holland Park XI (twice), Team Tsubasa and Luchaz Locos. Even though we played the weakest team in this divison (no offense IF), the game today has shown me a lot of our team's potential; Kelvin in that DM role, Nas, Syafiq and Radin buzzing around with their pace, James' assured goalkeeping which earned the admiration of our players (I know what they are referring to, of course, as I play with him for my Saturday team). It is an uphill task for us but if we play as well in those 4 games, as we did today, I am optimistic of our team's chances of claiming a collective morale-boosting moral victory.

Akim

match126: 15 May 11 vs. unknown team (black) 2-4 loss

2011-05-17T12:02:00.005+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-4
Scorers:
Nas (Fairuz)
Rahman (-)

Aminudin (GK) (debut)

Kevin - Shahril - Azmi - Farid

Nas - Akim - Rahman - Azman - Fairuz

Ariel Shahril

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Huang
Omar
Joharie
Shafi

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Bartley Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match125: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 9 vs Forza Ze East (FZE) 0-4 loss

2011-05-09T00:20:00.003+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-4

Akim (GK)

Shahril - Azmi - Hidayat - Farid

Fairuz - Yongsheng - Huang - Azman - Farhan

Rafeeq

Subs:
Salleh
Nas

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Bedok Green Sec 3pm -

Akim

Match124: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 8 vs Kentridge Rangers 2-3 loss

2011-05-03T11:33:00.004+08:00

HT: 2-1 FT: 2-3
Scorers (assists)
Akim (pen)
Farhan (Azman)
Yellow card
Azman

Bobos (GK) (debut)

Kevin - Alim - Azmi - Farid

Shafi - Shahreen - Azman - Omar

Akim

Farhan

Subs:
Shahril
Kariim
Huang
Yazier

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Pei Hwa Sec 5pm - Kambing FC let a 2-0 lead overturned into a 2-3 defeat at the hands of 10-men Kentridge Rangers. The painful defeat again showcased our lack of quality at this level, highlighted by the fact that we had failed to protect our lead despite playing with an extra man for almost the entire match. The way KR pegged us back to win made you wonder which team had the extra man and we also have to ask ourselves how we conceded the goals, which were all defensible.

Bobos was a debutant in goal and was our 4th goalkeeper this season, while Shahreen and Farhan returned in the absences of Rahman and Nas.

It was only mere minutes into the game when KR were rightly reduced to 10 men after the KR GK fouled Farhan outside the penalty box, who was destined to score the opening goal. The freekick led to a corner for us. Farhan was involved again when an opponent was deemed to have handled in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. I duly converted to score my 2nd goal of the season.

We doubled our lead minutes later after Azman provided a wonderful lobbed assist for Farhan, whose return was giving us crucial impetus already. Farhan scored with a lobbed effort after the replacement KR GK futilely rushed out to clear Azman's pass.

Farhan was wrongly ruled out for offside after he was released from my through pass and Shahreen and Azman wasted a couple of freekick efforts as KR seized initiative to press us back deep in our half. We struggled with the onslaught but survived until naive defending finally saw KR pulled a goal back. KR had the ball on the byline in our penalty box but none of us seemed determined to wipe out the imminent danger. When the ball was played across the goalmouth area, a KR player pounced to score.

We defended better after that with Shahril and Azmi ably leading the defence. But they were being stretched and it was the team's failure that we did not help to lighten their load, such as failing to string more than two passes, opting to punt the ball out of danger. This caused unnecessary pressure deep in our half. Yet, I could have regained our two-goal advantage just before the break when Shafi and I double-teamed to win the ball off KR and I was through on goal. The defender recovered to put in a challenge and I could only tamely shoot on goal.

We reshuffled our line-up for the 2nd half but KR was not peturbed as they continued to press in search of an equalizer. Rahman's aggressive presence was being sorely felt in midfield while I sat out to nurse a strain. Azman was looking off-colour today for some reason. As a result, our midfield lost the battle despite our numerical superiority.

KR finally equalized with a wicked curled effort around our wall from a freekick and they completed their remarkable turnaround to score their 3rd goal that gave them the lead for the first time in the match.

Farhan came close to score a equalizer but his header off Azmi's teasing freekick sailed over the bar. I then went for the jugular to send on Shafi, Omar and myself into the fray. KR was tiring and we finally found ourselves with some breathing space but our passing was very shoddy and did not help our cause. Try as we might, we only had Azman's effort from a freekick to show for, which spun agonizingly wide of goal, at the death.

We are now into the 2nd half of the season and while relegation is a distinct possibility, we should show more grit than we did today. Forget about results, let us get back to basics and strive to cut out the sloppy passing and naive defending.

Akim

Match123: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 7 vs Luchaz Locos 0-2 loss

2011-04-24T22:17:00.006+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 0-2

Akim (GK)

Alim - Shahril - Azmi - Farid

Shafi - Rahman - Azman - Fairuz

Helmi

Nas

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Huang
Yongsheng

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Beatty Sec 5pm - Kambing FC's defence was put to a stern test by Luchaz Locos (LL), the current league leaders and the only unbeaten team in Division 2. It was with great credit that despite our 4th loss of the season, the goals only came via a deflection and by our own player. I covered in goal again while Shahril ignored doctor's orders to start in defence alongside Azmi, his regular partner. This meant that Alim was shifted at right back. Helmi and Fairuz were also welcome returns to the line-up.

LL got us on the back foot with a controlled and patient passing style of play to dominate the first half as we opted to play on the counter-attack. They struck the crossbar thrice, including one shot which I tipped onto it, and they were also limited to a couple of long-range efforts in that period. Our disciplined defensive performance as a team was earning a lot of plaudits, however, even after Shahril's premature withdrawal following a committed challenge to prevent a shot, and Alim admirably stood in for him. I could thank the team that I did not have to make a single point-blank save.

If there was one improvement we could have worked on again though, it was for us to win those aerial balls, which the opponents won just about each time to send us back into our half again. Helmi, Fairuz, Nas and Shafi, who was caught offside a few times, all tried to force the issue but LL was determinedly holding on to their end of the bargain too, such that the GK was hardly in action. Nevertheless, we went into the break delighted with a clean sheet but knowing it was not yet over.

Our resistance finally ended mere minutes after the restart. We lost possession on the halfway line again. LL launched a swift and precise counter-attack that got our defence in twists and knots deep in our area. An opponent cut back a low cross from their left flank towards his team-mate, who managed to get his shot in. Unfortunately, the ball ping-ponged against a couple of our players and the ball was deflected away from me into the net.

Our reply was immediately muted and LL continued to sustain pressure. We worked ourselves to finally find a second wind to keep them at bay again. I was again kept relatively quiet in goal apart from taking goalkicks and tipping away a dangerous cross, as our opponents resorted to long-range efforts which skied over the bar. Thus, it was a disappointment when the opponents doubled their lead through the cruelest of goals. The opponents whipped in a cross from their right flank inside our penalty box and Firdaus's attempted clearance could only turn into a brilliant scissors kick that powered the ball past me into the net.

Just before the final whistle, it was Farid's day in the sun. An opponent found himself with space in the penalty box and seemed certain to score. Farid, having been a star performer in the match, launched a stupendous covering tackle just as the opponent was about to pull the trigger. That was just about the best consolation prize for our team, apart from a wonderful team effort, to pass a stern test set by LL. It was yet another game for us to learn our lesson. Now, with an expected break from the league on Labour Day, we would aim to use the time to play a friendly game or two.

Akim

Match122: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 6 vs Kentridge Rangers 0-4 loss

2011-04-17T22:16:00.008+08:00

HT: 0-3 FT: 0-4

Akbar (GK)

Salleh - Ariel Shahril - Azmi - Farid

Shafi - Alim - Akim - Azman - Omar

Nas

Subs:
Kevin
Firdaus Masdar
Joharie
Rahman
Huang
Yazier

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Bartley Sec 5pm - Kambing FC lost the chance to gain ground in Division 2 as our opponents handed a drubbing against a lethargic-looking team. The collective disappointment that I saw on the players' faces after the game was a positive sign that we all wanted to win this game badly. However, we were totally outclassed in all departments by a hungrier opponents and defensive calamities were far too evident today. Akbar, who was in goal, Shafi and Salleh all made their season debuts with a place in the starting line-up and a healthy bench rounding up the squad.

I almost gave the team the perfect start about 2 minutes into the game. Omar, our chief threat today, supplied a sublime chip through pass to me and I was through on goal. I failed to realize I had the time and space to take the GK one-on-one and could only meekly shot straight at the GK. It went downhill from then on. Having impressed in his one and only game previously, I was looking forward to see Akbar keeping up his fine form for us. Yet, he found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reason after he failed to handle an innocuous high ball and the opponent capitalized to head the ball into the net for KR to take the lead.

Following an energetic and enthusiastic start, we were suddenly putting up a lackluster team performance, which partially explained the circumstances that led to us going 0-2 down shortly after. KR patiently passed the ball and built up play towards our penalty area before activating their usual strategy of playing the ball crossfield. The winger drilled a low cross across goal to an unmarked player to tap in for an easy goal. It was a poor defensive performance to have given that goal away. Matters got worse when the opponents were awarded a penalty. Akbar got a hand to the ball, but the strike was powerful enough to hit the back of the net to make it 3-0.

We were looking down, but not out, despite our struggle to get any sort of momentum going. We were performing badly defensively especially. Offensively, Omar and Shafi continually found headway on both flanks, something that I hope will continue to be a part of our attacking approach this season, but we generally failed to find our groove with our passing and hardly threatened the opponents in the final third of the pitch. Nas was also looking lively and got involved actively and found himself with a good chance to reduce the deficit while Ariel Shahril (whom I have been calling 'Shahril S' in this blog) hit the bar with a long range effort as we went into half-time to find ideas to get back in the game.

During the break, with the damage already done, we made our team talk worthwhile with Azman, perhaps our best passer, assigned to supply through passes as part of our main strategy. In a formation more akin to a 4-4-2, Ariel Shahril was deployed upfront alongside Yazier to add aggression. Alim, who initially started in midfield, took up the centreback slot and again did well. Akbar kept the score down with a string of saves as KR continued to dominate and create chances. We did not do our pride any harm with a far better effort as our strategy paid off to a certain extent. Rahman was running his socks off in midfield in our revised formation while Azman, who played the entire match, was gradually wearing himself out to find our players with his passes. The defence was in a much better shape in the second half, perhaps in the knowledge that the result is almost immaterial.

We were threatening sporadically with one such chance saw the GK being forced to make a save after an opponent inexplicably headed Joharie's wonderful cross into his path. We had some half-chances falling to the likes of Rahman and Shahril too. Unfortunately, huffed and puffed as much as we like, and even sustained an injury to Joharie, KR was the stronger and better team. They added a gloss to the scoreline with a wonderful volley midway through to put the result beyond doubt.

Who knows what might have been if I had converted the gilt-edged chance early on? We started with a buzz, perhaps on the back of our memorable victory last week, but the energy level sagged horribly and we were generally poor in all areas today. Our performance definitely improved in the 2nd half though and we would need to sustain the belief that we can play as well on a more consistent basis. To quote Yazier's comment, there are better days to come definitely.

Akim

Match121: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 5 vs Team Tsubasa 2-1 win

2011-04-11T10:03:00.016+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-1
Scorers (assists)
Rafeeq (-)
Azman (-)

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Alim (debut) - Azmi - Farid

Yazier - Kelvin - Yongsheng - Azman - Omar

Nas

Subs:
Ariel Shahril
Joharie
Rahman
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Yio Chu Kang Sec 3pm - Kambing FC continued its mini-revival with an impressive 2-1 win over previously undefeated league leaders Team Tsubasa. We finally have our maiden victory 5 games into this campaign. I again kept goal, while Omar compensated for Helmi's absence. Alim debuted alongside Azmi in the heart of defence and did well. He also proved, to a certain point, his versatility as a rightback. Kelvin reprised his newfound role in central midfield as Huang withdrew on matchday and newly-crowned daddy Rahman had to be content with a place on the bench after suffering sleepless nights in the past few days.

I was looking forward to play a prominent role against a team we can benchmarked ourselves with, so keeping goal was on the back of my mind, but it was a sacrifice for the greater good. The pep talk I gave in the run-up to this game, that we can beat this team, was meant to motivate myself, let alone the team. Instead, I almost gave the team an early meaningless scare a minute in when I fluffed a clearance that ricocheted high off an opponent inside our penalty box. Luckily, the richochet ended in a routine catch.

It was an end-to-end first half with Tsubasa creating the better chances from one-on-one situations and freekicks but I was up to the task. Nas was again cutting a lone figure up front but Omar was a pacy, direct outlet on the left flank.Out of the blue, we scored the opening goal. Rafeeq capitalized on a defensive lapse to score his 2nd league goal of the season. He is certainly making an impact coming off the bench.

Buoyed by the goal, we became more energetic. Having been generally pegged back in the 1st half, we sought to protect our lead by defending and maintaining possession further upfield in the 2nd. The strategy paid off when we won a freekick in a dangerous position. Azman, who came close last week, scored this time, albeit via a deflection, to open his league account.

With a 2-0 lead, we determinedly held on despite conceding freekicks in threatening areas again. I was again called upon to make saves while all our defenders put in crucial tackles, screened by a protective midfield that freshened itself in rotation, and a team effort by our strikers Rafeeq and Nas. Nas and Omar also conjured up some exciting moments, and even Kevin pushed forward once to stab a rare, if skyhigh, shot on goal. A deserved rare clean sheet appeared to be in our grasp but I was finally beaten by the softest of goals from a low freekick. I was flat-footed but I had made a mess of it when the ball slipped just beneath my hands to cut the deficit to 2-1. That set up a tense and nervous finale. We were defending desperately but the prospect of getting all 3 points emboldened us and delight was all around when the referee blew for fulltime.

We have now lost only once in 4 games. The win also snapped an unwanted winless streak that had been dragging from last season. We must not let this victory be a flash in the pan occurrence though and try to maintain this decent form.

Akim

match120: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 4 vs Industmarine Football 1-1 draw

2011-04-07T05:58:00.006+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 1-1
Scorers (assists)
Nas (Fairuz)

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Ariel Shahril - Farid

Fairuz - Yongsheng - Rahman - Azman - Helmi

Nas

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Kelvin
Joharie
Huang

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Siglap Sec 3pm - Kambing FC notched up its 2nd point of the season after battling to a 1-1 draw against familiar foes Industmarine Football. The match ended prematurely after the referee was subject to some unsightly scenes by the opponents and he made the decision to abandon it to our dismay. Nonetheless, on our part, the result was a small step in recovering from the tough lesson taught to us in the last league game. Despite being a familiar foe, IF featured a much-changed line-up of younger players. Our team made some changes from the last game as well, as I kept goal in place of the absent Wilson and the bench featured the return of Firdaus, our popular full-back.

The match was hardly exciting with few chances on goal by either side and apart from the goal I conceded, I did not have much to do. The first half was a scrappy affair for us, as we displayed little fluency with our passing and hardly threatened the opponents in the final third of the field. The opponents were more direct, and it was commendable that our defence again stood up to the test to keep them at bay, and I was not forced into making any save. We knew we were a much better team and the one area of improvement we could have worked on was giving more support to Nas, who cut a literally lone figure up front.

This we did in the second half, and we looked to be the more threatening team this time around. Both teams continued to create few chances on goal. Azman's freekick, destined for the top corner, was turned away superbly by the GK, but it was the spark we needed to bring life into our game. It was perhaps unsurprising that it took a set-piece to break the deadlock. From a corner, the ball fell loose to Fairuz outside the penalty box. With back to goal, he attempted a speculative shot towards goal and Nas was on hand to turn the shot beyond the reach of the off-guard GK to score his first league goal.

Our celebrations abruptly ended after IF equalized minutes later. We attempted to play offside from a set-piece and the long ball was flighted deep into our territory. No one failed to track an opponent who beat the offside trap, and simultaneously, I made an ill-judged decision to win the ball but was caught in no man's land instead. The opponent got to the ball first to send a looping header over me that just crept inside our upright.

The game almost worked in our favour after a controversial moment of the match surrounding the dismissal of an IF player. Farid won the ball fairly following a hard challenge on an opponent on the sidelines, but another opponent followed through with a tackle that caught Farid in the head. The referee had no hesitation to show the red card to him, for what I can only perceive as being for dangerous play. We failed to take advantage of our extra man, but another controversial moment that led to the dismissal of another IF player, would have made matters more interesting. However, the opponents did not react kindly to that decision and play was stopped for a few minutes as we all waited for the player to leave the field but he did not. IF futilely remonstrated with the referee and abuse was subsequently hurled towards him forcing him to call off the game.

Akim

match119: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 3 vs Outsiders FC 0-7 loss

2011-03-29T10:24:00.006+08:00

HT: 0-3 FT: 0-7

Wilson (GK)

Yazier - Andrew - Azmi - Akim

Joharie - Yongsheng - Huang - Azman - Helmi

Nas

Subs:
Farid
Kariim
Kelvin
Rahman

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Macpherson Sec 3pm - One team bothered to show up and it was not us.

On a day when we got our new jerseys too.

Akim

match118: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 2 vs Forza Ze East (FZE) 2-2 draw

2011-03-21T20:18:00.014+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-2
Scorers (assists)
Rafeeq (Helmi)
Akim (Huang)

Wilson (GK)

Kevin - Andrew - Azmi - Farid

Huang - Rahman - Akim - Azman - Helmi

Nas

Subs:
Fairuz
Yongsheng
Kelvin
Joharie
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Tanjong Katong Sec 3pm - In an exciting match played on Tanjong Katong SS, Kambing FC conceded an agonizing last minute goal that secured old foes FZE an unlikely point in a 2-2 draw. It was 2 points lost for us today but the 1 point gained was necessary after last week's opening match loss. Wilson returned in goal that allowed me to push forward in an advanced position in a 4-5-1 formation behind Nas, who was playing his first league game on his second appearance for the team. Rahman also returned to line up alongside Azman in midfield. A healthy-looking bench also gave cause for optimism before the match started.

We started very well to gain initiative on a bumpy ground while FZE, featuring our former star player Muhammad, always looked to hit on a fast break. Our defence magnificently stood firm and organized. We looked dangerous with our own breaks as we continually found space up front but were generally shot-shy in front of goal. We finally took the lead following a neat exchange of passes which saw Yongsheng releasing the ball to Helmi infield. He released it to Rafeeq inside the penalty box, who had just came on for Nas, and kept his cool to beat the GK. It was a tight affair from then on as we grimly held out to protect our slender lead into half-time although Wilson gave a moment of scare when he almost fumbled a routine catch at his goal line.

FZE looked meaner after the break as we were forced back deep in our half. They constantly regained possession from our goal kicks, which had failed to hit beyond the halfway line by the tiring Azmi. After some half-chances without actually hitting on target, FZE finally equalized. A beautiful inswinger down our left flank was met by a first-time volley from an unmarked FZE player at our far post which screamed past Wilson.

To our credit, we regained the lead. Helmi had failed to control Huang's throw in on the right flank. However, having surged forward, I was on hand to pounce on the loose ball on the edge of the penalty box and struck a first-time shot with the outside of my right foot to score. We then continued to create the better chances, relying on quick, and sometimes adventurous, counterattacks. More impressively, we were still defending strongly with sheer discipline. We can also count ourselves unlucky not to extend our lead with FZE throwing a slight caution to the wind with their attacking play. I had another shot that skied just over the bar while Helmi had two shots on target including one which the GK had to scramble to parry. FZE had dangerous chances from at least three freekicks but Wilson was not forced into making a save each time.

In the final minute, with victory in our sights, we conceded a corner which agonizingly led to FZE's equalizer. Wilson, who had done nothing wrong so far in this half, could only gasped in horror with the rest of the team when he dropped the ball from the cross. Singapore Idol and FZE's Hady Mirza scrambled the ball home to raucous and perhaps, relieved delight of the FZE faithful and the referee blew for fulltime shortly after.

Notwithstanding the incredible drama at the end, our overall performance was in some ways, a major improvement to that from last week. We showed more spirit and desire to compete and we need to keep it up and improve even more. Our defending from the front was also commendable and we put in a lot of physical challenges exemplified especially by Andrew, who was probably lucky to escape a caution with persistent fouling, but was arguably our man of the match together with Helmi, who was the main threat out wide for us. Now, we need to be consistent and showed the same commitment and desire in the last match to propel the team forward as we have shown for sure, that we can compete in this division if we want to. Over to you, guys.

Akim

match117: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 6 Division 2 match 1 vs Outsiders FC 1-4 loss

2011-03-16T01:40:00.007+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 1-4
Scorers (assists)
Fairuz (Omar)
Yellow card
Azman

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Azmi - Idris - Fairuz

Andrew

Yazier - Azman - Helmi - Farhan

Ariel Shahril

Subs:
Farid
Omar
Kelvin
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Marsiling Sec 3pm - Having been promoted to division 2 without prior consultation, Kambing FC decided to take on the challenge anyway. We began that challenge with an abysmal 1-4 loss against newly-multi-promoted team, Outsiders FC, in an afternoon match played on Marsiling Sec artificial pitch.

An AWOL absentee allowed late replacement Shahril a starting striker berth up front. Wilson ruled himself out, so I filled in yet again as GK. Andrew was experimented in DM as I gambled on holding out for our first point(s) of the season. Defensive calamities were our undoing yet again while Outsiders FC converted their chances.

They took the lead early on. A through pass beat our offside trap and the striker shrugged off our defence to beat me at my near post in a near one-v-one situation. They doubled their lead shortly after when our defence failed to clear a high ball just outside the penalty box. The opponent pounced on the loose ball to strike from close range. We have to cut out that defensive lapse as it was the umpteenth time we had a conceded a goal that easily.

We had an opportunity to reduce the deficit following a super buildup of passing from defence, but Omar's shot, our first on target, failed to test the GK. We showed just then what we were capable of if we are patient enough to pass the ball. However, almost immediately after the restart, we were 3-0 down. Our earlier 'moment' belied our naivety and we had lost possession far too easily. The swift counterattack caused mayhem right in our penalty box. The same striker finished superbly from an acute angle to beat me at the far post.

We pulled a goal back through Fairuz. Shahril, playing in defence for this half, played a pinpoint ball to Omar, who did the same to lay off into the path of Fairuz. Fairuz surged forward to strike a powerful left-footed drive into the net. Fairuz, perhaps our most impressive player today, could have made the game interesting had he converted another effort but the GK, having ceded possession needlessly prior to that, saved brilliantly.

Sensing complacency within their ranks, Outsiders FC struck the bar once and I was forced into action twice to save on my goal-line. But they finally closed out the game to make it 4-1. Kevin was outjumped by his taller opponent following a challenge for a loose aerial ball in our box, and the player made no mistake from a good position.

We have had trouble with tall opponents whenever we played and this was another such game. But, given the size of the pitch, we were able to produce good spells in passing along the ground.

Defensive errors, for the 1st goal, when our midfield did not close down the initial pass, and again, failure to clear the ball just outside our box for the 2nd, meant we had an uphill task thereafter.

I was not pleased by some insipid displays after that, be it fatigue or otherwise, but the fighting spirit we normally displayed was somewhat muted, especially in the 2nd half. We have plenty of work ahead of us and we have to buck up if we do not want to be the whipping boys in this division.

Akim

match116: 27 February 11 vs. Team BI (green) @ Bedok Green Sec 1-6 loss

2011-03-01T08:18:00.007+08:00

HT: 0-3 FT: 1-6
Scorers (assists)
Rafeeq (Akim)

Akim (GK)

Farid - Andrew - Azmi - Kevin

Omar - Rahman - Azman - Huang

Rafeeq - Khidir

Subs:
Yazier

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

It is a week to go before our 4th season in D2D league. Our pre-season preparations were hampered though when we found out our opponents were the top-flight division champions. A surprising poor attendance, in my opinion anyway, plus the absence of yet another GK, failed to dampen team spirit as we took to the pitch against our established opposition on the wonderful, if small, artificial Bedok Green Sec pitch.

Not surprisingly, Team BI dominated possession. A couple of tame shots in the opening minutes was a precursor of things to come. For about 30 minutes, we repelled the attacks with a brave defensive team display and my relatively safe handling in goal. That did not frustrate a patient team, who must have been in this position before.

Mental concentration, especially in defence, will be key to our league season (it seems we are promoted to Div 2) and our first real lapse led to the opening goal. Yet again, we gave the ball away in a crucial area right outside our penalty box. The defence was all at sea and I was finally beaten by a well-drilled low shot across goal at the far post.

They doubled their lead with a more impressive effort; a thunderbolt from long-range. The lead was tripled after a well-worked passage of play allowed the opponent time and space to cross the ball to an unmarked player who headed into a virtually empty net. 0-3 at half-time.

With the pressure of getting a result out of the way, we became more adventurous after the restart and the move paid dividends resulting in at least 4 clear-cut chances on goal, one of which resulted in our sole goal.

The opponents scored their 4th goal in the midst but Rafeeq's wonderful consolation goal drew huge roars of approval. It was the same combination from last week's goal after I played a through pass to Rafeeq. Lacking in pace, he made up for it with a speed of thought to catch the opponents off-guard and lobbed over the GK from long range. The opponents were still hungry to score two more goals to win convincingly.

We can take heart from our performance in a tough footballing lesson. We struggled to conjure up attacking moves of our own as our long punts were easily handled by their taller defensive backline while our inferior passing ability also showed. Yet, for the first 30 minutes or so, we showed heart and fight to hold the opponents to a 0-0 stalemate until that defensive lapse and managed to create some decent chances in attack especially from set-pieces.

With a surprising promotion on the cards, coupled with the frustrating multiple demotion of at least one team (echoing the pattern of another team that did so), we definitely need to show the same bite if we want to avoid relegation.

ps: still scouting around for a regular GK. Tks

Akim

match115: 20 February 11 vs. unknown team (yellow) @ Hougang St 21 field 2-4 loss

2011-02-22T06:19:00.002+08:00

HT: 1-1 FT: 2-4
Scorers (assists)
Fairuz (-)
Rafeeq (Akim)

Akim (GK)

Shahril - Idris (debut) - Azmi - Salleh

Fairuz - Rahman - Azman - Farhan

Huang - Nas

Subs:
Yazier
Helmi
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Akim

match114: 13 February 11 vs. Joel's team (yellow) @ Yio Chu Kang Sec 1-1 draw

2011-02-14T21:17:00.006+08:00

HT: 0-1 FT: 1-1
Scorers (assists)
Nas (-)

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Rashid - Azmi - Farid

Fairuz - Rahman - Azman - Helmi

Huang - Nas (debut)

Subs:
Khidir (debut)
Fairuz "Li" (debut)
Shahril
Imran
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC began its pre-season preparations with an afternoon friendly played at Yio Chu Kang Sec. A host of regular players sprinkled with 3 debutants meant a healthy turnout as we seek to build our fitness for our 4th season in D2D league.

We started well enough in a tentative opening but the opponents had the first shot on goal from a counterattack, though it was a feeble attempt. Minutes later, the opponents took the lead following a lapse deep in our defence. The ball was cleared only outside our box and a through pass caught the defence flat-footed and I was beaten in the one-on-one situation.

The match saw little goalmouth action from then on but it continued to be an entertaining encounter. Fairuz was our main threat out wide to supply crosses, which we would look to build on as our season progresses. The opponents had their best chances from set-pieces as we gave away possession far too cheaply in dangerous areas, but we were not punished as we went into the break 0-1.

We started the 2nd half in the best possible way, with our fastest ever goal from such a situation, to draw level straight after kick-off. Nas, impressive in bursts on his debut, conjured a magical run to take on the entire defence en route to goal and maintained his composure to score.

The opponents was content to let us take initiative and we did. Helmi was our main man out wide this time as Fairuz took a breather. However, the entertaining match continued to produce little goalmouth action.

There was some drama when we appeared to have scored the winner. Huang, having made a penetrating run down the right flank, produced a low cross across goal which ricocheted off a defender towards goal and over the goal line despite the Gk's save beyond it. The referee refused to award the obvious goal.

As fitness took its toll, the game became open, and we were living on the edge at times. There was almost an undeserved twist at the end when the opponents squandered back-to-back chances to score but the referee eventually blew for full-time.

Spirits are high and we are looking forward to the new season. For now, we continue to build our fitness and gather momentum towards it.

Akim

match 113: D2D Sunday League Cup Round of 32 vs Kentridge Rangers 1-3 loss

2010-12-13T12:11:00.007+08:00

HT: 1-1 FT: 1-3
Scorers (assists)
Omar (Azmi)
Man of the Match
Omar

Wilson (GK)

Fairuz - Salleh - Azmi - Daniel (debut)

Shafi - Akim - Huang - Omar

Farhan - Ariel Shahril

Subs:
Kevin
Fazli
Ken
Andy (debut)
Kamarul

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

In an evening game played at Tanglin Sec, Kambing FC were knocked out by Division 3 leaders Kentridge Rangers, in a round-of-32 match of the D2D Cup. We did well to finish mid-table in an inconsistent league campaign, and were looking forward to a decent cup run. Instead, we were handed a tough fixture. Still, there were, yet again, plenty of positives to take away from this loss and I feel rejuvenated to lead the team into next season.

Ariel Shahril, who impressed on his debut last week, started the match with Farhan in attack. Daniel made his debut in the starting line-up. Otherwise, it was a familiar team that started the match. On the bench, Kamarul, who debuted with Shahril s, was a welcome sight, Ken returned after a long absence, and Andy was poised to make his debut too. Long-time players Fazli and Kevin rounded up the rest of the bench.

We got off to a fantastic start early on when Omar scored to give us the lead. Azmi's freekick on the halfway line found Omar in space on the left flank. Our wingman maintained his composure to elude his defender with a feint and a twist, to dribble his way into the penalty box. Once inside, he looked up at goal and scored with an exquisite finish, to end his magical individual play, into the far corner of the goal.

Kentridge Rangers did not panic as we gave them plenty of possession of the ball. We defended assuredly at times but struggled to retain possession. Our opponents soon found chinks in our armour and adopted a gameplan to stretch both our flanks and played crossfield passes from midfield behind our two fullbacks. Fairuz and Daniel found it tough to cope with those passes as their wide midfielders constantly found themselves with time and space. They utilized these to full effect with a variety of tactical options to dribble their way or cross the ball into our penalty box.

One such occasion led to the equalizer. A counter-attack led to another crossfield pass to the right flank. The opponent drilled in a low cross-cum-shot towards Wilson, who could only fumbled the ball in front of him. An incoming team-mate pounced onto the loose ball to scramble home the equalizer.

Kamarul, who came on for Shahrul early on, came close with a long-range effort that just skied over the bar. Wilson was then being forced to call into action as KR continued to keep up the pressure. He fumbled another low cross but reacted quickly to grab the loose ball, and later made a fantastic save from the opponent left midfielder, who had moments earlier slalomed his way through with a dribble. Failing to deal with those solo dribbles was one of the more prominent weaknesses in our team.

The half-time break provided reprieve from the growing discomfort caused by KR's confident performance in the first half. We made numerous tactical changes, with Shahril s slotting in alongside Azmi in the heart of defence, with Salleh and Kevin deployed at right-back and left-back. Andy, who came on in the first half to assist Huang to minimize the damage in midfield, retained the destroyer role while Fazli and Ken took the right mid and left mid slots. Kamarul and I led the attack.

This team that began the second half was a different animal from the relatively tame creature we had put out in the first. We dominated from the restart and played our best football in the match.

Kamarul and I linked up often to show signs of a promising partnership and one such link-up play almost led us to regain the lead. I latched onto a long pass from Shahril s, and played it first-time towards the penalty box into the path of Kamarul, who had surged from midfield. Kamarul opted not to shoot first-time, and the opportunity was gone when he lost control of the ball after rounding the GK.

We continued to keep up the pressure as the midfield quartet of Fazli, Ken, Andy and Huang became an influential core of our team's performance, such that our defence was untroubled and Wilson was picking on the opponents loose long punts. Shahril s gave us a tenacious and commanding element with some committed tackles. Ken was very lively and although he disappointed with the final pass, he showed glimpses of his potential. Fazli's delivery, on the other hand, gave us some opportunities to sustain our strangehold in and around the opponents' penalty box.

It seems as though we were the more likely team to break the deadlock, and it was heard that the KR players were telling themselves to snatch control of the game. It was disappointing then, when against the run of play, they took the lead from their first chance in the half. We lost possession in midfield and KR launched a counter-attack and switched play to the right flank. The opponent supplied a perfect delivery for his team-mate who scored with a header that gave Wilson no chance.

The balance of play was slowly shifting away towards a more neutral level as KR finally got their game going, even as our performance level were starting to dip. We saw plenty of the ball in KR's half, but could not create meaningful chances. Wilson and co. kept us in the game as Wilson was forced to call into action more often as the game wore on. I cannot fault the commitment of the team, which was exemplified by Azmi's tackle on one occasion, and at only 1-2 down, we still had time to salvage a result, with Farhan, Shafi, Omar, Fairuz and Daniel all coming on to make way for tiring legs.

Ultimately, KR secured their passage into the round of 16 with the decisive goal. We again did not deal with an opponent dribble, who surged from midfield towards our penalty box past a couple of our players. As he drove a low, stiff shot, it seems Wilson had made a fantastic save but the ball cruelly bounced over into an empty net.

Another season ends without silverware after this cup tie defeat. It has been a frustrating stop-start season, especially in the league, but I hope our performance in this last game can spur the team forward in a new campaign with an expected fresh start all around.

Akim

match112: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 14 vs Redbacks 2-2 draw

2010-12-06T08:12:00.006+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-2
Scorers (assists)
Nathaniel (Helmi)
Nathaniel (Rey)
Man of the Match
Nathaniel

Akim (GK)

Kevin - Hilmann - Ben (debut) - Farid

Liyong (debut) - Helmi - Huang - Nathaniel (debut)

Yongsheng - Rey (debut)

Subs:
Azmi
Rahman
Joharie
Kamarul (debut)
Ariel Shahril (debut)
Rafeeq
Sham

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Akim

match111: 7 November 10 vs. unknown opponents (blue) @ Woodlands Sec 2-2 draw

2010-11-07T21:12:00.000+08:00

HT: 0-1 FT: 2-2
Scorers (assists)
Akim (Shahreen)
Fazli (-)
Man Of The Match
the entire team played well but Huang, Weilun, Azmi and Fairuz caught the eye

Wilson (GK)

Edmund - Weilun - Azmi - Fazli

Kevin - Huang - Azman - Fairuz

Akim - Rafeeq

Subs:
Bay
Shahreen

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC played a friendly game after a week's break and I was delighted with the performance of a slightly revamped team. We could have even won the game had it not been for an unlucky ricochet in the dying minutes of the match. Edmund returned to the line-up after a long absence and Weilun was a debutant in central defence. Apart from that, the team had a familiar set-up. It certainly helped that we were playing against a team that we can pit ourselves on a more level playing ground.

Azmi and Weilun made an instant impressive partnership even though we did suffer jittery moments as the opponents pressed hard in both halves. We also may have lack in skills and technical ability but we made up for it with a spirited and determined performance. A one-nil deficit at half-time, when the opponents broke through almost casually on our left side of defence and finished well by the opponent, was a fair reflection of how the game had gone. We looked shaky and struggled to retain possession and maintained our composure to a decent degree, which would have been punished by better teams. Still, we managed to push forward to launch our own attacks. Azman first, and Shahreen later, assisted to link the play while Huang, while still trying to find his bearings, managed to screen our defence. Fairuz was also a constant outlet on both flanks. Even Kevin was a decent threat on the right flank for a period in the first half.

We amended the formation for the second half and it paid off, as Azman, Shahreen and Huang featured in midfield. Shahreen was clearly a stabilising effect while Azman linked up well with him. Huang had finally found his bearings and was superb in that anchor position to protect our defence. We absorbed some pressure after the restart but finally found a good rhythm when going forward. I should have done better after Shahreen played a wonderful lobbed through pass but I failed to get the decisive touch. Following a well-worked build-up, Fairuz then saw his stunning first-time left-footed volley outside saved well by the GK. I made amends for my earlier miss when I scored a header from Shahreen's corner to draw the score level.

Fazli had a left-footed shot easily saved. I again failed to get the decisive touch, that will have seen us taking the lead, from another lobbed through pass set up by Rafeeq's immaculate first-time pass. We had a secret weapon in our hands though, when we took the lead from Fazli's famed long throw. At least two opponents got a touch from his throw, which deceived the GK at his near post.

We attempted to adopt a cautious approach to protect our lead and it looked to be working as Weilun and Azmi led the defence by example. When going forward, we kept possession of the ball well. The opponents continued to press us and after some threatening shots and chances, they equalized from a cruelest of ricochet as Azmi's attempted clearance could only strike an opponent's legs that beat Bay, who was a replacement for Wilson in the last quarter of the match, at his near post. In a potentially interesting twist, Wilson rose highest to meet Fazli's corner but his header went well wide in what was the last action of the match.

There was a sense of fresh air from the team today. It is not so much that we are turning a corner, but the spirit felt right and the determination was plain to see. Our fitness was tested to the limit, and our technical ability and composure is something we can improve. On the whole, a draw was perhaps justified but I was pleased with how we responded to what I feel was a debacle in our prior last two games. We have one last league game to play, which is suffering a poor stop-start end due to a variety of reasons, but I hope our performance this past game can be something for the team to build on for a fresh campaign. It is still early for optimism.

Akim

match110: 24 October 10 vs. unknown opponents (red) @ Bedok South Sec 1-5 loss

2010-10-25T07:28:00.002+08:00

HT: 1-2 FT: 1-5
Scorers (assists)
Farhan (Kelvin)
Man Of The Match
Fazli - superb interceptions and tackles

Akim (GK)

Firdaus Masdar - Fazli - Din (debut) - Azman (debut)

Kelvin - Shahreen - Helmi - Farhan

Sasi (debut) - Rafeeq

Subs:
Wilson (GK)
Salleh
Azmi
Rahman

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

match109: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 13 vs Kentridge Rangers 1-5 loss

2010-10-18T07:26:00.007+08:00

HT: 0-1 FT: 1-5
Scorers (assists)
Akim (pen)
Man of the Match
Akim (3)
Helmi (2)
Shafi (1)
Huang (1)
Azmi (1)
Wilson (1)
Yellow card:
Shahril (2nd half)

Wilson (GK)

Fazli - Shahril - Azmi - Farid

Fairuz - Azman - Akim - Shafi

Kelvin - Omar

Subs:
Karim
Andrew
Helmi
Huang

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

We suffered our worst defeat of the season but it was as much that the battle was lost off the pitch as well as on it. We remained mid-table but a string of poor results are threatening to spiral us into obscurity. I must emphasize again that the main purpose of this team is to provide a platform for us to enjoy a game playing with our friends. However, in a competition, there must be a step-up to the mentality that we are here to provide a stern test not only for the opponents we are playing against, but also for ourselves too.

We held our own for a period in the first half, with Kelvin perhaps having the best chance to score, but we found ourselves up against a team clearly intent on pushing for the title. A starting eleven was shuffled in the opening minutes to suit the players who had just arrived, and we found our feet but constantly had our backs to the opponents' goal. We finally caved in from a swift counter-attack that led to the opening goal. A long punt upfield from their penalty box caused mayhem when Azmi felt to deal with it outside our area. As Wilson came off his line, the striker lobbed a shot over our GK into an empty net.

The opponents did not back off and continued to find space as we struggled to retain possession. The referee was then at the centre of controversy when Shahril was fouled with a late tackle that caught him at his ankle. The referee awarded the freekick but surprisingly failed to produce the first card of the match. When he admitted at half-time it was a late tackle, it was all the more a bizarre decision, or a non-decision.

Games are not decided by cautions, certainly, but the momentum of the match may have swung with that decision as Shahril was proving to be a value-added option at right-back and the tackle abruptly forced his early departure. Wilson, continuing his excellent shot-stopping form from last week, kept us in the game with another string of saves. Our attacking play was generally toothless though, and we failed to really test the GK. A 1-0 deficit at half-time gave us hopes for the 2nd period, even as the two no-shows still had not turned up.

The result of the match was perhaps decided early after the restart when Kentridge Rangers doubled their lead. Their midfielder was afforded a free solo run towards our penalty box, as he dribbled unchallenged past at least three players. He unselfishly cut back a pass for his team-mate who finished the move with a cool finish.

There was not much for us to offer except to go for the jugular. We can encourage ourselves but we knew we were facing a team that was assured and in control.

Wilson continued to keep the score down. Shahril recovered to replace a visibly tiring Azman in midfield but was involved in the defensive lapse that saw the opponents scored their 3rd goal. That opened up the floodgates and we still had yet to gel properly as a team. Omar and Helmi, and later on Shafi, were otherwise the bright sparks offensively but we were often closed down at the halfway pitch and were scambling to defend ourselves from the ensuing counter-attacks. We had a freekick that was saved by the GK but we again failed to test the GK.

Shahril was also involved with a round of determined tackles, as I opted to try him out to cope with the problematic defensive midfield position but when he was shown a yellow card, not for any one particular tackle, but for instead, hurling vulgarities that were not intended to offend anyone in particular, he was prematurely withdrawn again as tempers threatened to flare.

The opponents scored two more goals late on in the match and despite being awarded a penalty, which I converted, there was no joy from a game that spiralled out of our control even before the match began.

I am no tactician guru but unfortunately, two no-shows and the lack of punctuality, despite it being a late evening game, meant we started and ended the game for all the wrong reasons when a more suitable first eleven had presented itself prior to kick-off. I still do not know why there are two no-shows nor the reasons for the lack of punctuality but I feel I am again being taken for granted. The reminders that I sent a day before, the fact it was a late kick-off, and the basic courtesy I treat the players as adults, is not reciprocated. Not forgetting that for most of us, a soccer game comes only once a week, three hours top. I appreciate those who do made the efforts and, basic courtesy aside, have given me due respect too.

I have been through this course before. It was the same in the previous two seasons we have competed in this league. I am disappointed that a season that started so well had to end as badly as it did, notwithstanding the last game and the fasting month during the season. I am even more disappointed, upset even, that a man's word cannot be taken seriously anymore.

Even as a change is in the winds, perhaps not as subtly felt for now, or in the immediate future, I am sure a change is necessary nevertheless. I have done my part, at times stretching both my patience and panic level, and I feel the time is right for me to step down as the manager, and at times, the leader, as loosely and as hollow as it sounds.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-10-14T09:40:00.001+08:00

Sunday 17 Oct
Kambing FC vs Kentridge Rangers @ Bendemeer Sec @ 5 pm
HUAT FC vs Unido FC
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Osiris FC

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match108: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 12 vs Forza Ze East (FZE) 1-4 loss

2010-10-11T07:05:00.000+08:00

HT: 1-2 FT: 1-4
Scorers (assists)
Akim (Helmi)
Man of the Match
Akim (7) - scored the goal
Wilson (2) - made a few fantastic saves
Fairuz (1) - many overlapping runs
Helmi (1)
Huang (1)
Shahreen (1)

Wilson (GK)

Fairuz - Azmi - Calvin - Bay

Shafi - Akim - Shahreen - Huang

Helmi - Azman

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Kevin
Farid
Karim

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC spurned yet another chance to close the gap at the top of the table after losing 1-4 to title contenders FZE. The scoreline only told a part of the story in a match that resembles a training session, which saw both teams paced themselves well to last the match. Ultimately, FZE's seasoned experience, better passing, clinical offence and decisive defence showed why they are the superior team.

It could have been different though, when a blitz display of attacking football straight from kick-off, led to Azman's left-footed volley crashing against the crossbar instead of underneath it. An early lead for us would have done wonders for our confidence, especially after both teams then adopted a safety-first approach.

Despite the style of play, the match was anything but dull. Both teams took turns to keep possession in our respective halves before forging forward in search of a goal. FZE looked shaken after the early scare, but overcame it well. They were probing for weaknesses in our defence and they finally found the key to unlock it, by the one man in midfield who led the show. He was assisted superbly by his team-mates, but he was decidedly the extra, creative edge, which we failed to contain as the match wore on.

FZE took the lead after we failed to clear the ball decisively in our box. It was a poor goal to concede especially as we had started the match well. We did not let the goal affect us and I was almost through on goal after another great build-up that began from defence. However, I lost my footing at the crucial moment.

I will not be denied later when I scored the fully-deserved equalizer. The goal again started from defence. Kevin ran forward with the ball on the right flank, and played in Fairuz, who in turn cleverly played Helmi through inside the penalty box. I surged forward to support and Helmi's pass was immaculate as I took it past the defender to score from close range.

Wilson was then a key player in goal and was reliable when called upon. Azmi also showed total commitment with a well-timed tackle. However, we defended poorly for the goal which saw FZE's regained their lead. The play was switched from their left flank to the right deep in our half. Their striker, who was doing a fine job at holding up the ball as a lone stiker, received the ball on the edge of our box. He played through his team-mate with a deft touch, whom we failed to track his run, and his finish was a sublime touch towards the far post.

As the first half drew to a close, we were still passing the ball well and Helmi came close to scoring. The game was still in the balance at half-time with only a 1-2 deficit.

The second half started similarly the way the match panned out in the first. However, we were perhaps too eager and fatigue crept in as we went on the offensive perhaps far too early. Karim, starting as lone striker which saw a midfield reshuffle in a bid to shut down theirs, had a couple of chances including a shot that went wide.

The bravado display did not pay off as FZE extended their lead to 3-1 after another switch of play from left to right. The shot that came was kept out but the rebound fell nicely for his team-mate.

We then lost our shape and tactical discipline, myself being guilty of it despite our half-time talk, as we rushed and became impatient. Our midfield was being overrun despite the extra man, and losing the ball too easily did not help our cause. We still had a lot of the ball at our feet but one of the differences was that FZE was passing it better to devastating effect.

As we called for calm and patience, we cleared our heads and I knew if we could pull a goal back, the game was in for a grandstand finish. Wilson was keeping us in the game with a series of excellent saves and the crossbar saved us once too. Our 2nd goal almost came when, after a string of passes, we found ourselves in the final third. The opponents were outnumbered at this point, and Shafi played a fine pass for me, which I dummied for Karim to receive. Karim was unable to make it count however, despite having a clear route on goal. On hindsight, I had a clear route too.

That was about the closest we can get as FZE scored their 4th goal to seal all three points. Unsurprisingly, it was perhaps the cream of the crop as their star player made the difference in the lead-up to that goal. He had been conjuring up the tricks and flicks in the closing stages and I was expecting another when I kept him facing away with the ball from our goal. My anticipation was undone with his faster speed of thought as he bamboozled me with a nutmeg and suddenly was turning away towards goal. He nutmegged a covering Huang and when his chipped cross came in, his team-mate headed it over Wilson into goal.

The scoreline was a little cruel but not flattering for FZE. The match saw both teams taking turns to fashion something special, and we showed, especially in the first half, that we can play with the very best. Azman's effort in the opening minute was preceded by an excellent build-up as was my goal. Now, we must do it consistently. Our fitness was called into question in the second half as we got ourselves fatigued collectively and the lack of midfield cover was a cause for concern. I believe, though, if we kept the ball better, as we did in the first half, there is nothing the opponent can do about it. We must then translate that into creating better chances than the half-chances we had.

At least, we paced ourselves to not only stay in the game but kept on conjuring those same chances too. There is also still the matter of off-the-ball movements to provide options for your team-mates. We can still improve on this. Credit is given to FZE where it is due but overall, I was pleased with the team's effort in what may seemed to be another weakened line-up. Two games remained in the league and I hope for an impressive end to the season notwithstanding the cup tournament.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-10-07T17:39:00.001+08:00

Sunday 10 Oct
Kambing FC vs Forza Ze East (FZE) @ Bedok North Sec @ 3 pm
Redbacks FC vs Osiris FC
Unido FC vs Kentridge Rangers

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3, D2D Sun Cup

2010-09-29T11:30:00.003+08:00

Sunday 3 Oct
Kambing FC - no league game - friendly match @ Yio Chu Kang Sec @ 3 pm
Unido FC vs Redbacks FC

Preview
Our team in D2D league

D2D Sun Cup

Originally posted here

1st round
FC GENESIS vs Flamboyant Esperados
Inglourious CF vs Cochise Kings
Vipers Social vs Outsiders FC
Fat Uncle United vs Villagers FC
Global FA vs Macsters FT
S.S.vs Ultras
Luchaz Locos vs Ishkawa FC
Sarcofago vs AC Team
Woodland Vista FC vs HUAT FC

Matchday squad
GK
Wilson
Bay
Danial

Def
2. Firdaus Masdar
3. Andrew
4. Azmi
5. Shahril
6. Fazli

Mid
7. Akim
8. Rahman
9. Azman
10. Azhari
11. Omar
12. Kelvin
13. Shafi
14. Helmi

Att
15. Huang
16. Rafeeq
17. Farhan
18. Joharie

Standby

Farid (d) - exams
Yazier (d)
Mubarak (d)
Rashid (d) - NS
Calvin (d)
Kevin (d)
Fazli (d) - another Fazli still waiting to feature in his 2nd game
Amin (d) - tall Amin
Zaki (d)
Fairuz (d)

Karim (m)
Amin (m) - speedy winger
Shiva (m)

Imran (s) - NS
Syafiq (s)
Syaifudean (s) - injured
Khairi (s)
Khairul (s)

Akim

match107: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 11 vs HUAT FC 2-1 win

2010-09-27T02:48:00.006+08:00

HT: 2-0 FT: 2-1
Scorers (assists)
Helmi (Kelvin)
Omar (Akim)
Man of the Match
Omar (5) - well-taken goal and was a consistent outlet for the team
Helmi (4)
Andrew (2)
Akim
Rahman - constant screaming and shouting helped us achieve a crucial win

Wilson (GK)

Yazier - Akim - Fazli - Fairuz

Shafi - Huang - Rahman - Omar

Helmi - Kelvin

Subs:
Andrew

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

I couldnt help but feel saddened by the results we have gotten in our last few matches so far despite it being forgivable due to the team being subject to very testing circumstances in those few matches. We could have scraped in a result here and there during Ramadan and we did come close to emerging victorious in some games had we made the extra effort that we have been putting in in most of our games for which again i must say, in the context of the circumstances we face, would require a superhuman mental strength and effort in all of us. I accept that we had done our best then, and though a bit disheartening to have come out 2nd best I can sleep soundly knowing that we had done all we can.

Fast Forward to yesterday - our first match since the league reopens (for us anyway) after Hari Raya - where we face a familiar opponent in Huat FC where head-to-head records show nothing in our favour. Its time for many of us (including some of our Chinese brothers in the team) to get rid of the Lontongs, Lodehs and all that kinda stuff OUT OF OUR SYSTEM. School, Work and Hari Raya commitments made me rather ill-prepared coming to the game and with the scare of a diarrhea attack an hour before the match, i was having my doubts.

We welcome back a few players back in the team, and I was looking forward to this match like any other. Huat FC started with 9 men initially and that they were under-strengthed was evident when we controlled the game comfortably in the first half. Their 10th player came in a few minutes later, but still Huat FC was reeling back from their own wayward passes and utter disorganisation. A swift counterattack saw Kelvin laying off a pass to Helmi on the edge of the box before Helmi executed a lovely strike aimed for the top right corner of the goal that had just enough weight to maintain course despite the interception from the gloves of the opposing keeper.

Huat FC later responded to the goal by showing more aggression with their 11th player just entering the field and they managed in a few shots at goal, but good defending on our side led to their mostly uneventful possession. Huat’s lack of organisation showed in the manner we scored our second when Omar was left free to exploit our left passage leaving the two Huat on-rushing defenders for dead before coolly slotting home the ball to the keeper’s left. We were cruising.

There was one incident later on in the half where the Huat captain, Wesley brushed me off with both his arms to dispossess me. In honest truth, it wasnt malicious, and would not be the sort of challenges i would call on for a foul if I were to be ref, but the past few matches where i was being penalised for every challenge similar to that even though tamer but it got me insinuated for a moment that the foul wasnt called. I responded with another robust challenge that yet again the referee called for. Shortly after, the whistle was blown for half time and that deprived me from another chance to embarrass myself.

2nd half was another nightmare for the team. We were obviously slacking off. Our passing was not the greatest and it looks like we were going to concede another silly goal. I was so sure i would have put my last dollar on it. That we did it later on was no surprise, when premature calls for Wilson to clear his line and deal with a long punt got him in no man’s land as the ball swerved away from him, before being lobbed into goal. 2-1 and though there were claims of offside by our defence, i think we deserved to concede and that there were NO EXCUSES. I could feel the deja vu where we let the game slip away from us, and I was more determined than ever not to let that happen. No way Jose, not on my watch at least.

I was getting real sick of our complaining attitude. If you want the win, work for it guys. No one is going to serve it to us on a silver platter. As a defender you have to get your task clear- That is to prevent the success of opponent’s attacks. You dont ever complain of a teammate’s poor pass, stop in your tracks and give up focus on the game, look away and complain. At least not while the game is still in play and there is imminent danger that the opponent might take the opportunity to rape our defence. You track back and do priority number 1 - That is, to prevent the success of opponent’s attacks.

I dont think I am the most vocal player on the pitch most times, but when push comes to shove, I will let my ‘feelings’ known there and then, on the pitch. We still have the half ahead of us and lets just focus on whatever shall we do with it. I tried my very best within my own very limited capability to walk my talk, and I know i couldnt do it alone. I needed the team to be support my motives and i was glad that for whatever reason that could be given on the pitch we slowly came together to fight off the Huat advances as a more effective unit. We were taking the game back to them, and gave them a few scares especiall so when the ever so quick and dynamic Huang wiggled away from the Huat backline to smash the ball against the frame of the post. It could have killed the game for us, but it didnt, so Huat pressured us and responded with two shots against the frame of the post in the few moments whenever we gave them a line of sight to our goal.

Huat was piling up the pressure to get their equaliser, but a spirited display of defending got us in the end to where we wanted to be. Wilson got a good hand to keep out a last minute goal opportunity, and was brave to get down and claim loose balls in the heart of goal before someone manages to knock in, accidentally or not, the ball into our goal. We had won our first game since our three Ramadan defeats, and it seems like we have broken the Kambing tradition of losing our Hari Raya games. Just know that we were lucky and that the referee had been kind to us. But then, it is our job to let refereeing decisions be the least of our concerns. We need to do our part for the win.

Rahman

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-09-21T14:45:00.000+08:00

Sunday 26 Sep
HUAT FC vs Kambing FC - Clementi Woods Sec @ 3pm
Unido FC vs Osiris FC
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Team Tsubasa
Kentridge Rangers vs Redbacks FC

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match106: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 10 vs Osiris FC 1-4 loss

2010-09-06T20:50:00.000+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 1-4
Scorers (assists)
Farhan (pen)
Man Of The Match
Akim (6)
Salleh (5) - solid rightback and excellent when overlapping
Shahril (2)
Farhan (2)
Danial (1)
Azman (1)

Danial (GK)

Salleh - Shahril - Azmi - Firdaus Masdar

Kelvin - Azman - Akim - Shafi

Farhan - Huang

Subs:
Andrew
Bay
Karim
Joharie
Helmi
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC suffered its 3rd consecutive defeat on a match played at Seng Kang Secondary. It was a marked improvement from the defeat last week as we dominated the game from the start, and did not shy away to take the game to the opponents. Thus, the scoreline was an unfair reflection of our performance.

We did everything right except score a goal in the first half. We utilized both flanks to good effect as both Shafi and Kelvin enjoyed their attacking forays, with Salleh, making his first start for the team, excelling at right back and provided an extra dimension. Huang, who has been a versatile, utility player recently, impressed with his back-to-goal display as the main striker and Farhan was a constant link in his supporting striker role. Our defence was relatively untroubled from the sporadic opponent counterattacks that led to some physical battles and tussles for the ball. Danial, returning in goal after a long absence, comfortably dealt with the odd loose balls.

I had an early stab at goal from a corner, while Farhan's header from Kelvin's cross was not wide of the mark and Huang could not react to a loose ball in the goalmouth area. The opponent GK did not have to make that many saves but we continued to threaten, although we were wayward at times with our passes, especially in midfield, which continued in the second half. We were playing perhaps our best first half football but had no goals to show for it.

I will take the blame for the team selection for the start of the second half, which snuffed out some of the bite and menace that we had shown in the first half. Karim, on as a substitute and also returning from a long absence, showed he still has plenty of room for improvement. While he has plenty of pace, he must learn to use the ball effectively. He is still a young player though, and has plenty of time on his side. Bay, one of our GKs up till now, made his first outfield appearance for the team at left-back. His inexperience showed but he also showed glimpses of potential and added balance to the team as a left-legged player. Apart from that, other than Salleh who replaced Azman in midfield, we had a regular team for the start of the second half.

We were not unduly weakened and retained possession long enough to launch decent attacking moves. We let ourselves down in the final third, however, where the attack fizzled out too quickly as we failed to crank the pressure up there.

The opponents started to come into their own. Danial made his first crucial save of the game early in the second half, palming away a likely goal. Against the run of play, they took an undeserved lead after a good build-up led to an attack down the right flank. While the cross was whipped in well into the danger area, there was a suspicion of offside when the scorer came behind our defence to head in past Danial. In spite of that, we could and should have defended that cross better.

We almost quickly equalized when Helmi's freekick struck the crossbar and with their defence all at sea, the ball almost dropped for either Azmi and Andrew to tap in from close range. Unfortunately, it did not drop kindly enough.

We were punished when the opponents doubled their lead. As mentioned earlier, we were wayward with our passes in midfield at times and this time, I was guilty of giving the ball away which led to a quick counterattack. As the opponent received the pass on the left flank, in another close, but right, offside position, he bore down on goal past Andrew rather too casually, and played the ball across the penalty box. His teammate made no mistakes to beat Danial at his near post.

They tripled their lead when, yet again, we lost the ball in midfield. The counterattack was on and another tight offside decision went our way, but this time, Bay may have played the opponent on. Our defence was split across the middle as the opponent got through on a one-on-one with Danial. Our custodian made the first save and the ball fell loose on the left flank to an opponent. He dribbled past two defenders and took a shot to score when he beat Danial, which was again at the near post.

We were down and out but we continued to play football and intricate, close passing beckoned a good spell for us. The opponents defended deep and open space in the dangerous areas was a luxury. We manage to carve them apart but there will always be another defender to cover. Some refereeing decisions frustrated us including a blatant foul on myself that was not called but we finally scored a goal, a scant consolation it might be.

Good work on the right flank from a throw-in again led to dainty, passing football, which eventually fell to me outside the box. I have been dreaming of this moment for so long as I surged into the box with the ball and was taken down to earn the penalty. Fatigued, I appointed Farhan to convert the spot-kick and he did so with a composed, but tricky effort down the middle, with the GK fortunately sidefooted.

Immediately after the restart, the opponents regained their 3 goal advantage when our defence was split again through the middle. The opponent took on the shot well with a confident goal. My late effort, a long-range shot that was just over the bar, was the last action of the game as we suffered a hefty defeat.

The desire to gain something from this match was apparent, even on the sidelines, right from the start. We put up a strong display but we again failed to convert our chances and found the net only late in the match. In a matter of minutes, we were undone in the second half against the run of play. As a result, the defeat, coupled with a flattering scoreline in favor of the opponents, was tough to take. All around, we can still take heart from our own performance. Tactical-wise, I am not going to shirk away with my decision-making, and I have learnt a lesson or two. On hindsight, the team selection for the start of the second half, coming off the back of an impressive first, was perhaps something I should not have tinkered with too much. We will build again.

With four league games to go, including matches with two title contenders, we are again in a position to have some say in the destiny of the title, which we will now concede is probably out of our hands. We turn our focus to the cup competition for our first silverware, but not without aiming to end the league season with a flourish too. A two weeks' break beckoned with the holidays around the corner, so I hope we take this time to rejuvenate ourselves away from soccer.

Akim

Shahril: Midfield did not track counterattacks. Better to stop playing high line. I think Andrew is more comfortable at centre with Azmi (edited).

My note: We will try out a dedicated DM next game and will revert Andrew alongside Azmi

Salleh has probably nailed down the rightback role and I hope to see more of him. His versatility is useful to the team.

Bay has a good left leg and we will play him more for experience and balance. He can always look to Firdaus for reference, who has been a vastly improved player from when he first started out.

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-08-30T21:33:00.000+08:00

Sunday 5 Sep
Kambing FC vs Osiris FC - Pei Hwa Sec @ 5pm
HUAT FC vs Forza Ze East ( FZE)
Redbacks Football Club vs Kentridge Rangers

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match105: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 9 vs Forza Ze East (FZE) 0-3 loss

2010-08-30T20:27:00.007+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-3
Scorers (assists)
-
Man Of The Match
Akbar (7) - superb debut in goal only to be let down by a poor team performance, his punts for our strikers were excellent but again not reciprocated. one penalty save as well and helpless for all 3 goals
Huang (4) - hardworking and easily the best outfielder on show
Andrew (1)
Azman (1)
Azmi (1)
Rahman (1)

Akbar (GK)

Yazier - Andrew - Azmi - Firdaus Masdar

Omar - Azman - Akim - Shafi

Rahman - Farhan

Subs:
Kevin
Huang
Salleh
Shahreen
Kelvin
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

After last week's defeat in the near west, Kambing FC lost more ground in the title race after suffering a second defeat on the trot, this time against league leaders Forza Ze East in the far east pitch of Greenview Secondary School. We were given some hype in the run-up to the game, as this was a top-of-the-table clash yet again, but our meek performance in a one-sided defeat suggests we are still found wanting.

We did not have the most stable of starts; fitness, nervousness or simply lack of desire and maybe a combination of all three and some other factors showed in the game. We certainly failed to gain any foothold in the early stages against our numerically-inferior team, as it was the opponents who took the initiative and gained confidence as the game wore on.

We did find ourselves in great attacking space in the final third but team-work did not seem to exist for some reason. Still, we had two great opportunities to open the scoring. Farhan was presented with both chances, and where he would normally have pounced on the first chance with ease, which was carved from a great punt downfield by debutant GK Akbar, Farhan could not react sharply to turn the ball early on. He missed the second chance, which had followed our first real, and one of only a bare few, great build-ups but his header from 6 yards from Shafi's cross was just over the bar.

The opponents took the lead from the penalty when Huang, coming on for Yazier who was caught out far too often at right-back by the speedy and burly winger, accidentally handled the ball in the box while attempting a clearance. Huang was again the centre of attraction for the second goal. Both him and the opponent striker were chasing the long punt from the opponents' half, when the striker seemed to foul him outside our penalty box, suddenly found himself on a one-v-one situation with our GK and made no mistake to double the lead going into half-time.

We immediately improved after the restart and almost pulled a goal back after another rare build-up. We continued to press and we missed a chance yet again to score when Rafeeq was unable to hit the target after being put through on goal inside the box. The desperate momentum fizzled out as both teams took turn to probe each other, with FZE creating the better chances.

The opponents were awarded another penalty through a dubious decision given by the referee. Akbar enhanced his reputation with the team to make a good save from the spot. The miss did not change the reflection of the opponents' performance as they finally put the result beyond doubt when they made it 3-0 after an opponent headed in a cross from the right flank at the near post. Shafi's effort, which was the team's last meaningful chance, was saved almost nonchalantly by the GK which hit the post, and it was perhaps we were destined not to find the net today.

We were caught out by a blitz of a combination of direct, physical and clinical approach coupled with the combination of factors I mentioned when I started writing this. We blew a chance yet again to top the table, but it was the manner that we capitulated which was a more serious concern. As the season goes right down to the wire, in which we seem to be caught in another tight title race, we should not be asking questions of ourselves in the midst of the crossfire, especially when we appeared to have answered them earlier in the season. I am reserving judgment for now and will let our football do the talking for the remainder of the season.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-08-25T18:26:00.000+08:00

Sunday 29 Aug
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Kambing FC - Greenview Sec @ 5pm
Osiris FC vs HUAT FC
Kentridge Rangers vs Team Tsubasa

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match104: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 8 vs Team Tsubasa 2-4 loss

2010-08-24T08:02:00.001+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-4
Scorers (assists)
Rahman (Omar)
Huang (-)
Man Of The Match
Akim (5)
Shahril (4) - tried his best in defence
Bay (2)
Huang (2) - broke his goalscoring drought and proved his versatility yet again

Bay (GK)

Huang - Shahril - Azmi - Shafi

Omar - Azman - Akim - Helmi

Rahman - Joharie

Subs:
Andrew
Firdaus Masdar

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC lost some ground in the title race in Div 3 after suffering an emphatic 2-4 loss to Team Tsubasa on the small pitch at Clementi Town Sec. As a result, Team Tsubasa and Kentridge Rangers, who handed league leaders Forza Ze East a 1-0 defeat, leapfrogged us into 2nd and 3rd, pushing us into 4th place, and one point separating all 4 teams at the top.

The team started with Bay, who made his first appearance this season in the friendly last week, in goal again, albeit through some miscommuncation with regular GK Wilson. Jo, who also played well last week, was also given a start up front. It started so well for us when Azman and I had snap shots that went just high over the bar. The opponents eased into the game and soon, it was a real battle of wits between both teams to make space on a less than regular-sized pitch. We took the initiative after one such battle was won, when Omar was afforded time on the right flank with the ball and earned a freekick. Omar took the freekick himself and Rahman, starting as a striker yet again, reacted first to head in his first league goal of the season.

The opponents then powered their way into the game, as we lost out on almost every aerial challenges, from both the opponents' and our own punts. Shahril was barking orders from the back, demanding the team to get tighter on the opponents. Time and again, however, we were caught out by knockdowns into empty spaces followed by some hard running with dribbles and forays toward our penalty box. We were chasing shadows at times.

We conceded numerous corners and set-pieces and the short distances proved to be a real menace for us as we were simply lacklustre in defending them, if not for Bay's heroics in goal, a goal-line clearance by Shafi and frantic clearances in the goalmouth. We were decent while going forward but lacked the team mentality or the composure to retain possession. We were relieved to go into the break with a 1-0 lead.

Necessary shuffle was made, though a bare looking bench was not good for team morale. There was a pensive mood at half-time, I feel, but we talked the game through up till then, and motivated each other for the team. However, we defended too deeply after the restart. The opponents gained key momentum as Bay was tested repeatedly in goal but our custodian was putting on a show with fine stops, even though his clearance was not wholly convincing. The opponents were not deterred and their patience paid off when they finally scored a deserved equalizer from another corner.

Jo and I came on for Rahman and Helmi and we immediately pegged them back with good combination play leading to the chance of the match for us. I was played through by Jo at the edge of the box, and in turn, I released Huang with a nicely-weighted pass in his path. Inexplicably, with only the GK to beat, and despite a marker heckling him close behind, Huang spurned the glorious opportunity for the team to regain the lead when he fluffed his shot. That miss seemed to spur him on however, as he doggedly worked back and forth for the team, as he attempted to make up for the miss.

It was a valiant effort but we were punished by another defensive lapse as the opponents took a 2-1 lead. When Azmi failed to control a pass at the back, the opponent capitalized and rolled a pass just outside the box for his team-mate, who took it first time to drive a low shot home.

We fell further behind minutes later. Bay had again saved brilliantly from an opponent's shot off a cross, which seemed to deflect off the crossbar. The ball rebounded kindly on our goal-line as the opponent scrambled in the loose ball.

We were deflated and things got worse when we conceded another goal from another corner. No one failed to track the surged run of the scorer, who powerfully headed the ball into the net.

We were heading for our heaviest defeat of the season but creditably, we played on to put some pressure on the opponents. I had a freekick saved and our other freekicks and corners at least made the GK worked about in his box. Our persistence finally paid off when Huang finally made amends to make the score more respectable. Another freekick was not cleared by their defence, which followed a mad scramble for the loose ball. The GK was taken out of the equation and Huang's header, off a loose high ball, beat a defender on the goal-line into the net. It meant Huang had broke a long scoring drought to score his first leaue goal of the season.

The scoreline was a fair reflection of our defeat. Defensive lapses played a part but the opponents did well to create their own luck. There was no lack of desire from both teams, with some meaty challenges, Huang's doggedness, Shahril's voice and Rahman's tenacity all highlighting a part of the team's will to win. Yet, we needed to show more to prove we are genuine title contenders and in that, we failed to do so. Still, with only one point behind the league leaders and sitting in 4th place, I hope this defeat, and the disappointing 2-2 draw in our previous league game before this, will provide some platform for us to finish the season as best as we can, even as we continue the hunt for glory.

Akim

D2D Sun Cup

2010-08-24T04:57:00.001+08:00

Our team in D2D league
D2D Sun Cup

It is a return to the knockout format as Kambing FC books a slot in the 2nd round of 32. The draw is to be conducted following matches from the 1st round and any of our opponents can be any team from all 5 divisions. No matter what team we faced, I believe we have proven we can hold our own against the best. Here is the possible matchday squad for any given game throughout the season.

GK
Wilson
Bay
Danial

Def
2. Firdaus Masdar
3. Andrew
4. Azmi
5. Shahril
6. Fazli

Mid
7. Akim
8. Rahman
9. Azman
10. Azhari
11. Omar
12 Kelvin
13. Shafi
14. Helmi

Att
15. Huang
16. Rafeeq
17. Farhan
18. Joharie

Standby
Farid (d) - exams
Yazier (d)
Mubarak (d)
Rashid (d) - NS
Calvin (d)
Kevin (d)
Fazli (d) - another Fazli still waiting to feature in his 2nd game
Amin (d) - tall Amin
Zaki (d)
Karim (m)
Amin (m) - speedy winger
Shiva (m)
Imran (s) - NS
Syafiq (s)
Syaifudean (s) - injured
Khairi (s)

I have a few other players who are keen to join the team, even a stranger who had once approached Rahman. Our players have also made recommendations to me. It is tough but I do feel competition makes the team stronger.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-08-17T05:28:00.001+08:00

Sunday 22 Aug
Kambing FC vs Team Tsubasa - Clementi Town Sec @ 5pm
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Kentridge Rangers
HUAT FC vs Redbacks Football Club
Osiris FC vs Unido FC

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match103: 15 August 10 vs. unknown opponents (blue) @ Sembawang Sec 2 - 0 win

2010-08-16T11:27:00.008+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-0
Scorers (assists)
Shafi (Azmi)
Shafi pen
Man Of The Match
Shafi - unlikely goal scorer of an even rarer brace. we all hope to see more goals from him in the league! Earned a piece of history when he scored the team's 200th and 201st goals!!

Bay (GK)

Kevin - Akim - Azmi - Firdaus Masdar

Kelvin - Rahman - Azman - Shafi

Joharie - Huang

Subs:
Wilson (GK)
Andrew
Boy
Jurgen
Yazier
Ai

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC got through another monumental moment in its history when Shafi scored the team's 200th and 201st goals on a great pitch at Sembawang Sec, apart from a slight downslope. We took a break from the league to win 2-0, through Shafi's rare brace, in this competitive friendly match against our strong veteran opponents. We have had a stop-start season in the league in the past one month thereabouts, so this break was not really that welcome given the purple patch we are experiencing at the moment. Still, I told the team to treat this friendly as a league match and the opponents did not disappoint and provided us a stern test. Apart from Bay, Jo and Kevin, I opted to start with the players who are regulars in the current season to adopt a league game-mentality approach to the match. I reverted myself in the heart of defence alongside Azmi, with Andrew, who was recovering from fever, on the bench. The bench included three debutants, in the absence of players from the main squad, while Yazier was poised to start as an outfield player with Wilson as back-up GK.

We got out of the blocks well and any doubts that the fasting month would take its toll on the Muslim players seemed to be dispelled with our confident, assured start. The opponents, with a distinct height advantage, were happy with the long ball approach that caused some concern in our defence. One such punt bounced wickedly in our penalty box, which Bay reacted superbly to tip away. We kept tidy possession on our part, and Joharie was looking very lively up front, with an impressive display alongside Huang, who was also recovering from fever. Jo earned a freekick from a promising position and we attempted a quick freekick but ended as a botched attempt.

We took the lead when Azmi's deep freekick on the halfway line was met by Shafi's merest touch of a glancing header. In a sea of tall players, it was one of the shortest that met Azmi's cross, which made the feat an even more notable one.

Jo earned another freekick later after Kelvin's superb pass split the defence, but I could only hit the wall with my attempt. We continued to press as the opponents also reacted in search of an equalizer. As our debutants strut onto the pitch, there was always a fear that the unfamiliarity will take the edge of our play but, the debutants started impressively too. Rahman had a freekick attempt easily saved and Ai was threatening as a striker, while Boy looked menacing on the left flank, having came on for Shafi. Jurgen looked like a fit for the team in central midfield too. As the first half draws to a close, the opponents were pressing us deep in our half and we attempted to capitalize by beating their high offside line, with a few close calls going against us. We were barely hanging onto keep our lead going into the break.

The second half was even more competitive than the first in what was an exciting game, with end-to-end action from both teams. Our opponents were clearly looking sharper as the match wore on, and were passing the ball better rather punting it forward this time. Wilson, keeping goal for this half, was called into action on numerous occasions. With Ai rested for the second half, Joharie picked up from where he left us, and combined well with Shafi, who himself was looking a real threat more than ever on the right midfield in this half. Both Joharie and Yazier had good, clean attempts on goal while Boy, deployed as a left-back this half, bombed forward on his flank, giving us an additional option.

Our defence tried to be more watertight but did find ourselves ripped apart on the edge of the box far too often. We were not punished however due to the opponents' wastefulness in front of goal. When Ai and I came on, I had an immediate low shot saved while Ai displayed promise with his long-range shooting. Bay came on in goal again for Wilson, who spent the last few minutes as a right-back replacement for Kevin, who himself had put in an excellent shift.

With minutes remaining, we were holding on to secure the victory but were looking for the all-important second goal. It was Shafi who grabbed the headlines, when he caused a moment of concern for the opponents' defence. The opponent, while attempting to clear the ball, committed a instinctive handball offence instead inside the box, which was spotted well by the referee and we were awarded a penalty.

Shafi confidently stepped up the first time and netted it low into the left, only to be called back to take it again, as he had breached a rule in the run-up. He confidently stepped up again to send the ball into the right this time, while the GK stood still, perhaps anticipating Shafi might go for the same spot. When Shafi converted the penalty, this was amazingly our 4th game running that we have been given this decision. Four different scorers, myself, Helmi, Farhan and now Shafi, had taken each penalty successfully. I was also glad that both Bay and Wilson combined to keep a clean sheet.

We now go into next week's expected league game on an excellent form, with only two defeats from our last eight games, as we continue to wrestle for glory. The fine displays, from both regular and fringe players, and the debut of three others, were heartening to see and has certainly given me a pleasant selection headache ahead of next week.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-08-11T09:15:00.003+08:00

Sunday 15 Aug
Kambing FC - no league game - friendly match @ Sembawang Sec @ 5pm
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Osiris FC
Unido FC vs Kentridge Rangers
Redbacks Football Club vs Team Tsubasa

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match102: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 7 vs Unido FC 2-2 draw

2010-08-11T05:50:00.006+08:00

HT: 2-0 FT: 2-2
Scorers (assists)
Farhan (pen)
Farhan (Helmi)
Man Of The Match
Farhan (8) - finally back to his old scoring form with two goals, scored a nice 2nd goal
Shahril (7) - the second of our key players this week marshalled the defence superbly
Yellow card:
Omar (1st half)

Wilson (GK)

Andrew - Shahril - Azmi - Firdaus Masdar

Kelvin - Akim - Azhari - Shafi

Helmi

Farhan

Subs:
Huang
Omar
Azman
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

On the expansive, grassy pitch of Tanjong Katong Sec, Kambing FC spurned a glorious opportunity to go top of the table, for the first time in its short history, after conceding a last minute equalizer to draw 2-2 against Unido FC. Farhan scored both our goals in the first half and we led 2-0 for the majority of the match. We were then pegged back after the half-time break, but it was our lapse in concentration for both of the opponents' goal that undid us. Still, the point gained is better than nothing. The size of the pitch was a fitness test for us and we had to work harder for one another than usual, but we had to pace ourselves too. The gaps between defence, midfield and attack meant we had to cover the ground efficiently and moved the ball quicker to get further up the pitch. Our opponents faced the same problem and in the first half at least, we marginally had more of the ball.

Patience was the key as we kept going forward into the opponents' half but the attacking intent in the final third was not as sharp as we would have liked. Both Helmi and Farhan, who returned to the team after his dismissal two league matches' ago, saw a lot of the ball with decent support from midfield that kept tidy possession in the middle of the pitch. Our defence, marshalled superbly by Shahril, who also returned to the team after two games' absence, coped well with the opponents' deep, long passes as they adopted route one football. We had to be cautious of their lone striker, who was clearly the main threat for them, was adept at holding up the ball and bringing his team-mates into play deep in our half. Azhari and myself, and later Azman, took turns to try and shackle him to almost little effect at times, which made Shahril and co. heckled us and rightly so too.

We took the lead from the penalty spot midway through the first half. Another patient build-up paved the way for an attack deep in opponents' territory from the left flank. Our opponents failed to deal with a loose ball, and Shafi, who had made a forceful run into the box, was felled by the opponent to earn the penalty. Farhan stepped up to calmly sent the GK the wrong way.

We doubled our lead minutes later from a simple move that started with a freekick in our half. Shahril played a crossfield pass to Helmi on the left flank, who weighed his pass for Farhan to perfection on the edge of the box. Farhan then showed us why he is the goalpoacher for the day with a classic striker's goal, as he latched onto Helmi's pass, casually brushed his marker aside to power his way into the box and thundered in a shot past the helpless GK.

Wilson has to be credited for making the save of the match almost immediately after the restart. The opponents' main threat controlled a throw in on the edge of our box, turning me aside far too easily in the process, and drilled a stunning shot that was destined for goal. Our custodian was equal to the task and made a superb, reflexive fingertip save to push the shot over the crossbar, and enable us to preserve our 2-0 lead at half-time.

Our opponents were all guns blazing in the second half, mindful that the game was slipping away from their hands. They dominated and peppered our goal with a few shots. Wilson was almost embarrassed when, from an opponents' long freekick, the ball bounced wickedly in our box and threatened to lob over him into our goal, but he recovered to palm it away over the bar. We tolerated and nullified the opponents' domination with our best spell of the second half. Against the run of play, Shafi had the best chance to extend our lead, when he was played in on the left flank by Omar's defence splitting pass from midfield. Our curly-haired winger suddenly had a clear route to goal, and with a defender closing in on him on the edge of the box, Shafi's low shot beat the GK across the face of his goal but the ball agonizingly struck the outside of the upright into safety. Huang also almost benefited from a cross on the right flank but he failed to make a decent connection, as we pressured the opponents' in their half.

Just when we looked to keep the momentum going, our opponents finally pulled a goal back and no surprise as to who scored their goal. We gave the ball away on the left flank on the halfway line, which led to the opponents' counterattack. Our rearguard were all over the place, and their main threat capitalized on the sudden confusion as he dribbled past three of our players towards our goal and scored a goal to cap off the incisively quick break.

We still had a 2-1 lead and tried to slow down the game to secure the victory. To their credit, the opponents did not back down and mounted long throws ala Fazli from their right-back into our box. We repelled the ensuing waves of attack with time running out but with a minute remaining, we finally caved in to concede a late equalizer. The opponents launched another long throw from the right flank towards the near post, which was headed by an opponent across our goal. His team-mate stole in to head the loose ball home to rapturous celebration. Omar's defending was the subject of a post-mortem inquiry, as he had failed to make any sort of challenge to head the loose ball away before the opponent could get to it. On the other hand, it does take a natural Vidic- or Ivanovic-type defending against such off-the-ball attacking runs, like what the opponent did. In that, at least, we learnt a valuable lesson for our future games.

On reflection, the draw was perhaps a fair result. However, we were still disappointed to concede such a dramatic last-minute equalizer, when a victory would have otherwise seen us start the fasting month at the top of the table, even if it is a slender lead. The finish line is in sight and a strong finish is on the cards. We must remain optimistic, even as we continue to enjoy an Indian summer in our 3rd season in the league. On a brighter note, we are now one goal away from scoring our 200th goal. Farhan, who has scored 3 league goals after this game, is also one goal away from reaching an historic 40th personal 'competitive' goal for the team. I must also compliment Huang, one of our unsung heroes, and also one of our longest-serving players, for filling in at right-back and proving his versatility yet again.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-08-02T17:30:00.003+08:00

Sunday 8 Aug
Unido FC vs Kambing FC - Tanjong Katong Sec 3pm
Team Tsubasa vs Osiris FC
HUAT FC vs Kentridge Rangers
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Redbacks Football Club

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-07-26T19:28:00.000+08:00

Sunday 1 Aug
Kambing FC vs Kentridge Rangers - Clementi Woods Sec 5pm
HUAT FC vs Unido FC
Forza Ze East (FZE) vs Team Tsubasa
Osiris FC vs Redbacks Football Club

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 - August Fixtures

2010-07-26T19:20:00.000+08:00

1 August 2010 @ 5pm @ Clementi Woods Sec: Kentridge Rangers
8 August 2010 @ TBA: Unido FC
15 August 2010 @ TBA: HUAT FC
22 August 2010 @ TBA: Team Tsubasa
29 August 2010 @ TBA: Osiris FC

Akim

match101: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 6 vs Redbacks Football Club 2-1 win

2010-07-25T23:30:00.016+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 2-1
Scorers (assists)
Helmi (pen)
Akim (-)
Man Of The Match
Andrew (7) - defended superbly, unsung hero, a good addition to the team and need more games to get his sharpness
Akim (2)
Syafiq (2)
Azhari (1) - superb performance as DM especially during 1st half
Mubarak (1) - rampaging fullback
Rahman (1) - reason for all the goals, even for opponent's penalty
Wilson (1) - confident handling
Yellow card:
Fazli (2nd half)
Akim (2nd half)
Rahman (2nd half)

Wilson (GK)

Firdaus Masdar - Andrew - Azmi - Mubarak

Kelvin - Akim - Azhari - Helmi

Azman

Fazli

Subs:
Yazier
Calvin
Amin
Syafiq
Rahman

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

After two straight defeats, followed by last week's adjourned game with league leaders Forza Ze East (FZE), Kambing FC got back to winning ways to maintain the pace at the top of the table after this narrow win on an unpredictable, bouncy pitch of Compassvale Secondary School. After a drab, goalless first half, Helmi scored his 1st league goal of the season to give us the lead from a penalty midway through the second, which had been followed by a red card for the opponents. I then headed in my 5th goal of the season to double the lead before Redbacks FC struck back through another penalty to ensure a tight, nervy finish to the game.

The absence of regular players and a strong depth in central midfield meant Helmi was reverted to left midfield and Azman reprised the support striker role. Fazli started as the lone striker, while Andrew and Azhari started their first league games.

We started well against an opponents who began with ten men. The ball was bouncing a little haphazardly, and our basic individual control were tested, but fortunately, it was not an issue for us deep in our half. Azman had an early shot on goal and Fazli had a few early chances to display his trademark long throws, which posed the main problem as Azman came close with a header at the near post. Redbacks played on the counterattacks and Wilson almost fumbled a save during a one-on-one challenge. I then had a glorious chance to break the deadlock after being put through on goal from Azmi's freekick, but the chance was gone when I hesitated instead of shooting first time. We failed to build on our strong start as we wasted possession, myself being the main culprit of giving the ball away cheaply. However, our defence were repelling waves of Redbacks' tentative pressure. Wilson had an easy task of picking up loose opponents' passes and making routine saves from a couple of shots, but was reliable with handling the high balls. The defence held up well, Andrew, particularly, was decisive in the tackles and interceptions, and forged a sound partnership alongside the ever-dependable Azmi in the heart of defence. It remained 0-0 at half-time.

It was a more entertaining second half. Both Syafiq and Rahman, who came on in the first half, were again very lively in attack after the restart, striking up a mutual understanding to link up with each other. However, Syafiq spurned another glorious chance for the team. From Amin's freekick deep in our half, Rahman's knockdown header on the edge of the box was perfectly placed in Syafiq's path but our diminutive winger could only tamely shot at the GK when a goal seemed inevitable. Syafiq did extremely well to make that off-the-ball run though.

Our defence was still doing their part to keep the score goalless but as the game stretched itself, anxiety was creeping in and we needed a goal to calm down some nerves. The bounce of the ball continued to be unpredictable and Andrew was almost left red-faced when his awkward looping header crashed against our crossbar and out for a corner. Calvin was then forced to concede another corner, when the ball simply stopped rolling on our byline. The end result was almost disastrous as there was a strong penalty appeal when Mubarak had seemingly handled the ball from the follow-up opponent's cross. The Redbacks were pushing us hard at this point as we chased shadows and lacked the composure to muster an attacking threat despite Azman's long balls, from freekicks or otherwise, Helmi's incisiveness in midfield, Syafiq's livewire display on the right flank, Kelvin's and later, Fazli's, enterprise on the opposite flank and Rahman's doggedness in attack.

There was finally a momentum of sorts in our favour, when I, having came on for Azman, intercepted an opponent throw-in on the left flank and launched a breakaway attack that broke down prematurely. However, that short burst of spell probably galvanized us and we were awarded a penalty soon after. Fazli's long throw was on display again, and it was catapulted towards Rahman's path at the near post. Sensing danger, the opponent, who probably knew little about it, clumsily hacked down Rahman from behind, and was dismissed when he was shown his second yellow card. Helmi confidently sent the GK the wrong way to finally open the floodgates and scored his 1st league goal of the season.

To their credit, Redbacks did not back down and foraged for an equalizer but our defence were stubbornly, if nervously, holding on. On the other hand, so late in the game, we were still trying to string more than two passes together. The goal must have restored our belief, however, as we played our best move of the match with a series of quick passes to initiate a counterattack, that resulted in Syafiq earning a freekick in a dangerous position.

There has been a consistent, almost unspoken rule that the attacking team is given the benefit of taking quick freekicks, and the referee can allow it without the need to ask the defending team for a wall. We knew that and were punished for it in the 0-1 loss against Team Tsubasa three weeks ago. This time around, there seemed to be double standards in refereeing when the referee flashed me a yellow card, coincidentally my first ever in the league, when I tried to take a quick freekick as well. The referee claimed he informed us that he told us that he will blow the whistle once the opponent wall is ready. From what I understand though, a referee is supposed to let us decide if we wanted the wall and anyway, Fazli, our freekick taker, did not ask for the wall too.

Nevertheless, I put my frustration aside and waited for Fazli's freekick to hit on target. It did, and when the ball bounced out of the GK's hands, I reacted fastest to head it into the bottom corner of the net as we crucially extended our lead to 2-0. Till then, I had a disappointing game, and having spurned our first real chance of the match, I felt relieved to have made amends.

Just minutes later, Redbacks halved the deficit when the referee awarded a dubious penalty. For the second match running, Rahman conceded it and like in the previos game, the decision looked harsh. The opponent's corner was going nowhere towards the far post while Rahman and the opponent were tussling at the near post. The referee must have thought that the same opponent could leap twenty feet in the air to take on the corner when he awarded the penalty. For their part in the foul, Rahman and the opponent were shown the yellow card as the opponent smashed home the penalty kick, giving Wilson no chance at all to make a save. That set up a nervy finale for the remainder of the match but the game petered out almost to a whimper. We determinedly held on for the win, and with almost half the season gone, we are in a good position to mount a title challenge in the weeks to come.

Special mention to Mubarak who took the intitative to ask me about the game this week, played an entire match, and patrolled the left flank very well. Also to Yazier, who answered the team's call and put in a good shift.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-07-22T01:30:00.002+08:00

Sunday 25 July
Kambing FC vs Redbacks Football Club - Compassvale Sec 3pm
HUAT FC vs Team Tsubasa
Unido FC vs Forza Ze East (FZE)
Kentridge Rangers vs Osiris FC

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-07-13T08:38:00.000+08:00

Sunday 18 July
Kambing FC vs Forza Ze East (FZE) - East Spring Sec 5pm
HUAT FC vs Osiris FC
Unido FC vs Team Tsubasa
Kentridge Rangers vs Redbacks Football Club

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match100: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 5 vs Osiris FC 2-3 loss

2010-07-12T22:25:00.010+08:00

HT: 1-2 FT: 2-3
Scorers (assists)
Akim (-)
Akim (pen)
Man Of The Match
Akim (14) - in a game of mistakes, his 2 goals were the bright spark for the team. a box-to-box player today.
Azhari (1) - like Xabi Alonso, distributed play well
Mubarak (1)
Rahman (1) - spurned three glorious chances including a solo effort, otherwise we would have talked about a different result. nevertheless, did well as a makeshift striker after Farhan's dismissal.
Red card:
Farhan (1st half)
Yellow card:
Rahman (1st half)

Wilson (GK)

Mubarak - Azmi - Calvin - Fazli

Kelvin - Akim - Rahman - Joharie

Helmi

Farhan

Subs:
Andrew
Omar
Shafi
Azman
Azhari
Rafeeq

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

KFC played its historic 100th game on the grassy pitch of Bedok North Sec hoping to bounce back from the disappointing defeat last week.

It has been quite a ride for the team that played its first match on 5 January 2008 with only 9 players including Kelvin, Rahman, Yazier, Shahid, Firul and myself. We used two of the opponents' players to fill up the void. Despite the inevitable loss against opponents that featured Azman, Azmi and Syaifudean, we built the team and carried on our travails mainly on the bumpy, desert pitch in front of Blk 367 Yishun, which were mostly refereed by the affable Tay and Malik, who was the voice for the "offside" call.

Our 1st win came in the 5th match on the Bowen Sec artificial pitch before we went on a run of eight winless games. Cut a long story short, after 49 friendly matches, and bolstered by a core group of exciting, handsome and skilful players, we finally made our presence felt in the social football scene. In April 2009, we entered the D2D league, played our 1st game and won it in our 50th game. Since then, we have completed two seasons with the league and just started our third. As a player with the team from day one, and missing only two games, no one can take more immense pride in the team than myself. I did not even flicker twice with sponsoring the team its two present sets of jerseys, one shirt of which is still missing by the way! I am excited, almost desperate, to see us finally get some silverware.

We looked to get back on track to the fine start we made to the season. In our way was Osiris FC, the last of the promoted teams that we are playing against this season. The game told of the chances we did not convert, and we fell to a second successive narrow defeat. An highly entertaining match ended with one red card and one penalty for each team and a total of 5 goals.

We got off to a bright start when I unleashed a speculative left-footed volley that crashed against the crossbar. At the other end, Wilson had a safe pair of hands in goal and handled an opponent shot very well. We seemed to have settled down until the referee made the first major decision of the match.

Rahman, who had imposed a physical aspect to the team and was already on the referee's radar perhaps, was extremely unlucky to concede a soft penalty following an opponent counter-attack from the left flank. The referee fell for the ploy of the opponent, who, like his team-mates later throughout the match, fell like he was hit by a car. The opponent converted the penalty despite Wilson coming close to making a save.

The early goal caused some consternation on our part, and yet again, it seems we did not have one of the better referees. His performance aside, I aimed to get us going and was more than ecstatic to score the equalizer. I pounced on the ball in midfield and surged forward. When I ran of out of options on the edge of the penalty box, I drilled a low shot that crept through the legs of the GK. There is an adage in the football world; if you do not shoot, you do not score. I certainly applied it then.

We looked pumped up and primed to seize the initiative as I squandered a freekick from a promising area. Kelvin and especially Mubarak, played well on the right flank. Yet, our defence, featuring the return of Calvin, still looked shaky as the direct running of the opponents caused some problems. Wilson can be credited for more safe handling, which compensated for the team's awkward moments.

There was then a twist. Farhan, making his first league start, spearheaded the attack and looked sharp early on. The mutual understanding with Helmi, our support striker, was clear to see. I was looking for Farhan, a natural winger, to fill the problematic striker role, which Imran had occupied superbly for the start of our season, and Syaifudean, a spectator today, before that. Unfortunately, our team's highest goalscorer in its history, will see red in this monumental 100th match.

Incidentally, this was our first ever dismissal social competitive football, either in the league or cup competitions. That says a lot for the team's fair play.

An off-the-ball incident between the opponent defender and our striker caught the referee's attention. There was no real violent conduct from both players, and when the referee ejected both off the game, I could only wish common sense had prevailed. I was also disappointed that despite my pre-match instructions for the team to keep a cool head under hot weather, Farhan lost it. However, the bigger disappointment was that he could not flashed his brand new boots more, or even thundered a couple of goals into the net for good measure. To put it seriously, I wanted him to play a bigger part and I told him so before the game.

That necessitated a change for both teams as Helmi took over Farhan's place momentarily till Rafeeq came on for Kelvin. Omar replaced Joharie too. The opponents were building momentum as we struggled to find a shape. Azman and Azhari came on for Rahman and myself, while Shafi, a converted winger this season, replaced Fazli at left-back. Moments later, the opponents regained their lead from one of their dangerous corners. An improvised set-piece arrived at our near post, and the opponent stole in to tap in from close range. We should have avoided the soft goal but were punished for the defensive lapse just then.

We had, perhaps, the best spell of the match after that, which carried on after half-time. The opponents kept up the pressure but Wilson continued his good work. Andrew took over Azmi's place in the heart of defence as we sought to shut down their direct runs. Azman and Azhari played well in midfield and Azman released Rafeeq on the right flank. Running out of ground, Rafeeq succeeded in sending a cross but no one could get to it. Rahman then came on for Helmi and immediately was tasked to lead the attack. A good build-up on our left flank finally got Omar crossing into the box. Rafeeq missed at the first attempt but an unmarked Rahman lurked behind. While he should have taken on the shot first time with a goal a certainty, he opted to control it instead and the opponent was able to intercept. He tried to make amends with a solo effort but his weak shot was easily dealt with. He would later earn a yellow card as the score remained 1-2 at half-time.

Our team carried on the fine spell after the break but found it tougher now to break down a side intent on protecting their lead, and relying on the counter-attack. These attacks had some damaging effect but Wilson, Calvin and Andrew, and Azmi later, marshalled and tidied up effectively, if not convincingly. The game opened up as Mubarak and Shafi made full use of their flanks to support the attack. Our full-backs played their hearts on their sleeves and linked up extremely well, Shafi combining with Omar while Mubarak almost had a personal vendetta going forward.

Azman covered superbly for Shafi as did Azhari for Mubarak, but our midfielders stuck to their main task too; linking up plays between defence and attack. A determined Azhari won a ball in midfield and launched a long-range shot while Helmi was later unfortunate to be called for offside in a close call. Omar and Helmi were buzzing incessantly and probing for openings as Rahman continued to bludgeon their defence into submission.

Eventually, tired legs gave way and I was involved in the build-up that led to another glorious chance for Rahman. Azmi had again tidied up in defence and I took over deep in our half. I released a ball forward for Helmi, who retained possession wonderfully and dribbled his way into the opponents' penalty box onto the left. He then pulled back a pass for an unmarked Rahman in the 6-yard area. Rahman learned his lesson for his earlier miss, and this time, he took it on first time to try and score the equalizer, which would have definitely turned the tide in our favour. Amazingly, the team could only looked on as the ball sailed over the bar instead. To be fair, our makeshift striker displayed good positioning to get into those gilt-edged goalscoring chances.

We would rue that miss as we conceded another soft goal and the opponents extended their lead to 1-3. There looked to have been no harm when Kelvin opted to play a backpass to Wilson deep in our half. I have no problem with that except that handling backpasses is not exactly one of our custodian's strengths. Wilson could only cleared the backpass straight to an opponent inside the penalty box, who rightly sent his shot across the face of goal into the net.

The virtual winner, scored late in the game, deflated the team's spirits but we still scored a goal from the penalty spot after an opponent handled the ball while on the ground. The final whistle blew shortly after.

Despite being narrowly edged out again, the passion and determination to set things right was clearly etched on the faces of our players long after the game ended. I was delighted with each and everyone's efforts. We were in it for much of the game, and while we had again conceded soft goals, including a questionable penalty, we could only blame ourselves for the profligacy in front of goal. We could also have capitalized on FZE's draw this past weekend to go top of the table, which would be for the first time in our history. However, we will get a second chance to do so in this week's mouthwatering clash with the league leaders. Up at 'em!

Akim

*****
It was still early last Season. We were leading one-nil to some team we eventually won and i looked on at the most bizarre of misses. The culprit was Azman, who after some good individual play found himself open with not a defender in sight on the edge of the opponent six-yard box. He somehow scuffed a weak shot straight at the keeper, and as Azman trotted back to his Central midfield alongside me, I gave him an earful.

“Just what the ...(expletive) was that Azman?”

It was one of the worst misses I can ever imagine, but I, ever the competitive one, wouldn’t give it a rest. I wanted to be the best at everything I do, and I wont let Azman take the cake. I made a resolution. Some day I am going to do just like him and better still, make it a hat-trick.

The proud day came last Sunday. Three good chances. Three goal-scoring opportunities. Three beautifully not-taken chances. Who cares about the World Cup. It means nothing to me. I re-wrote Kambing FC history that day and thats a shit-load more important than any other World Cup Final, which most definitely will be the talk of the team. Even after the match’s end, I hear my name spoken everywhere. An instant celebrity. I was the man of the moment.

The icing on the cake was a conceded penalty in my name.

How we lost the game on Sunday was beyond my comprehension. It must have been due to the mystical forces of a cosmic alignment somewhere in SPACE-land that got us stuck in the Jaws of Defeat. Or maybe it was the bloody Sotong. Paul just didnt eat from the Kambing FC box, did he? I think we should get a Sotong for ourselves now. They can tell us how to play, who to play, what jersey to wear and also will predict who comes late or get red carded in a match.. haha.

So now lets talk about the misses I made.

That day everything fell just right for me, but not right enough. It all happened for me, yet it didnt. Funny right? Yeah it was. I bet even Wilson Palacios’ Grandma would have put the ball at the back of the net. The first miss came after i instinctively made a run behind their key centre back to calculative-ly receive a cross and hold the ball long enough for their left back to hoof it away. First miss of the day, and its still early on in the game. Hope theres time for two more. Chances had to be crafted. I had to make my own miss, I realised.

Just before half-time i drifted again behind the centre back, pulling away just enough for Omar to find me with an exquisite chip. I nodded the ball down and bore down on goal leaving 2 of their defenders for dead before trying to squeeze past the third one. I managed an Azman-esque shot - straight and tame at the keeper. As the ball left my boot, I realised Mus’ earlier goal (a solo effort finished with a tame shot that somehow sneaked through) had exposed the opposing keeper’s Achilles heel. He CANNOT handle TAME SHOTS. Seconds seem like minutes as the ball went freely towards goal. Will it slip through the keepers gloves? or will it not? As the ball found its way to the Keeper’s gloves safe and sound, i heaved a sigh of relief. Phew! That was close. If only that was Robert Green, all my hard work will get undone. As i celebrated my brace of misses, the referee called for half time. I was doing well. Only one more miss and that would complete what i had set out to do.

Second half resumed and me playing as striker, was primed for another miss.However, chances are by far few in a tighter second half. Osiris FC chose to sit back, but i I knew that i still have it in me. I made challenge after challenge, and for everytime i fell and failed to get a clear cut chance, I got myself up. IM GOING TO DO THIS! I AM DESTINED FOR THIS! The chance finally came from a brilliant Helmi cross. I again gave the centre back a miserable time, catching him in between two worlds, and latched on the ball like a lion to its prey.

The moment has come.

The thousands of Kambing FC fans around the world watching from their grossly overpriced Singtel MIO cableTV ‘D2D sports leagues Sunday games Package’ knew it. This is the time where champions are made, born, and cast in gold in some part of the world, forever immortalised by their achievements. This very moment, my friends, when the ball came and kissed my boot in honour of a great hero, was when the whole world stopped.

The Palestinians weren’t fighting anymore.

The Israelis do not care about the Gaza Strip anymore.

The Loch Ness Monster surfaced.

The Yeti appeared in television.

The PAP grew a heart.

Paul the Octopus ate from the ‘Arsenal box’

My future 35-100mm f2 lens just got packed and left a factory somewhere in Japan for shipment.

Zooey Deschanel had a crush on me.

All the wonderful things happened in that moment. A great hat-trick. A great hero.
This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Where were you when that happened?

Rahman

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-07-07T11:24:00.001+08:00

Sunday 11 July
Kambing FC vs Osiris FC - Bedok North Sec 3pm
HUAT FC vs Forza Ze East (FZE)
Kentridge Rangers vs Team Tsubasa

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match99: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 4 vs Team Tsubasa 0-1 loss

2010-07-04T23:19:00.028+08:00

HT: 0-0 FT: 0-1
Scorers (assists)
-
Man Of The Match
Shahril (11) - another superb defensive performance
Syafiq (3) - lively when on the pitch, header struck the crossbar
Akim (1)
Yellow card:
Rashid (1st half)
Andrew (1st half)

Yazier (GK)

Firdaus Masdar - Shahril - Azmi - Rashid

Kelvin - Akim - Amin (d) - Helmi

Azman

Rahman

Subs:
Andrew
Joharie
Syafiq
Farhan

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC suffered its first defeat of the season on a pitch that has been our bogey playing ground in our last three matches here at Fuchun Secondary School. Ever the statistician, I compiled the list of fields we have played on so far and our results on each field are as shown in the picture above.

Back to the real story. We started the match with 4 central midfielders as Azman and Rahman took up the forward roles. The opponents' hard running on and off the ball belied their current league position as we got off to a nervous start defensively. Azman did have two early shots on goal to compensate for the pressure.

Yazier, starting in goal, had to keep out an early low shot on as we strived to find our rhythm and control the pace of our game regardless the efforts of our opponents. The resulting corner was dangerous and saw the ball sailed across our goal but no significant contact was made to turn it into the net. The challenges were feisty early on as yellow cards were awarded to players from both teams. Even Andrew, making his league debut, got into the book for the wrong reason when he unwittingly got onto the pitch without the referee's knowledge when he came on for Rashid, our earlier recipient of the card.

I was then bundled over by three defenders and earned a freekick in a promising position. I took the kick but while the ball managed to gain height, it was always curving away from goal. Syafiq, starting his first league game for us this season, came on for Kelvin and immediately made an impact. Up till then, the opponents were having a lion's share of the possession and looked threatening on the attack. Yazier was forced to make another save later on as the chaotic situation, caused by the opponents' blistering start, stabilised into calmness. We soon had our rhythm and initiated dangerous attacks of our own. Amin split their defence with a wonderful pass for Syafiq inside the penalty box. Syafiq's initial shot was blocked but he kept going. However, he was perhaps a little selfish as he hopelessly tried to drill the ball home when Helmi, who was a constant outlet on the left and moved infield later in the half, was left unmarked behind him on the edge of the box and an empty goal ahead beckoned. As Farhan came on for Rahman, a built-up play from the right flank saw me playing the ball first time towards his path on the edge of the box. With a marker tightly onto him, Farhan still managed to shoot and gained a corner. We were looking dangerous and inventive as the pace of the match began to recede comfortably into half-time.

After the break, Rahman and myself took grip of the centre of midfield and we immediately looked a better team. Andrew was a useful addition to the backline and combined well with Kelvin on our right flank after the restart. Kelvin had to defend more today and his attacking instincts were compromised, but his defensive work helped the team a lot. Shahril and Azmi, who were both flustered with our midfield, were a true last line of defence and kept repelling our opponents' advances. Rashid was also doing his part as he combined attacking and defending duties, giving us options on the left flank together with Joharie first, and Syafiq later.

I had a great chance to score the first goal of the match when, from Azmi's freekick on the halfway line, I was unmarked and should have headed his cross to score. However, I mistimed my jump as the ball sailed over my head instead. That was my last contribution up till that point. Almost immediately, our opponents scored the opening goal. We conceded a freekick from a distance but there was a communication breakdown and the opponents took a quick freekick. Take nothing away, it was a fabulous strike that caught Yazier out at the corner of his right side of goal, but it was a cheap goal for us to concede as we fell behind for the first time this season.

Syafiq, rested at half-time, had again came on for Kelvin before that goal, and almost immediately scored the equalizer. He met Azman's deep freekick but was unfortunate to see his header cannoned off the crossbar. I then came back into the match in place of a tiring Helmi. Syafiq was again lively when he met Rahman's pass first, and my pass later, as he found freedom and open space on the left side of our attack. I was also fortunate to find myself through on goal as the ball came to me following a defensive bobble. It took enough deflection off me however to take it away from danger. From the follow-up, the chance was lost after my poor attempted shot. We tried hard to force an equalizer even as our defence stood firm. Our hopes were then raised when there was a strong penalty appeal. Rahman's throw-in on the right flank was meant for me inside the penalty box but their defender seemed to have control of the situation. However, the ball struck his raised arm and many a times, we have seen a similar penalty been given and even the opponents looked ready to concede one. Despite our appeal, the referee waved it away and time eventually ran out for us.

It was a tight game that was settled after quick thinking on the opponents' part when they scored the freekick, which we should have dealt with as soon as it was given. However, for the main part, we defended superbly, even if it was deeper in defence than we would have liked. Our attack took awhile to settle down and get into shape but when it did, we were bright and menacing. Tactics and personnel did weigh in on my mind as a form of after-match review, given the opponents' pace today, and we would look to rebound from this setback and move on to our next game. Of course, it was disappointing that we did not go into next week's awesome 100th match with a fourth win in a row, but we will look for another run again.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-06-29T13:30:00.001+08:00

Sunday 4 July
Kambing FC vs Team Tsubasa - Fuchun Sec 3pm
Unido FC vs Osiris FC
HUAT FC vs Redbacks Football Club
Kentridge Rangers vs Forza Ze East

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Final

2010-06-28T20:50:00.000+08:00

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Final.

RESULTS/STRUCTURE OF LEAGUE CUP DRAW (SUN 3/5 LEAGUE)

Final:
Team BI 1-2 1980s United FC

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 - July Fixtures

2010-06-28T06:14:00.001+08:00

4 July 2010 @ 3pm @ Fuchun Sec: Team Tsubasa
11 July 2010 @ 3pm @ Bedok North Sec: Osiris FC
18 July 2010 @ 5pm @ East Spring Sec: Forza Ze East
25 July 2010 @ 3pm @ Compassvale Sec: Redbacks FC

Akim

match98: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 3 vs HUAT FC 1-0 win

2010-06-27T23:33:00.026+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 1-0
Scorers (assists)
Imran (Helmi)
Man Of The Match
Shahril (9) - defensive colossus, a vital player in the heart of defence
Imran (5) - solid performance
Azmi (1) - mainstay of ever-changing backline throughout the game, ever-present in past 3 games of unbeaten run
Wilson (1) - decent handling and shot stopping. good improvements!
Yellow card:
-

Wilson (GK)

Rashid - Shahril - Azmi - Fazli

Kelvin - Azman - Akim - Shafi

Helmi

Imran

Subs:
Mubarak
Firdaus Masdar
Karim
Amin (d)
Joharie

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

When Kambing FC play two games in the next two weeks, we would have edged towards a monumental piece of history, as it means we would have played a magical 100th game since we were founded on 5 January 2008.

Before that, earlier today, we had written a small but still significant chapter in that history with our 3rd successive win in the D2D league. A casual remark after the game begged the question "Is this (3 wins in a row) a record for Kambing FC in the league?". Being the curious person I am, my mind instantly thought 'no' but I took this as a chance to pore through our short records. In our 3rd season now, we had in fact re-written this record following last week's game when we won two in a row in a league. Up till now, we had, mostly between friendly matches, and always in our league games in the previous two seasons, been reduced to a solitary win for a run of games before winning again.

This was also our finest run of consecutive games won since we won two in a row from 7 to 14 February 2010. A more impressive similar achievement before that was when we four in a row way back from 18 January to 8 February 2009. Playing in a league is a different ball game however. That is what makes this record a little special as we have generally struggled to win games in the league.

On a freshly-cut, returfed grass pitch at Mayflower Secondary School, Imran's solitary goal was enough to ensure our perfect start to the season so far; winning our first three league games at the start of a season is also a record. We could have easily led by 6 goals in the first half and should have cruise to victory. However, an indifferent second half performance meant we were holding on to secure another hard-fought victory.

Apart from Helmi, in place of Omar, we fielded an unchanged line-up from last week. We also welcomed back Amin (d) and Joharie who made their first appearances this season from the bench and did well when called upon.

Yet again, we scored an early goal. A Mubarak throw-in from the right flank was thrown to Kelvin deep in opponents' territory near the byline. Our winger shrugged off his marker and played in Helmi inside the penalty box, who cut back a pass for Imran. Our newly-installed striker maintained superb composure to drag the ball with quick feet from his right to left despite having two defenders close by and was suddenly left unmarked. The bewildered defenders could then only look on as Imran unleashed a fierce left-foot shot at the GK's near post. The GK got his hands to the ball but found it too hot to handle as it crept into the net.

We began to dominate and Fazli's long throw-ins were a useful weapon yet again. I was guilty of spurning our next best chance of the game when unmarked from close range at the far post, his throw eluded everyone in the penalty box but me. However, I could only head his throw straight at the GK who made a reflex save to concede a corner. Later, a good build-up from the left also saw us in numbers inside the opponents' penalty box later on and Joharie was all alone on the right. The loose ball was perfectly squared across the box for him towards the edge of the box but he could only let fly and high over the bar. From Rashid's menacing corner, Imran just headed over the bar.

Gamesmanship, due to a series of niggling fouls from both teams, somewhat disrupted the flow of the game and threatened to spiral out of control. Two off-the-ball incidents involving our players being fouled had us in uproar as the yellow card was finally shown to their player. However, we looked comfortable and generally had no trouble protecting a slender lead. There was the usual awkward moments when we defend. However, we are making a marked improvement cutting out those moments early. Wilson was also a safe pair of hands in goal although he was not severely tested.

The gamesmanship continued after the half-time break. We gave it back as good as we got. Helmi's free-kick almost found Shafi for arguably the best chance in that half. Shafi, not renowned for his header, headed the ball not far from goal. We had a few more set-pieces from such positions and corners too. However, we did not quite utilize the healthy height in the team, another tweak of the team for this season, to our advantage. Still, we hope to be more clinical from dead-ball situations in future games.

Shafi was also involved in our best play of the day. After retaining possession on the left flank, a crossfield pass found Shafi on the right. To the amazement of almost everyone except himself, he unbelievably managed to control the ball before it went out of play for a throw-in and broke away to dribble towards the opponents' defence. Playing a one-two with Imran, he then set me up. My meek shot did not do justice to his enterprising play.

As the game wore on, we found ourselves desperately clinging on as fatigue sets in under the increasingly hot weather. Our opponents pressed for an equalizer and soon, we were firmly encamped in our own half. However, Shahril and co. were ruling the roost impressively and kept out all and sundry. The washing machine could have been thrown at our goal but such was our defence's resiliency, exemplified by Shahril's decisive, convincing interceptions and aerial dominance, that a clean sheet was truly deserved. Shahril would later be replaced by Imran due to injury but that only proved the strength in depth of the team as we closed out the game with a narrow win.

The back-to-back clean sheets is also a first for us in the league and only our second such record since November 2008. I am pleased that Wilson was in goal to savor this record as well.

We performed strongly in the first half and for a part of the second half against a hardworking team. Unfortunately, we did not make it easy for ourselves by spurning chances after taking the lead, especially in the first half. I, for one, am relieved the team was not punished for the header that should have been a goal. Gamesmanship was perhaps the order of the day but thankfully, it did not ruin a hard day for both teams seeking only to play football. We found ourselves under pressure later on, and where we would have normally crumbled, I was glad that we coped fantastically well with it.

The basic spine of the team has started to take shape with Imran, two goals in three games so far, and Shahril, overseeing back-to-back clean sheets, becoming influential players in their respective positions. It is also heartening to see that our good performances so far have come from a core group of players who were involved in the initial set-up when we first joined the league. The definition of 'good' in our performances is debatable but there is definitely a sense of strong team spirit and a willingness to progress together as a group based on our three matches so far. Let's keep the games rolling, the wins coming, the style going and the team playing!

Akim

El Toreno 5-a-side Futsal Men's Challenge

2010-06-25T11:52:00.002+08:00

Originally posted here

What: El Toreno 5-a-side Futsal Men's Challenge
website
When: Saturday, 26 June 2010, 9am to 1pm
Where: East Coast Park cage, located at East Coast Beach, directly opposite Long Beach Restaurant & Burger King.
Number of person per team: 6 to 8
Price per team: S$80
Minimum fee per player: S$10
Map
Map 2

Kambing FC Azzurri
8. Akim Baggio (capt)
1. Bay Buffon (GK)
5. Calvin Cannavaro
12. Rashid Zambrotta
15. Rafi Pepe
10. Ken Aguero
11. Naren Muller
17. Karim Benzema

Kambing FC Oranje
23. Rafeeq van Persie (capt)
1. Wilson Casillas (GK)
3. Kevin Heitinga
19. Yazier De Jong
18. Shiva Elia
25. Helmi Sneijder
7. Farhan van der Vaart
21. Syed Haminuddin Kuyt
Let's have fun!

akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-06-23T08:54:00.001+08:00

Sunday 27 June
HUAT FC vs Kambing FC - Mayflower Sec 3pm
Osiris FC vs Forza Ze East
Team Tsubasa vs Redbacks Football Club
Unido FC vs Kentridge Rangers

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match97: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 2 vs Unido FC 2-0 win

2010-06-20T19:19:00.019+08:00

HT: 1-0 FT: 2-0
Scorers (assists)
Imran (Omar)
Azman (Akim)
Man Of The Match
Akim (9) - doing a very good job past two games in central midfield
Imran (5) - scored one and led the attack well
Shahril (1) - defensive colossus and immense player
Yellow card:
Rashid (2nd half)

Wilson (GK)

Rashid - Shahril - Azmi - Fazli

Kelvin - Azman - Akim - Shafi

Omar

Imran

Subs:
Firdaus Masdar
Farid
Huang
Karim

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Kambing FC fought hard to gain a 2-0 win over Unido FC, who was another promotee from Div 4, in a game played on the grassy turf of Damai Sec. This was our 2nd win on the trot. We did not quite play to the potential we showed last week but I was delighted with the voices within the team throughout, who made it clear they wanted a win too. The rare clean sheet was a fine bonus.

Shahril was a welcome commander in defence, in the surprise absence of Calvin, who up till now has not made clear the reason for his absence. Helmi, Farhan, Rafeeq, Mubarak and Azhari all were supposed to feature as well but for various reasons, in their place, a flurry of late call-ups ensured we had a variety of substitutes in reserve.

With the enforced absences, we started with Imran and Omar in attack and it paid instant dividends when both combined for Imran to score the opening goal early on. I won an header in the center circle from their goal-kick and found Omar. Omar took a couple of steps forward with the ball and picked out Imran on the left side inside the penalty box. Imran was strong enough to maintain his composure and prodded the ball past the GK. Good movement by Imran off the ball just then.

We were not able to stamp our authority however and Unido FC made it tough for us. Two opponents free-kicks in succession around our box were not dispatched on target. As Shahril rightly remarked during the game, we were not pacing ourselves, and while we tried to retain possession like in the previous game, both teams were scrapping it out for the ball in the first half in search of attacking impetus. It was quite end-to-end stuffs from both teams with Wilson having a pair of safe hands in goal.

We did enjoy rare spells of prolonged possession. One move saw Imran combining with Omar again that began in our half. In a controversial phase of play, Imran was tussling with his marker who was the last man. Imran was then hacked down just outside the box and though I am not one to call for yellow cards, we were all surprised that the defender was let off lightly. From the subsequent free-kick, I blazed my shot not far wide of the goal.

Another well-worked attack involving Shafi and Azman on our left flank deep inside the opponents' half led to another chance for me outside the box. Again, my shot from range was not far of the mark. We were also unjustly ruled out for offside on two occasions, another referee having a bad game in my opinion. Wilson was a virtual spectator in the first half as a few opponent shots failed to test our GK.

The second half was a brighter one for Unido FC. They had much more clear-cut chances but poor finishing and luck on our side kept the same 1-0 scoreline. Our defence and Wilson played their part in making it just that bit harder for the opponents to strike cleanly on target. That is not to say we rode our luck, various forays forwards had our opponents' back against the wall. Fazli's famed long throw-ins were on display once in the first half and a few times in the second half too.

Instructions for Kelvin to play off their last man was a strategy which almost led to one bright chance but broken down easily. I then had my third shot of the game, when back to goal, the GK had to make a save from my Henry-like effort. Huang also saw his header from Fazli's corner flashed over the bar.

After a reshuffle in defence that featured Imran and Shahril for the first time ever, Azman was called upon to lead the line and carried on where Kelvin had left off. The pressure was finally off when a superb build-up led to Azman scoring the all-important killer goal late in the match.

I won the ball in midfield in our half, and passed it to Fazli at right-back. Fazli knocked it forward to Huang on the right flank and I continued my run to receive Huang's nicely-weighted lobbed pass in stride. Chesting it down, I surged forward into the penalty box with the ball, and beat my marker. The ball took a fortunate deflection between his legs but through on goal now, I laid the ball across the 6-yards area for Azman who tapped in from close range.

The win ensured a fine start to our season so far. There are plenty of games to be played obviously but having won two games in Jekyll-and-Hyde manner, through patient possession, like last week, or by scrapping it out, like today, we could finally instill a newfound belief in keeping our lead. It also bodes well we have scored early in both matches, which gives us the initiative to play our game. The voices of leaders on the pitch today, such as Shahril's, serve to remind us that we cannot be complacent while at it.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-06-16T08:40:00.005+08:00

Sunday 20 June
Unido FC vs Kambing FC - Damai Sec 3pm
HUAT FC vs Kentridge Rangers
Redbacks Football Club vs Forza Ze East

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match96: D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 match 1 vs Kentridge Rangers 3-2 win

2010-06-14T09:23:00.021+08:00

HT: 3-0 FT: 3-2
Scorers (assists)
Akim (Fazli)
Akim (Huang)
Farhan (Imran)
Man Of The Match
Akim (9) - two well-taken goals
Helmi (4)
Imran (4) - very crucial in the two positions he played in
Yellow card:
Fazli (2nd half)

Wilson (GK)

Imran - Calvin - Azmi - Fazli

Kelvin - Azman - Akim - Shafi

Helmi

Huang

Subs:
Mubarak
Omar
Rahman
Azhari
Rafeeq
Farhan

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Season 5 got underway this past Sunday for Kambing FC as we embarked on a third season with D2D. Our opponents were last season's Div 4 champions Kentridge Rangers, who are looking to build on their promotion with a good start. A light drizzle rendered a sleek and fast playing surface on an artificial pitch, promising an entertaining match. It did not disappoint as a total of five goals told a part of the story. I did feel trepidation at the prospect of a daunting game but with a strong squad at our disposal, I was excited as well to show that we can play well and we did.

In the opening minutes, we harried our opponents in their own half and showed determination to win the ball and a willingness to retain possession too. Fazli's long throws were a part of the game that we missed last season and the opening goal highlighted the reason why we did. I rose highest, not literally, among a sea of taller players to head Fazli's throw-in cross just past beyond the goalkeeper's reach to give us an early lead.

That helped to calm pre-match jitters and we got into a settled rhythm of winning and keeping the ball as our opponents look a little unsettled and unsure of themselves. Keeping the ball well was key to our second goal and it came shortly after the first.

From our defence, the ball found its way to Azman in the middle of the park. Spotting Huang's off-the ball run, he clipped the ball forward to our striker on the right flank. More off-the-ball runs from Shafi and myself gave Huang support, who did well to hold off his marker and cut back a pass across the penalty box. Shafi reacted first and as he shaped to shoot, the ball took a nick through his legs and I was fortunate to get the ball at my feet. I brushed past the only defender in my way and struck a low shot past the GK to give us a fairytale 2-0 lead.

Understandably, Kentridge Rangers tried to force their way back into the game. A poor referee's decision against the impressive Imran, who won the ball fairly, led to a free-kick in a dangerous position. Wilson could only palm the shot in front of him towards a couple of Kentridge Rangers players but the ball dropped awkwardly for one of them and he sliced his shot wide.

We then endured a phase of nervous defending when we lost the ball easily in critical areas of the pitch, and often when we looked at ease in possession of the ball. Fortunately, we were not duly troubled by the combination of our lazy passes and lack of communication. Our opponents looked laboured going forward but we were still shuffling our feet anxiously defending an individual opponent's dribble towards our goal.

Farhan made an immediate impact when he came on and extended KFC's lead to 3-0. Playing a one-two with Imran on the right flank, Farhan found himself just outside the box and with a quick turn, he struck a left-footed drive, by all accounts a wonderful strike, that gave the GK no chance.

Imran suffered a dead leg just before we go into half-time with an impressive lead. With minor changes, we made our intentions very clear to secure this result. Imran's injury was a concern but he was fit enough to carry on for the 2nd half.

We made it tough for ourselves after the restart when two quickfire goals narrowed the deficit to 3-2. Another solo dribble immediately had us on the backfoot. The opponent beat two men and finished off his dribble with a shot outside the box that creeped in past Wilson, who had been almost a spectator till then.

The opponents then gave themselves hope when they scored their second goal. An opponent throw-in from the left flank was met by Calvin who unfortunately headed it through the hands of a surprised Wilson into his own goal.

The sudden shift of events leading to the narrow scoreline set the tone for the second half of the match. We had to defend stoutly now while juggling our own offensive duties. We were still anxious and delayed in releasing the ball, often unnecessarily. When we did pass it around, we lacked composure individually and an opponent pressure caused us to lose the ball.

Overall, we did well to maintain our now slender lead as Azman prominently came to the fore in the second half. His link-up plays between defence and attack was pivotal to our strategy as he continually found space in midfield. With the ball at his feet, he was adept at holding it up and spreading the play with his distribution. Our midfield and attack decently played their parts to at least made our opponents worked as equally hard in the attacking half.

Although we lacked either panache or pragmatism in the final third, having had no clear sight of goal for the early part of the half, our opponents were not threatening us either. Tiring legs gave way to fresh ones, Imran in particular, as ever, was a key cog in midfield and later in defence. We finally gained a more assured foothold as the game opened up for a nail-biting finish. We tried to score the crucial fourth goal against a visibly tightened defence but it did not matter. We continued to retain possession very well, impressively even, to sew up the game with our first points of the season.

Before the game, I told the team to make off-the-ball runs to support a team-mate in possession, a basic foundation really, but ineffective unless it is practiced. Hopefully, we can score more similar goals this season while it is also important that we work on such movements on the other areas of the pitch as well.

While we continue to learn to retain possession, which we admirably succeeded in the game, composure is something only an individual can build on his own. In a collective sense, I hope we can built on it by playing together more often this season. Defending is not our strongest suit, shown again when the opponents scored their first goal, but I was pleased that we at least showed glimpses of improvement. Calvin and Azmi, back together after some time away, may lack for pace, but with strengths in their own right, I hope that we can built the defence around them together with Shahril this season.

Akim
*****
Kambing FC started its first league game in our 3rd season in the D2D league. Coming up against last season division 4 champions, we were slightly uncertain of what to expect as we have never seen them play before and they were only “placed” in the 4th division upon their own request. Though there was a slight drizzle before, the game was allowed to carry on as the artificial pitch held on well.

Wilson started the GK, Imran, Calvin, Azmi and Fazli made up the back four, Kelvin, Azman, Akim and Shafi were in midfield, while Helmi played in a withdrawn striker/playmaker role just behind Huang. KFC started impressively, eager to assert ourselves on the opponents and make a good start to the season. Helmi in particular was extremely lively in his playmaking role, running at Kentridge’s defence as well as pouncing on loose balls in the 3rd quarter of the pitch. Shafi and Huang were put through by Helmi’s probing passes but were both denied by the opposition’s keeper who was quick off his line to clear any danger. KFC’s defence too held out well in the face of the opposition’s quick attacks and direct running. The fact that the opponents’ were less keen to play high balls probably played into our hands as we were able to cope quite comfortably with their passing.

An attack down the left brought KFC a throw in which was taken by Fazli. His famed long throws were always a great weapon for KFC and this proved to be another one of it. Fazli’s throw was again long and straight into the opponent’s penalty area, and Akim escaped his marker and was quickest to it, glancing a header to the bottom of the goal, leaving Kentridge’s keeper with no chance at all. His celebration following the goal showed how much Akim was determined to do well in our first game and was also a good recovery after his self-claimed bad performance last week. Save for a few forages forward by Kentridge, KFC was still controlling the game quite comfortably. Our 2nd goal soon arrived as good passing down the right by Huang, Helmi and Imran saw the ball break for Akim in the penalty area. After having his first shot blocked, Akim reacted fastest again and was able to squeeze his shot into goal. We were now cruising and started to fall back and absorb the opposition’s attacks while waiting for opportunities to launch our own counters.

The substitutions then took place as Azhari and Farhan made long awaited returns to the team. Both were soon in the thick of things as Azhari pulled the strings in midfield while Farhan troubled the opponent’s defense with his intelligent running and skill. The 3rd goal came inevitably through Farhan. Receiving the ball with his back to goal, he turned and shot in one swift motion. The ball looped over Kentridge’s keeper and nestled into the back of the net, it was truly a goal of great quality. Near the end of the 1st half, Imran was hurt as the opponent’s striker banged into his thigh while challenging for a high ball. That was the last action of the half as KFC went into the break with a 3-0 lead.

However, that lead was probably too much for our own good as Kentridge raced to score 2 quick goals upon the resumption of the 2nd half. The first was scored after their striker managed to dribble his way to the edge of our penalty area and placed a shot beyond the grasp of Wilson. The second was an unfortunate own goal, which came off the head of Calvin and slipped thru Wilson’s hands.

With their confidence now back, Kentridge were sensing a fightback and began to press harder but it was during this period of time when KFC’s fighting spirit and teamwork shone brightest. Everyone were pulling in the same direction, be it shouting and warning each other of pressure from opponents, tracking back to help out the defence or making off the ball runs. Azman was particularly impressive as he did an excellent job in his holding midfield role, keeping possession of the ball and redistributing it intelligently.

The last few moments of the game was end to end stuff as Kentridge tried their darndest to score their equalizer while KFC looked to expose their holes in defense to score a game killing 4th goal. Solid defending ensured neither side were able to score again as the game ended 3-2. A hard earn victory but one which showed KFC has moved on in leaps and bounds in term of unity and teamwork.

Kelvin
*****
It has became somewhat of a tradition in KFC to underperform at the start of the new season. Though we managed to scrap in a 3-2 victory this time around against Kent Ridge Rangers who steamrolled past the Division 4 'also-rans' last season, our performance was just barely adequate. Having placed ourselves in a comfortable position with a 3-0 lead early on in the game, we somehow let KRR creep in back into a game.

KFC got off to a flyer early on in the game with two quick goals form Akim. I couldn't recollect what happened that led to the first goal as i was far away from action then (and also due to the mass of players in the KRR box of a cross in, which i later found out was a throw from Fazli), but the reaction of the players, referee and the spectators reaffirmed my conviction to what i thought i just saw- a goal. Akim, amongst the crowd managed to get on the end of the throw-in to put us one up. The second goal from KFC came from the same player, whose good movements resulted in him being well placed enough to strike past the opposing GK after a blitz attack down their left flank.

Being two goals down, KRR stepped up their game and they almost got lucky. They almost capitalized after receiving a fortuitous free kick in a dangerous position, when Wilson met the initial free kick with a palm down, which surprised everyone including the three KRR player ready to pounce but luckily enough for us the ball bounced off the unsuspecting KRR attacker's shin to agonizingly whiz just a few inches wide off Wilson's right post. We were lucky to still maintain our two goal lead. Our first round of substitutions took place, and i was a bit reluctant to replace Akim then, knowing that i would be off pace in a quick game that was played that day.

The impact of Farhan's introduction was almost immediate. His first touch of the game was to receive a Huang lay off on the edge of he box, turn and then place it exquisitely beyond the reach of the KRR Gk's left and into the net. It was a goal that screamed 'Farhan' all over. I however was having a torrid time in midfield.

The second half of the game saw Lady Luck switch sides and KFC succumbed to two weakly defended goals. The first was engineered via their left flank, and as their winger broke away, I tried to close him down. He still managed to centre the ball ahead of the run of a deep KRR player with Azman hot on his heels. Alas, both missed the ball altogether and as the ball landed to the KRR right winger. He then threaded it back to their striker who squirmed and squeezed in a shot amidst the attention of our players which trickled past Wilson. 3-1.

They came back into the game through the most bizarre of goals, when on the right-most edge of the six yard box, Calvin attempted to head away a seemingly tame throw-in only to find his header to trace the ball a path to elude Wilson's grasp and into the back of the net. A bizarre goal, but it is still a goal nonetheless. KRR cheered at being allowed a hand back into the game amidst the disgust of some KFC players. KRR began to press on for the equalizer, and it was this time that the KFC players had to make themselves counted. Azman and Helmi, my MoM for the game stepped up well to meet the challenge in midfield and the whole team started to reclaim lost ground. It was only during this time that i managed to give my only meaningful contributions to the team, having took so long to warm up to the game.

Our fight to hold our position was carried on by the second round of players, and we needed to muster up as much spirit to neuter the momentum and new found belief of the KRR team. We met the KRR intrusions with a brave and resolute defence made impossible without the excellent individual and team interventions to thwart KRR advances. In the end we pulled through to record our first victory for the new season taking into heart that we rose up to finish the job that we could have made so much easier.

Rahman

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3

2010-06-11T21:04:00.003+08:00

Sunday 13 June
Kentridge Rangers vs Kambing FC - Orchid Park Sec 5pm
Unido FC vs Huat FC
Redbacks FC vs Osiris FC
Team Tsubasa vs Forza Ze East

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

match95: 6 June 10 vs. Muhammad's team (blue) @ Fuchun Sec 0-4 loss

2010-06-08T18:02:00.003+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-4
Scorers (assists)
-
Yellow card:
-

Wilson (GK)

Mubarak - Calvin - Azmi - Firdaus

Kelvin - Azman - Rahman - Imran - Helmi

Huang

Subs:
Andrew
Fazli
Omar
Ken
Akim
Rafeeq
After a two weeks' absence, we are at it again and will be playing in our 3rd league season with D2D. I myself feel rejuvenated and in this only pre-season friendly, there is, as ever, room for improvement.

We welcomed back Azmi to the fold, who recently finished his national service and Fazli, who returned from injury. When Andrew made his debut as well, we could say we have made two signings in central defence. If Fazli can also stay fit, we will all be much the better team for the new season too.

Firul has announced his retirement from the game because of an aggravated ankle injury while Muhammad, the best player in KFC's history, the stats speak for themselves, has rejoined his former team.

This heavy defeat again exposed our defensive frailties with Wilson unable to do much to keep out all 4 goals. We conceded an easy goal from a corner which Muhammad was able to turn into the net from close range.

Another set piece, from a throw-in this time, could and should have been cleared convincingly at the first instance. However, Muhammad was able to pounce with a brilliant feint to deceive his marker and drove home a fierce shot past Wilson off the post. Already, we look to have missed Muhammad already.

Rahman conjured up the highlight of the match with a brilliant dribble as he took on three men and found himself through towards our opponent's goal. Unfortunately, he was unceremoniously hacked just outside the penalty box and Ken's freekick could only struck the wall.

We were not able to impose ourselves and at 0-2 down going into the half-time break, we certainly made it more difficult for ourselves to put up a stronger fight. However, there was a marked improvement in our aggression and willingness to attack our opponents in the second half.

Our opponents were looking very sharp in attack and were clearly the better team. Numerous chances went begging as the wingers had our full-backs in twists and knots. Our attack was quite toothless and we miserably failed to test the GK. There was some invention at times, Helmi in particular looking to fill the void Muhammad left us, but our opponents were defending quite resolutely.

They finally made their pressure count with yet another goal from a set-piece. The cross was floated towards the far post and despite man-marking our two opponents there, one of them was still able to head in the cross past our custodian.

Our opponents then rounded off the match with a well-worked 4th goal. The play started from their left and a sudden switch in play to the right found our left-back isolated with two opponents. The shot across goal was a fantastic finish indeed.

We were still smiling after the game, glad to have some match fitness back at least after at least two weeks of absence. It was a disappointing result definitely, so we will hope to kick off the new season with a good performance to spur us to greater heights.

Akim

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Semi-final

2010-06-07T21:21:00.000+08:00

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Semi-final.

RESULTS/STRUCTURE OF LEAGUE CUP DRAW (SUN 3/5 LEAGUE)

Final:
Team BI vs 1980s United FC

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5 Division 3 - June Fixtures

2010-06-06T15:06:00.004+08:00

13 June 2010 @ 5pm @ Orchid Park Sec: Kentridge Rangers
20 June 2010 @ 3pm @ Damai Sec: Unido FC
27 June 2010 @ 3pm @ Mayflower Sec: Huat FC

Akim

A word from our organizers.

2010-06-05T10:58:00.005+08:00

The new season is less than 10 days away and the D2D's management is truly excited about it!

This season has drawn a total of 41 teams and 5 divisions-- a reflection of D2D's League steady growth over the past 2 years. There are 12 new teams joining our league, out which have came over from other leagues too.

League and Cup format
The tournament will run on a league system, home and away games. There will also be a Cup game tournament where teams from the 5 divisions will be drawn in a group system of 3 or 4. Only the group champions will qualify automatically together with the best 3 runners- up teams to the last 16 knock-out stage. This is very similar to season's 4 format.

League Games
The total number of league games are between 14-16 games (estimated time is between 16-18 weeks, depending on the weather)

Cup Games
The total number of Cup games is 7 if a team reaches the final. For the 1st round group stage, every team will play is 2 games.

Total weeks for completion of season 5: ( 22- 25 weeks)

Important Dates to Remember:
1. Fasting month for our Muslim teams begin : (August 8th - September 9th)
Akim: We will play our games at 5pm. No games from last week of puasa till 3rd week Raya
2. Hari Raya Puasa ( 10th September)
3. Deepavali (5th November)
4. Christmas day (25th December)

Here are the 41 teams:

DIV 1
1. TEAM BI
2. THE OC
3. FC SIMPANG
4. FC TEMPASTELLA
5. APEX RANGERS
6. TEAM KANGTAO ( formerly known as OOGLEEEE BOYS)
7. NEW EASTROIDS FC
8. HOLLAND PARK XI

DIV 2
1. 1980 UTD FC
2. SAMALONGKOK
3. PERSTIGIO
4. INDUSTMARINE FOOTBALL
5. RAVEN
6. KB UTD
7. MACHEDA
8. RENAISSANCE

DIV 3
1. HUAT FC
2. TEAM TUSBASA
3. UNIDO FC
4. REDBACKS FC
5. KAMBING FC
6. FZE
7. KENTRIDGE RANGERS
8. OSIRIS FC

DIV 4
1. SS
2. WOODLANDVISTA WV
3. GENESIS
4. AC TEAM
5. VIPERS SOCIAL
6. SCARCOFAGO
7. ULTRAS
8. ISHKAWA FC (FORMER ESPZEN TEAM)
9. MACSTERS FT

DIV 5
1. GLOBAL ALUMNI
2. VILLAGERS FC
3. COCHISE KINGS (FORMER EFL TEAM)
4. THE OUTSIDERS (FORMER NWSS TEAM)
5. LUCHAZ LOCOS
6. INGLOURIOUS CF
7. FAT UNCLE UNITED (FORMER ESPZEN TEAM)
8. FLAMBOYANT ESPERADOS

Good luck to all teams!
Thank you.
--
Best Regards,
D2D Management
D2D Enterprises
http://d2dsports.com

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3 review

2010-05-31T10:57:00.010+08:00

After slightly a year of friendly matches, we finally decided to take the step to participate in a league at D2D's invitation in April 2009. The main objective was to have fun and give it a go as best as we could. In Division 4, our rookie season saw us finished in a creditable 4th place. That, in itself, did not warrant us automatic promotion but as some teams above us dropped out or in one case, dropped down, from the entire league, we were promoted to Division 3 this season that began in October 2009.

The promotion did not faze me. I was nervous but looking forward to playing against what we would naturally perceive to be stronger teams. Looking at the players we have and from our spirited performances in our rookie league season, I am sure most of us would agree we only needed strengthening in defence, which has more or less proven to be our downfall this season.

However, for most of our matches, we did not have the ideal strongest starting lineup. That is not an excuse for our eventual relegation. However, I am always one in favour of the spirit of competition. What is the point of turning up each week for a match only to get beaten down. It would not only be bad for team morale but our opponents would not have their money's worth. Nevertheless, we were not thumped badly and in fact, we ran it close in some matches too. Schoolboy defending, to say the least, undid us. More on that later.

October/November 2009: Our 2nd season in the 4th of its kind started with a record-equalling 5 game losing streak including one in a friendly that began with Sarcofargo (0-2). Ultras (1-2) and Forza Ze East (1-3) were our next league opponents and defensive calamities were starting to take shape. Kelvin was our first league scorer with a stunning effort against Ultras. Bay suffered a recurrence of his shoulder injury in the latter game and this was his first of only three games for the entire season. The next match marked the gap between the best and the worst in the division as 1980s gave us a footballing lesson in a 2-6 defeat.

December 2009: The unwanted streak was finally snapped with a morale-boosting draw when we fought from 0-2 against Samalongkok to snatch our first league point. Kelvin narrowed the scoreline with another contender for the goal of the season, finishing off a brilliant team move. Farhan secured the comeback with the last touch of the match via a header. Muhammad continued his fine form from last season and had a hand in both goals. We then began our first cup tie in a unique qualifying campaign in our first group match against Div 2's FC Tempastella. Despite having numerical superiority, we failed to capitalize in a high-scoring 4-4 draw. Back to the league, and we finally got our first win. This time, we made our numerical superiority count against Ultras in a 6-2 victory. Having scored in his last two games, Farhan made history when he became the 1st player to score two hat-tricks.

January 2010: We started the New Year in a 3-3 draw in a friendly. In the next game against Redbacks, Danial made his debut in goal and impressed. We could only draw 1-1 despite taking the lead. On the back of a five game unbeaten run, with one win in that sequence, we faced the second of the title favourites against Tohari Paijan's Total Football. Despite a superb defensive performance by the entire team led by Danial and Imran, we finally broke down to narrowly lose 0-1. We then played Div 4's Casanova XI in the final game of the qualifying cup competition. Due to its format, with all due respect to our opponents, we had to score big and hope that FC Tempastella did not outscore us so as to automatically qualify for the 2nd round. However, we could only secured a 2-1 victory, yours truly grabbing his only goal of the season to net the winner. Casanova XI did very well to raise their game and we may have a good game should we face each other in the new season. We would still qualify for the 2nd round of the cup competition by being one of the four 2nd-best placed teams. The month ended in a 2-4 defeat against Macheda, the last of the 3 automatic promotees from last season, the other two being champions Samalongkok and 3rd-placed Ultras.

February 2010: The pin finally dropped when we claimed our first and only major scalp against the then 3rd-placed team Industmarine Football. Having fallen behind in the first half, we clawed back to win 2-1. Another friendly win on Valentine's Day meant we were on a fine form of 3 wins in 4 games. The reverse fixture against Redbacks turned out to be a farcical affair for me personally. For the first game in a long time, we had a line-up with no substitutes. In a deja-vu like game, we led again only to be denied victory by Redback's wonderful equalizer as we shared the spoils. Having managed most of our games, it has been a tedious affair to get our players to commit early but never have I felt the tediousness until this game. The feeling did not go up till the final game of the season. The draw against Redbacks also virtually sealed our relegation.

March 2010: The title race was getting tighter with each week that goes by as we found ourselves in an admirable position to play the top 6 teams in the 2nd half of the season. That was motivation enough for me. However, 3 consecutive losses to genuine title challengers (1-2 to Macheda, 0-2 to Samalongkok, 1-3 to 1980s United FC) again highlighted the gap in quality between the best and worst of the division. The plus point was that Shahril made his comeback after a 6-month school trip in Norway in the game against 1980s.

April 2010: We put some distance to cement our 10th placing out of 12th with a convincing 3-0 victory against Sarcofargo. This was also our first clean sheet in a while, in which Danial kept goal. However, another disappointing turnout for the 2nd round cup game at KB United (1-2), including the lack of a goalkeeper, made it a one-sided affair. Two glaring errors by me, standing in goal yet again, meant we exit the tournament on a limp and further cemented our need for a true goalkeeper. We ended the month with another entertaining draw (3-3), this time against Forza Ze East which featured Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza. Not being starstruck, we should have won the game but Danial's rare mistake meant the points were undeservedly shared.

May 2010: We had another less than sterling turnout against Total Football. Under sweltering heat conditions, we lost 0-3, but it was the form of the returning Wilson in goal that kept the scoreline down. I, for one, am looking forward to see him in the team more often next season. We then played in a friendly loss against an alumni Victoria JC team that saw us feature with 3 debutants before ending the season in another loss that was riddled with more defensive mistakes against Industmarine Football (0-3).

This has been the toughest set of games for Kambing FC ever since we were founded over 3 years ago. We were guilty of conceding far too many goals from defensive, suicidal lapses. I wonder if the games would have been tighter if we had not been so prone to unconvincing defending. Having played in all but one of our games, I struggle to recall more than two or three well-worked goals created by an opponent, apart from both games against 1980s. Our opponents took their chances, no doubt about it, yet we will try to curb our kamikaze defending next time around. Watertight defence is definitely high on the agenda.

It is perhaps an encouraging sign that we had failed to score in only 5 of the 21 games we had played, the last two being non-consequential, typically end of the season drab affairs. As for the individual players, Muhammad was again the main player for us, top scoring with 7 goals, assisting 7 others and collecting 3 man-of-the-match accolades to complete another all-around footballer's performance. His future is uncertain at this juncture as his old team has reformed but in light of the expected standard of competition in the new season, I feel we can put up a far better fight this time around. I do not regret us competing in Div 3 but I do regret we did not have our best players for most of the games.

Far too often, I feel I have not quite had the support from our main players but I can understand the lifestyle, commitments and responsibilities of a young adult, having gone through the phase myself. I was, however, very pleased I could rely on a number of other players who have been with us almost from day one including the likes of Karim, Kevin and Firdaus Masdar. I hope they can continue to be a part of the team and I am inclined to give them more opportunities next season. We have also got a raw potential in Karim's younger brother, Farid, who is the youngest ever player to play for Kambing FC at the age of 15, and has acquitted well with the demands of playing with much older boys and men. Shiva, who made his debut this season, was another potential gem but he had gone off the boil without notice.

I have felt my age this past year and not merely to the headache from managing the team. However, I aim to start the new season, which expands to 5 division, with fresh vigour and perhaps fresh perspective. We have now acclimatized to two seasons of league football and perhaps, it is time the team take brand, new steps forward in terms of progression. I do expect some rebuilding process but on the whole, I hope that we have the core players still available for the team.

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3 - The Final Stats

2010-05-31T08:25:00.000+08:00

~Roll of Honour~
Best Player: Muhammad
Best GK: Danial
Best Def: Akim
Best Mid: Helmi
Best Str: Farhan
Top Goalscorer: Muhammad
Top Assistant: Muhammad

Kambing FC in D2D Sunday 3/5pm League

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3 - The Final Stats

2010-05-31T07:06:00.002+08:00

League results

1980s United FC were finally crowned the Div 3 champions following last Sunday's latest fixtures following many weeks of tight ping-pong action at the top of the table that saw multiple leaders throughout the season. Congratulations!

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: table standings

Akim

El Toreno 5-a-side Futsal Men's Challenge update

2010-05-26T22:21:00.007+08:00

Originally posted here

When: Saturday, 26 June 2010, 9am to 5pm
Where: East Coast Park cage
Number of person per team: 6 to 8
Price per team: S$80
Minimum fee per player: S$10

List of players so far:
1. Wilson
2. Bay
3. Akim
4. Calvin
5. Rashid
6. Yazier
7. Kevin
8. Kelvin
9. Rafeeq
10. Helmi
11. Karim

Please make the necessary arrangements to turn up on that day. Minimum fee per player is S$10 if we can have 16 players on that day! It will be more if there are lesser players. Players not part of the list, you can still message me at 9363 0254, if you can make yourself available. Thanks.

akim

League of Champions

2010-05-25T09:37:00.000+08:00

Source: footballopod

Introducing a Champions League-style for the best amateur league teams in Singapore.

akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3

2010-05-24T11:08:00.011+08:00

League results

D2D has confirmed our relegation in this article though, as with our promotion last season, I wish we had been told before it was set in stone. Nevertheless, as the article correctly pointed out, we will regroup for the new season, which will expand with a 5th division.

Having had a good taste of Div 4 in our rookie season, I am hopeful we will provide stiffer competition, as I feel we had last time around, as compared to in Div 3. It was a shame we were not able to prove our mettle in Div 3, as there were far too many chop and changes to the squad compared to the one we mainly had in Div 4. We were therefore not able to build on the potential I feel we had shown.

On the title front, I would say it has been a privilege to be part of a closely-fought league, what more to play against the teams involved. At this closing stage of the season, following last Sunday's results, there is still no clear winner. It has certainly been one of the closest title race I have witnessed or be a part of; a unique trend seen this year in Europe top leagues.

Heads up, then. There is work to be done again as the senior heads in the squad will look around and see what we have to push forward in our 3rd season with D2D league.

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: table standings

Akim

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Semi-final

2010-05-24T11:05:00.001+08:00

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Semi-final.

RESULTS/STRUCTURE OF LEAGUE CUP DRAW (SUN 3/5 LEAGUE)

Final:
1. Team BI vs Samalongkok or 1980s United FC

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 5

2010-05-24T10:52:00.011+08:00

Source: d2dsports

Introducing a new division.

akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3 Match 18 vs Industmarine Football 0-3 loss

2010-05-18T09:26:00.004+08:00

HT: 0-2 FT: 0-3
Scorers (assists)
-
Man Of The Match
Farid (4) - held up very well, simply amazing to play in a back 3 for his age
Akim (3) - one lapse but all the way sound for a makeshift keeper
Muhammad (1) - fought well in midfield
Omar (1) - mesmerizing dribble and quick feet
Shahril (1)
Syafiq (1)
Yellow card:
Omar (1st half)

Akim (GK)

Shafi - Azman - Rahman - Farid

Ken - Muhammad - Huang - Omar

Kelvin - Syafiq

Subs:
Firul
Shahril

Kambing FC suffered a disappointing loss that finally rounded up an even more disappointing campaign, to say the very least. With Sarcofargo looking increasingly unlikely to overtake us in the table, where we sit 3rd from bottom, a promotion/relegation playoff match looms in the next one month or so against the 3rd placed team in Division 4. Still, that match may not be necessary as we may yet stay on in Division 3 in the event that teams above us opt out of the league altogether. Having said that, staying on may not in our best interest too as I feel we should have our best team in the spirit of competition, something we have failed to do for the majority of this season.

Again, we did not have our strongest starting lineup, especially in defence. I started in goal again. Two key defenders came late, but had informed me early, while another bubbled yet again without reason. That meant Rahman and Azman started in central defence.

It was Rahman who became the focus of attention when the right winger stole the ball from him deep in our penalty box. The opponent passed it back towards the edge of the box where his teammate await. With our defence haplessly caught in a shamble, the opponent picked his spot with a first time shot to give IF the lead.

I managed to save an opponent shot, which looks good on video, and the crossbar and upright saved us on two other occasions but a second defensive error, this time by me, led to the 2nd goal for IF. I misjudged the pace of the opponent long ball and though his teammate closed down on me, I still should have made what was a routine save. Instead, I could only get my fingertips on the ball and the opponent got a lucky break as the ball bounced for him to tap it into an empty net.

We started the second half with a risky 3-5-2 formation as Shahril finally arrived. For a while, the move looks to be paying dividends especially when Huang came very close to pulling a goal back. A cross from the left flank was floated in nicely but Huang could not get a substantially decisive touch.

As the match wore on, IF looked dangerous on the counter-attacks and we rode our luck. Yet, we also failed to muster any other significant threats on the opponents' goal. IF were compact in defence and outmuscled us throughout.

IF finally got their 3rd goal after a costly defensive miscommunication between Firul and me. Each expected the other to deal with the loose ball. An opponent, who had tracked the flight of the long ball together with Firul, took advantage of the miscommunication to kick the ball past me into an empty net yet again to complete the rout.

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Div 3

2010-05-11T22:27:00.001+08:00

Sms coming soon.

Sunday 16 May
Industmarine Football vs Kambing FC - Deyi Sec 3pm
Samalongkok vs FZE
Total Football vs Macheda
1980s Utd FC vs Sarcofargo

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Q-final

2010-05-10T13:48:00.000+08:00

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup Q-final.

RESULTS/STRUCTURE OF LEAGUE CUP DRAW (SUN 3/5 LEAGUE)

S-final line-up:
1. Holland Park XI vs Team BI
2. Samalongkok vs 1980s United FC

Akim

match93: 9 May 2010 vs. Victoria Alumni team (yellow/orange) @ Victoria School 1-3 loss

2010-05-09T21:29:00.002+08:00

HT: 1-1 FT: 1-3
Scorers (assists)
Yongsheng (Huang)
Yellow card:
-

Wilson (GK)

Shafi - Rashid - Shahril - Akim

Omar - Huang - Muhammad - Rafeeq

Yongsheng - Jurino

Subs:
Farid
Salleh
Sham
Karim
Farhan

Having played more games than most teams in the D2D league, Kambing FC took a league break to play this friendly on an excellently laid-out turf at Victoria School. Our opponents were an alumni Victorian team. The expected recall of our main players did not materialize as we handed debuts to 3 players instead. Still, we managed to field a familiar starting line-up apart from debutant Jurino and Yongsheng who made his 5th consecutive appearance.

Both teams started cagily having never faced the other before. We started to gear ourselves up however and Huang almost broke his goalscoring drought when his header from Omar's corner thundered off the crossbar. Huang was again the main perpetrator as his assist for Yongsheng gave KFC the lead. Huang made a similar wonderful dribble to the one against Total Football but it was towards and inside the penalty box this time as he cut back a pass for Yongsheng. Yongsheng matched Huang's superb work with an excellent piece of footwork to elude his marker and smashed a powerful shot into the top corner of the net to score his 1st goal for the team.

That goal should have allowed us to control the game as our opponents were still looking unsure but they found a second wind instead. Looking dangerous on the counter-attack, our opponents had us scrambling defensively at times although clear-cut chances were at a premium. We were struggling to find an attacking groove ourselves as some dodgy refereeing had us scratching our heads to say the least. When we conceded the equalizer, it came unnaturally. Wilson got his hands to an indirect freekick that would have been disallowed if he had let the ball sail past him. As laws of the game go, however, the goal stood. Wilson, at the same time, would have been disappointed with failing to catch the ball at the least. The fresh faces were also introduced to the game with Sham in particular looking like a real deal. Yet we could have found ourselves 1-2 down just before half-time but the opponent could only struck his shot straight at Wilson and his follow-up sailed over the bar.

The second half saw more questionable refereeing decisions but we had enough chances to kill off the game too. Yongsheng could have scored his 2nd goal when a Farhan low cross was drilled across the goal. Our burly striker could only astonishingly shoot over the bar. KFC could blame themselves when the opponents took the lead. Rashid had ill-judgedly decided to let a loose punt go over his head for Wilson to collect. He failed to track the run of the intended recipient however and Wilson was caught in no man's land as the said opponent headed a looping header over our custodian. Credit to the opponent who continued his run but it was far too soft a goal for us to concede.

Omar could have levelled the score when his pressure caused the GK to be caught in possession inside his own box following a backpass. The opponents manage to recover as Omar failed to capitalize. The match was effectively over when the opponents scored their third goal from a corner. Indecisive defending at the near post allowed the ball to be granted a free pass across goal to an opponent who took it first time to drill his shot into the roof of the net.

It was a disappointing result that was equally frustrating due to some of the referee's decisions. Nevertheless, we could and should have taken the game by the scruff of the neck, having had some good chances to score. Still, given the circumstances of a team that is recalling certain players who have been out of the game recently, it was nice to see some backbone of the team back and also the new faces as well. Special mention has to be given to 16 year old Farid, the youngest ever player for the team, who is making progress at left-back and defended well today. Huang too has added a newfound knack of dribbling with the ball past a few players in back-to-back games and assisted our goal today.

Akim

D2D Sunday League Cup 2nd round

2010-05-03T15:05:00.000+08:00

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup 2nd round.

RESULTS/STRUCTURE OF LEAGUE CUP DRAW (SUN 3/5 LEAGUE)

Q-final line-up:
1. Industmarine Football vs Holland Park XI
2. KB United vs Team BI
3. FC Simpang vs Samalongkok
4. 1980s United FC vs The OC

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3 Match 17 vs Total Football 0-3 loss

2010-05-03T12:01:00.009+08:00

HT: 0-1 FT: 0-3
Scorers (assists)
-
Man Of The Match
Firul (6) - Mr Consistency
Wilson (3) - returned to action with a marvellous display to keep the score down
Akim (2) - good command of the defense line
Yellow card:
-

Wilson (GK)

Mubarak - Akim - Firul - Helmi

Ken - Huang - Muhammad - Desmond (debut)

Yongsheng - Farhan

Subs:
Kevin

Kambing FC were brushed aside in a lopsided match as we confirmed our relegation / promotion match with a Div 4 team at most. Despite that, we again gave a very good account of ourselves to restrict the league leaders to a single goal for a long period in the match with Wilson in particularly inspiring form on his return in goal. Farhan and myself spurned great chances to equalize but TF pulled away to score the crucial 2nd goal late in the second half and added gloss to make it 0-3 in the closing minutes.

A starting line-up with ten men including debutant Desmond and a half-fit Helmi endured a dominant TF performance that was as composed in possession as they had been in our previous narrow 0-1 defeat. Endurance was the word too as the match was played under extremely humid conditions. KFC defended admirably well however and Farhan soon arrived to complete the line-up. TF had been restricted to sky-high range shots and were looking to switch play constantly with Mubarak and Helmi often being forced to pin down their man on the touchline. Crosses into the penalty box were intercepted but our midfield often failed to track the run of a surging midfield opponent. Wilson had to parry an inswinging opponent corner over the bar on one occasion and that became a TF tactic later in the first half. Helmi soon swapped roles with Desmond but then TF took the lead on the left side of our defence. The goal had not looked like coming when TF again played a crossfield pass from deep. Their right winger broke into the box with Desmond checking him. Somehow, the player unleashed a shot when the angle seems to be narrowing and the powerful shot caught Wilson at his near post even though Wilson had his hand to it.

TF could have doubled their lead minutes later but Wilson made an incredible save from the opponent who had shot outside our box after a neat interchange of passes. More inswinging corners kept Wilson busy that saw a burst of 4 corners in succession at one time. We were failing to string two passes together and Firul's goalkicks were not being kept down in the midfield area that will have allowed us a little relief in terms of possession, but we lost out on virtually every aerial challenge. Midway through the first half, Helmi finally made way out to take the rest which had us a little worried for his health. Kevin, slotting in at left back, almost called it quits too. Having been away from the team for awhile, he did his best nevertheless as the referee finally called time on the first half.

The second half started in much better weather and while TF made it seem a training match, we finally managed to break out of a defensive shell to conjure up some moves of our own. Wilson was still more than a spectator in the game but when he was beaten, the crossbar saved us at one time. We also finally string some passes of our own. Huang even managed a slalom dribble past three defenders to set up Farhan with a fantastic pass. Farhan could not keep his shot on target however. Muhammad and Ken also had set pieces chances but I had the best chance to equalize for the team. I reacted awkwardly at our freekick which ricocheted between and through Desmond's legs to me. Being totally unmarked, I half-expected an offside call and half-surprised when the ball came to me. With all the time in the world, I inexplicably struck my shot wide when a goal had looked so easy.

That cost us dear as TF finally doubled their lead. A similar break on our left side of defence had the right winger breaking past Desmond. Not sure if it was the same player, but he shot again at Wilson's near post and again Wilson had his hands to the shot. The stinging drive was too hot to handle however and it landed in the back of the net. Having kept TF at bay for a long period, that goal did deflate us to an extent. Eventually TF scored their 3rd goal to complete the rout. Wilson had saved the initial opponent shot from close range but the ball fell kindly to a TF player who could not miss on the goalline.

While the scoreline is deserving for TF, we did well to contain a team who did not seem to be going for the kill. I was disappointed with the gaps we left in midfield at times, especially in the first half, that allowed TF to run at us deep into our half but given the circumstances, weather, manpower etc, we still gave a spirited performance. In the second half, we showed enough bite to finally threaten TF and with a luck or two, we could have even steal a point. Huang's inspired dribble in that half was also perhaps the moment of the match. Wilson too put in a creditable display with saves that kept the scoreline down. His punts were useful too but we just lacked the players or fitness to press TF that deep in their own half.

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Div 3

2010-04-27T11:52:00.001+08:00

Sms coming soon.

Sunday 2 May
Kambing FC vs Total Football - Damai Sec 3pm
Redbacks vs Industmarine Football
FZE vs Ultras
Sarcofargo vs Macheda

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

El Toreno 5-a-side Futsal Men's Challenge

2010-04-26T14:56:00.003+08:00

When: Saturday, 26 June 2010, 9am to 5pm
Where: East Coast Park cage
Number of person per team: 6 to 8
Price per team: S$80

The tournament is held in conjunction with a humanitarian effort as quoted on the website "El-Toreno is a fund-raising event brought to you by Team Ignite Eu4ria (Yep), an overseas CIP team to help the less fortunate in Battambang, Cambodia.

Read here for more details.

Sms you all soon.

Akim

D2D Sunday League Cup 2nd round

2010-04-26T12:14:00.001+08:00

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Division 3 Match 16 vs Forza Ze East 3-3 draw

2010-04-26T12:10:00.008+08:00

HT: 3-1 FT: 3-3
Scorers (assists)
Syafiq (Muhammad)
Muhammmad (-)
Muhammad (-)
Man Of The Match
Muhammad (7) - involved in all three goals
Akim (2) - rarely lost in the challenge and redeemed himself
Syafiq (1)
Shahreen (1) - commanded the team tactically
Yellow card:
-

Danial (GK)

Mubarak - Amin (d) - Firul - Akim

Syafiq - Shahreen - Rahman - Muhammad - Helmi

Yongsheng

Subs:
Farid
Ken
Huang
Karim

Kambing FC spurned the chance to move above Redbacks in the table despite having a 2-goal advantage at 2-0 and 3-1 in the first half. FZE struck back with two quickfire goals to even the match soon after the break but saw their promotion hopes virtually extinguished. The draw meant we sit in the 3rd relegation spot, which will be determined with a match against the 3rd placed team in Division 4, though there is every chance we may stay on in Division 3 depending on the commitment and availability of the teams in the league. We now have two more games remaining against Total Football and Industmarine Football. The new season is slated to kick off in early June but we will certainly try to finish this season with a flourish on the back of a marked improvement this season as compared to the last.

Danial returned in goal while Yongsheng and Ken made their 3rd consecutive appearances for a team that has not always been able to call on their main players this season as compared to the last. Shahreen also returned to the team which more or less sums up our season in what can only be called disruptive in terms of calling up the main players.

Despite that, we continued our decent form in recent weeks and instead of the shot-shy game we played last week, we enjoyed a more open flow of attacking football this time as both teams looked to score goals. The creative, pacy and industrious triumvirate of Muhammad, Syafiq and Helmi were the key to our chances as Shahreen and Rahman ably commanded the center of midfield. In the previous encounter this season, which we lost 1-3, I felt that our midfield allowed FZE too much room in midfield as they deployed the open space just in front of our defence to crush us. Not this time though, as our midfield marginally won the battle. However, nervy defending deep in our half saw FZE racked up numerous chances with shots both on and off target.

To be fair, we defended well on occasions as we calmly passed it upfield at times and retaining possession very well rather than punting it forward. Still, we were often better off when we won the ball in the midfield area rather than deep in defence. On such occasions, we threatened to break down the opponents in search of the first goal. One such example came when Firul intercepted a ball and immediately found Yongsheng in the opponents' half. Yongsheng laid it off into the path of Helmi who surged forward but he could only tamely shot at the GK.

The first goal came in similar circumstances. Shahreen picked on a loose ball in midfield and pass it to me on the left flank, and in turn I passed it to Muhammad in the centre of the park. Muhammad quickly switched play and picked out Syafiq's run down the right flank with a immaculate pass. Even though the opponent GK came out to challenge, Syafiq cooly picked his spot to give us the lead.

The opponents continued to pile on the pressure, perhaps sensing our nervy defending. At one time, Muhammad conspired to set up an opponent just outside our penalty box but fortunately his shot was soft for Danial to handle. We maintained our cool however and were rewarded with the 2nd goal, even if it was scored through fortuitous circumstances. Then again, came the old adage in the football world. If you do not shoot, you do not score. Muhammad took a freekick on the left flank and he perhaps meant to cross for Helmi at the near post who could not latch onto it. The opponent GK, waiting behind, could only fumbled the cross into his own net as the ball bounced off his body. It was reminiscent of my howler last week, but I am glad to be on the winning side.

We expected we had the three points in the bag even if there was still a lot of time left to play. The opponents pulled a goal back immediately however. An opponent cross from our right side of defence, who happened to be one Hady Mirza, was headed away by Firul, an impressive figure in that aerial challenge in spite of his height. The ball could only kindly fall back to an opponent who laid it off first-time to his team-mate inside the penalty box. The opponent took the ball down with fine first touch and scored with aplomb with his second.

Even then, we continued to forage in search of more goals. Helmi had a freekick on target and Muhammad was the creative spark in midfield. Nothing was creative about the third goal, however, as it was all about sheer determination. Muhammad won the ball back three times in quick succession deep in the opponents' half. He burst forward into the penalty box and calmly round off the GK and scored a goal that should have been coup de grâce to restore the team's 2-goal advantage.

We looked hungry for more goals as we found gaps and room to roam with the ball. Mubarak was having a great game to support the attack even if his crossing was very suspect. Syaqiq, and later Karim, Huang and Ken, when they came on, added dynamic and energetic displays too. Yet, we could have found ourselves reduced to a one-goal deficit again. The superior height of the opponents at set-pieces always meant we ran a risk of being outjumped by them. One such corner led to a header which was goal-bound but Firul denied it with a goal-line clearance. I also found myself stranded later on when a ball was floated over me on the left side of defence towards his team-mate. I recovered to get the slightest of touch to the loose ball to defy the opponent who was closing down on me menacingly. Muhammad came close to extending the lead after good work from Karim who released Helmi on the left flank. Helmi set up the chance for Muhammad early but he could not generate power on his shot. We were however, becoming more impatient as half-time loomed. We became sloppy with the passes and were looking to push the ball upfield when a more patient approach could have been adopted. A footballing lesson beckons on how to protect a 3-1 lead as we go into half-time.

The second half restarted with minor changes. Karim picked up where he left off and almost got through on goal following Danial's massive long goal-kick. We failed to settle down as FZE looked more pumped up knowing their backs was against the wall. It was something of a disappointment therefore when they got their 2nd goal of the game. We failed to decisively cut out the play on the right side of defence and the opponent perhaps wanted to cross the ball but scored a fluke goal over Danial instead.

We found ourselves on the backfoot for the first time in the match as FZE sustained pressure on us. We struggled to string passes, a continuation from towards the end of the first half, except that FZE was cranking it up this time. The pressure was getting to us as we made one mistake after another and that finally culminated in the equalizer for FZE. It was good possession play as FZE string a set of passes that at one time, restarted from defence. The opponent attempted to switch play with a wayward cross from the left side of our defence. Mubarak seemingly had the situation under control but inexplicably gifted it back to FZE just outside the penalty box. Even though Muhammad tightened up on him, the opponent had a second to control the ball on his right foot and struck a shot on his left. Even then, Danial seemingly had an easy catch to make but on a bumpy surface, he perhaps misjudged the bounce of the ball, as it ricocheted off his knees into the net.

For the remainder of the match, we gradually clawed back into rhythm. Syafiq came on at right midfield for Helmi, who hobbled off injured, and made an immediate impact. Twice, he ran past his marker on the byline, but on the first occasion, poorly cut back his low cross despite an unmarked Muhammad perfectly placed and on the second, his cross was cut out. Amin saw his header from a corner easily saved at the near post while Ken and Rahman had good chances to score too. Sensing a tiring FZE, we attempted to go for the jugular and tried to pick up the pace. FZE was defending well, however and caught us a few times on the offside as the match ended in an entertaining 3-3 draw.

Our team in D2D league
Rest of league results
D2D review on footballopod

Akim

D2D Sports Sunday 3pm / 5pm League: Season 4 Div 3

2010-04-21T06:50:00.001+08:00

Sms coming soon.

Sunday 25 Apr
FZE vs Kambing FC - Anderson Sec 5pm
Sarcofargo vs Total Football
Redbacks vs Macheda
Industmarine Football vs Ultras

Preview
Our team in D2D league

Akim

D2D Sunday League Cup 2nd round

2010-04-18T11:31:00.005+08:00

Results from D2D Sunday League Cup 2nd round.

RESULTS/STRUCTURE OF LEAGUE CUP DRAW (SUN 3/5 LEAGUE)

Q-final line-up:
1. Industmarine Football vs Holland Park XI or New Eastroids
2. KB United vs Team BI
3. FC Simpang vs Samalongkok
4. 1980s United FC or FC Tempastella vs SS or The OC

Akim