Match Number: 127
Date 8 August 2001 Time 7:30:00 PM
Competition:
Home Team Sembawang Rangers FC Away Team Marine Castle United FC
Stadium Yishun Attendance 2408
Referee Francis Lee Reserve Referee Ismail Surdi
Assistant Referee 1 Lau Kok Kong Assistant Referee 2 Ravi Govindram
Match Commissioner K. Kandasamy
SLEAGUE.COM Man of the Match: Thomas English (Marine Castle United FC)
Match Details
By Dickson Pang
Marine Castle United Football Club ended the dreams of Sembawang Rangers tonight at Yishun stadium, as it secured a double over the Stallions with a 2-1 victory. To the delight of the 400 traveling fans from Hougang, the Dolphins had finally given them something to cheer about as they recovered from a record-breaking defeat of 7-2 in the hands of the Warriors last week.
Thailand national coach Peter Witee and his national players were all present in the VIP box but they were much disappointed as the 3 national players in the Sembawang Rangers shirt were outclass by the suspension hit Marine Castle. The Dolphins were without 2 of their midfield foreigners, Barrie Keeling and captain Anthony Carbone. In their place were local player Ashrin Shariff and ex-Geylang winger Norisham Musahar, whom work well to tighten the midfield by not allowing Tawan Sripan and Thawatchai Ongtrakul any chance of supply ammunitions to their strikers.
This tactic paid off in the 19th minute when the Dolphins earn a free-kick outside the penalty area. Their top scorer Thomas English curl the ball superbly over the Stallions wall into the left hand post to give stand-in keeper Norazmi Ali Hassan no chance.
Sembawang lost its shape after the goal, while Marine Castle worked well to adapt to the wet surface.
Marine Castle, aided by the early goal, was irresistible for most of the match. It had already carved out a number of chances before Ashrin Shariff lob home classical goal past Norazmi in the 75min. It was a gifted goal as Ashrin took a pass from a defection off Sembawang defender in the penalty area before spinning away from his marker and lob the ball home.
It could have been 3-0 in the 85th minute, but the Stallions goalkeeper chose to pull down Thomas English when he was confronted in a one-to-one situation outside the box. The referee, Francis Lee has no hesitation in showing him the red card, and order him off the field.
The crowd was brought to its feet 2 minutes into injury time as Thai striker Bamrung Boonprom scored after rounding the Marine Castle keeper Amos Boon. A series of long were then catapulted into the Dolphins penalty area, but David Rowe's team held on the take home a well deserved 3 points.
Its was the last match that the 3 Thai internationals were playing before going for the World Cup qualifiers in Iran which they are group with Bahrain, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and will only be available in late October for the last match of the S-league season.
Sembawang Rangers FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
2 Nur Yusman DF
3 Niweat Siriwong DF
4 Azmi Mahamud MF
8 Khairani Sanuci DF
9 Bamrung Boonprom FW
10 Tawan Sripan MF
11 Thawatchai Ongtrakul MF
16 Imran Sahib MF
17 Ibrahim Noh MF
18 Noh Alam Shah FW
20 Norazami Ali Hassan GK
Marine Castle United FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Amos Boon GK
4 Michael Lomax DF
6 Junaidi Kassim DF
7 Norisham Musahar MF
10 Thomas English FW
14 Razali Ahmad MF
15 Adrian Yeo MF
18 Ashrin Shariff FW
20 Noraidit Mahat MF
22 Dickson Ocloo MF
24 Rosman Sulaiman DF
Sembawang Rangers FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
13 Ismail Fitrey FW
14 M Ramesh MF
23 Faizal Senin MF
39 Azul Juahryzam FW
Marine Castle United FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
8 Silva Vince Martin MF
11 Firdaus Salleh FW
13 Syed Anwar Zainol Abidin GK
17 Muir Rafik Taha DF
19 Mohd Nor Zadi MF
21 Emmanuel Dogbe FW
Sembawang Rangers FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
9 Bamrung Boonprom 92
Marine Castle United FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
10 Thomas English 19
18 Ashrin Shariff 75
Sembawang Rangers FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
16 >> 14 Imran Sahib >> M Ramesh 66
18 >> 39 Noh Alam Shah >> Azul Juahryzam 77
39 >> 40 Azul Juahryzam >> Ambari Ghazali 85
Marine Castle United FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
14 >> 21 Razali Ahmad >> Emmanuel Dogbe 70
Sembawang Rangers FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
11 Thawatchai Ongtrakul 44
2 Nur Yusman 60
18 Noh Alam Shah 64
9 Bamrung Boonprom 74
Marine Castle United FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
15 Adrian Yeo 76
21 Emmanuel Dogbe 88
Sembawang Rangers FC Expulsions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
20 Norazami Ali Hassan 85
Match Number: 128
Date 8 August 2001 Time 7:30:00 PM
Competition:
Home Team Singapore Armed Forces FC Away Team Woodlands Wellington FC
Stadium Choa Chu Kang Attendance 3299
Referee Abdul Malik Reserve Referee S K Kennedy
Assistant Referee 1 S. Ragavachari Assistant Referee 2 Tang Yew Mun
Match Commissioner Edward Silas
SLEAGUE.COM Man of the Match: Azhar Salleh (Singapore Armed Forces FC)
Match Details
By Chang Kay Leong
At a National Day-prepped Choa Chu Kang Stadium, an unfortunate penalty box intervention by Miroslav Kuljanac set SAFFC back on the recovery road, and helped the Warriors avert another Ram-busting defeat.
With the league champions trailing 1-0 to an Emmett Gassco goal, Thai star Kiatisuk Senamuang was chopped down in the box by Kuljanac, causing the penalty in the 60th minute which Mirko Grabovac converted.
The Warriors back on level terms, Grabovac added another 8 minutes later, continuing Woodlands’ 11 match winless run. The Rams’ last win was in May, oddly enough against SAFFC.
Grabovac’s second though had a hint of offside, and the Rams can feel a little unfortunate after a solid, if unspectacular display.
With beefweights Kuljanac, Petar Dajak and S. Rajendran massing a defence organised by the diminutive Nasiruddin Sawardi, Woodlands for a large part of the match managed to foil the Warriors’ attack, which lacked its usual efficiency.
The home side started brightly enough, with Kiatisuk and Nazri Nasir going close in the first eight minutes.
But an enforced change brought about by an injury to stopper Razif Mahamud disrupted the rhythm of SAFFC’s cleverly incisive passing, as skipper Nazri’s forward forays were cut short by the need for him to adopt a more defensive, safety first attitude.
And in truth, Razif’s replacement, Singapore U-23 wingback Mohairudyn Romly, was at fault for Woodlands’ opener in the 35th minute, hesitating in the box to allow a long ball to reach 17-year-old Gassco.
The Liberian striker kept his cool to round Rezal Hassan, just manage to tuck the ball in, and celebrate his first ever S.League goal with a stunning five-flip sommersault, reminiscent of Nigerian Julius Aghahowa’s goal celebration in the 2000 African Cup of Nations.
Straight from the next Warriors attack, Kiatisuk, playing his last match before a long spell of international duty, nearly equalised when he spun into the box past two defenders and fired a goal bound effort. But his shot was just deflected for a corner by the legs of Woodlands keeper Faizal Ali.
Four minutes before halftime, Kiatisuk again went close, but although he ran Grabovac’s pass past Faizal, the ball was slid away from his feet by a Woodlands defender.
After the Warriors’ equaliser, many might have expected David O’Connor’s men to capitulate, especially after midfielder Faizal Sa’audi was dismissed for a rough challenge that left Nazri seeing double.
But the Rams managed to stiffen their resolve, and the pacy Glassco just forked his shot wide after Nor Azman Hussain’s cross from the right evaded the Warriors’ defence. Minutes later, Azman nearly found Esad Sejdic clear in the box with another cross from the left, but Tan Kim Leng just about did enough to hook the ball away.
Despite Woodlands’ refusal to die quietly, they tired in the last quarter of the match, and Grabovac’s double meant that the party for the National Day song-singing home fans in the crowd was not spoilt.
For the long suffering Rams fans though, it was more of the same – with this defeat, they have ended the second half of this season without a single win.
Singapore Armed Forces FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Rezal Hassan GK
2 Razif Mahamud DF
7 Nazri Nasir MF
8 Tan Kim Leng DF
9 Mirko Grabovac FW
10 Vimon Juncum MF
11 Hafizat Jauharmi MF
13 Kiatisuk Senamuang FW
14 Azhar Salleh MF
15 Nenad Bacina DF
19 Dalis Supait FW
Woodlands Wellington FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Faizal Ali GK
2 Petar Dajak DF
8 Dan Ito MF
11 Esad Sejdic MF
12 Miroslav Kuljanac DF
14 Faizal Sa'audi MF
15 Nor Azman Hussain MF
17 Nawfal Shahib MF
20 Nasiruddin Sawardi DF
22 Emmett Gassco FW
23 S Rajendran DF
Singapore Armed Forces FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
6 Vincent Sim DF
12 Zahid Ahmad MF
16 Fadzuhasny Juraimi FW
18 Shahri Rahim GK
20 Yunos Abdul Samad MF
21 Goran Galov MF
25 Mohairudyn Romly DF
Woodlands Wellington FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
6 Razali Ishak MF
7 Effendi Zanial GK
13 Azmi Rajis DF
16 Haslizan Hassan DF
19 Siva Narayana MF
21 Louis Nathan MF
24 Masalan Mahat FW
Singapore Armed Forces FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
9 Mirko Grabovac 60
9 Mirko Grabovac 68
Woodlands Wellington FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
22 Emmett Gassco 35
Singapore Armed Forces FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
2 >> 25 Razif Mahamud >> Mohairudyn Romly 10
19 >> 20 Dalis Supait >> Yunos Abdul Samad 57
10 >> 21 Vimon Juncum >> Goran Galov 76
Woodlands Wellington FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
23 >> 16 S Rajendran >> Haslizan Hassan 64
17 >> 13 Nawfal Shahib >> Azmi Rajis 88
Woodlands Wellington FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
17 Nawfal Shahib 71
Woodlands Wellington FC Expulsions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
14 Faizal Sa'audi 74
Match Number: 129
Date 10 August 2001 Time 7:30:00 PM
Competition:
Home Team Tanjong Pagar United FC Away Team Balestier Central FC
Stadium Queenstown Attendance 2744
Referee N Santhan Reserve Referee Sagadavan Reddy
Assistant Referee 1 Lutfi Emir Assistant Referee 2 John Chia
Match Commissioner Koh Wee Kiat
SLEAGUE.COM Man of the Match: Daniel Bennett (Tanjong Pagar United FC)
Match Details
By Ko Po Hui
Even though, Tanjong Pagar Utd secured the maximum 3 points, which mattered the most, but they had put up a spiritless performance which earned the wrath not only from the media but also incurred those of their own supporters.
The game kicked off with a quite a promising start, only to be ruined by the Jaguars, themselves towards the end of the match.
Featuring in this "Battle of the Cats", is another new Australian signing, Hamilton Thorp, perhaps, this was his debut for the host, thus it’s not strange to see the towering, ex-Portsmouth player, himself, undergo the "first-match jittery" symptom.
Thorp, was brought in Tanjong Pagar, as the replacement of Davor Dzelalija, soon found out, life was no as rosy as it thought to be, as he showed signs of nervousness, no sense of direction, and most of important, the lack of understanding with his team-mates.
With a numbers of balls that were being fed to him, easily intercepted, miscue and squandered away, the Jaguars prayed hard, that it was not another flop they had signed as a quick-fix solution.
Spurned by that thought, the Australian redeemed himself immediately after the 2nd half resumed play, never mind if the wining goal was a header resulted from a melee, off a corner in the 48th minute. Still it was cleared that Thorp need more time before he can win over the hearts of the Queenstown’s faithful.
Balestier, as usual was tagged as the underdogs of this fixture, mainly because their talisman, Ali "Stone Cold" Imran Lomri, was suspensed, with the in-form wingback out of action, the Tigers started the game cautiously.
With the lack of quality strikers upfront, Balestier tried to capitalise on any loopholes available in the Jaguars’ back line, but much to their dismay, stood in their way, was former national captain, Lim Tong Hai and their ex-team mate, Dan Bennette.
Just like that way he fended off the likes of Michael Owen, Emile Heskey & Ruud Van Nistelrooy weeks ago, young Bennett’s calm and well reading of the game was probably, the only thing that worth the value of the 5 bucks the fans paid to see.
The hard and bumpy surface of the Queenstown stadium, added more difficulties to the already depleted Tigers, nevertheless, before heading for the breather, Tigers did had a few good chances to take the lead, eg: in the 43rd minute, Yusri Waris ‘s low shot, agonisingly missed the target by centimetres.
The Lady Luck must had been kind to the home side, as she seems to send out signal that the Jaguars should made a full use of the advantage, by scoring big for the night when Balestier was reduced to 10 men, following the sending off of midfielder, Aidil Sulaiman, whose illegal challenge on Thai international, Sutee Suksomkit, made referee N Santhan, refused to think twice hence ordered Aidil off, in spite the protests by his comrades.
Normally, at this juncture, given such a boast, no team would simply give up this golden opportunity by further increased their goal tally, however, Tanjong Pagar did the otherwise, not willing to risk the wafer-thin lead, they opted for a much defensive, cautiously play for the rest of the game, so it’s not wonder the fans left the ground on a disappointing mood.
As once quoted by former England defender and Republic of Ireland manager, Jack Charlton, "No matter how good you played, how bad you played, what matters is WIN", l guess that must be the motto of the "perennial bridesmaid"
Official match stats
Tanjong Pagar United FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Dragan Talajic GK
2 Hamilton Throp FW
5 Rudy Khairon MF
7 Djamel Achouri MF
8 Daniel Bennett DF
9 Lim Tong Hai DF
13 Ratna Suffian DF
14 Steven Tan FW
15 Zainal Zainuddin MF
18 Johaness Idris DF
39 Sutee Suksomkit FW
Balestier Central FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
3 Fajar Sarib GK
5 Fabio Da Silva MF
7 Kozic Josip MF
8 Darren Stewart DF
12 Tan Sio Beng DF
13 Iskandar Latiff DF
14 Yusri Waris MF
15 Aidil Sulaiman MF
18 Daorueang Krongpol FW
26 Daun Mathew MF
32 Faizal Sazali FW
Tanjong Pagar United FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
4 Haris Sumri FW
6 Rudy Ali FW
10 Nasir Bidin MF
12 Azlan Tahir MF
16 Ridzuan Fatah GK
20 Hyrizan Jufri MF
27 Mahadi Sukatman MF
Balestier Central FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
4 Abdul Latiff Isa DF
9 Ghazali Kamis MF
10 P Sugunan MF
11 Isakhandar Karim FW
21 Lew Tze Soon MF
22 Dennis Lim FW
37 Farhan Farook FW
Tanjong Pagar United FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
2 Hamilton Throp 48
Tanjong Pagar United FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
14 >> 4 Steven Tan >> Haris Sumri 62
15 >> 20 Zainal Zainuddin >> Hyrizan Jufri 75
5 >> 10 Rudy Khairon >> Nasir Bidin 82
Balestier Central FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
26 >> 10 Daun Mathew >> P Sugunan 58
32 >> 4 Faizal Sazali >> Abdul Latiff Isa 89
14 >> 37 Yusri Waris >> Farhan Farook 89
Tanjong Pagar United FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
13 Ratna Suffian 82
Balestier Central FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
5 Fabio Da Silva 77
18 Daorueang Krongpol 84
Balestier Central FC Expulsions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
15 Aidil Sulaiman 65
Match Number: 130
Date 10 August 2001 Time 7:30:00 PM
Competition:
Home Team Clementi Khalsa FC Away Team Tampines Rovers FC
Stadium Clementi Attendance 2,111
Referee R. Vijay Reserve Referee K. Visvanathan
Assistant Referee 1 Tang Yew Mun Assistant Referee 2 Shamsul Maidin
Match Commissioner A. Raamasamy
SLEAGUE.COM Man of the Match: Grant Barlow (Clementi Khalsa FC)
Match Details
By Justin Gek
Tampines Rovers were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Clementi Khalsa.
Injury and suspension meant changes to the home side's starting line-up and the Stags failed to break down the home defence, despite forcing goalkeeper Grant Barlow into a number of impressive saves.
The Stags could have snatched the points when Brazilian Luciano Gomes De Oliveria smacked the ball of the post.
The game got off to a slow start with both sides failing to create much in the way of chances during the opening spell of the game.
The only opportunity of note for Tampines came after ten minutes when Brian Ravi's inswinging cross from the right was met by Marcelo Da Silva but his shot was intercepted by towering Clementi defender Quek Hock Tiong, who calmly nodded the ball to goalkeeper Grant Barlow.
Luciano Gomes De Oliveria was causing all sorts of problems for Emmanuel Unaka and he took the ball round the big defender before sending a neat pass into the box to Nahar Daud. The former Clementi hitman fired from eight yards but the ball was ably held by Grant Barlow.
But just five minutes later, Tampines were pushing forward again - this time with Marcelo Da Silva acting in a providing role. He squared the ball to Syed Faruk, who attempted an opportunist drive from 25 yards, but the ball deflected off Fahmie Abdullah.
Undeterred, he tried his luck again two minutes later, this time skimming the crossbar.
Tampines had managed to venture into the Clementi half on several occasions but were finding it difficult to put any real pressure on the Elephants goal until after 22 minutes, when they called goalkeeper Prince Jasper Emaviwe into action for the first time.
Former Home United man Hasnim Haron provided the cross that was met by Michiaki Kakimoto - he tried to nod home the opener but Prince looked to have the ball covered as it flew just inches over the crossbar.
Emmanuel Unaka became the first player of the game to be cautioned after 48 minutes for a foul on Luciano Gomes De Oliveria just on the edge of the 18-yard box.
Marcelo Da Silva stepped up for the resultant free kick and forced Grant Barlow into a superb save with a powerful effort.
That flurry of activity seemed to have given Tampines confidence and Nahar Daud came close again with a first-time effort that fell just wide of the post.
Nahar Daud had had a quiet first half for Rangers and he was replaced after the break by player coach Joselito Da Silva.
The Singapore PR made an immediate impression and he forced Grant Barlow in a superb save with an impressive shot from the edge of the box after 80 minutes.
Syed Faruk had another chance to grab the opening goal after 85 minutes when Azlan Alipah burst into the box and tried to square the ball to him in front of goal, but Grant Barlow intercepted the pass to clear any danger.
With just three minutes remaining, and time running out for Tampines to snatch the three points, the Brazilian had another go from a long-range effort - but this time he fired over the crossbar.
With just seconds remaining, Prince came to Tampines's rescue to block a Hiroyuki Ishida free-kick from just outside the 18-yard box to ensure the game finished on level terms.
Clementi Khalsa FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
3 Quek Hock Tiong DF
4 Sabri Sukri DF
10 Michiaki Kakimoto FW
11 Fahmie Abdullah MF
13 Sha'izad Jaffar MF
14 Hasnim Haron MF
15 Sophian Ahmad Repha'ee DF
16 Hiroyuki Ishida MF
17 A Shasi Kumar MF
24 Grant Barlow GK
31 Emmanuel Unaka DF
Tampines Rovers FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
3 Jerry Bartholomeusz DF
5 Syed Faruk MF
6 Sead Muratovic DF
7 Aidil Sharin MF
8 Nahar Daud FW
9 Marcelo Da Silva FW
10 Luciano Gomes De Oliveira FW
12 Brian Ravi MF
14 J Kalaiselvan DF
17 Abdul Rahim DF
20 Prince Jasper Emaviwe GK
Clementi Khalsa FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
18 P Titani MF
21 S. Raghunathan MF
22 Phang Chin Guan GK
25 Haslam Rahmat DF
34 Terence Yee Wai Leong MF
Tampines Rovers FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
11 Joselito Da Silva MF
13 Lee Man Hon MF
15 Amin Nasir DF
18 Jaslee Hatta DF
19 Yeo Boon Cheng DF
35 Jamil Ali MF
40 Toh Guo'An GK
Clementi Khalsa FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
13 >> 25 Sha'izad Jaffar >> Haslam Rahmat 80
Tampines Rovers FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
8 >> 11 Nahar Daud >> Joselito Da Silva 78
Clementi Khalsa FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
31 Emmanuel Unaka 48
10 Michiaki Kakimoto 90
Tampines Rovers FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
14 J Kalaiselvan 50
6 Sead Muratovic 80
7 Aidil Sharin 87
3 Jerry Bartholomeusz 89
Match Number: 131
Date 11 August 2001 Time 7:30:00 PM
Competition:
Home Team Gombak United FC Away Team Home United FC
Stadium Bukit Gombak Attendance 2,621
Referee Abdul Malik Reserve Referee R. Vijay
Assistant Referee 1 Mohd Ali Assistant Referee 2 Mohd Nasim
Match Commissioner Chua Peng Huat
SLEAGUE.COM Man of the Match: Peres De Oliveira (Home United FC)
Match Details
By Chang Kay Leong
They huffed and they puffed, but in the end class told as home side Gombak fell 3-0 to a strolling out of the traps Home United.
A goal apiece at the beginning of each half and a late party piece killed the Bulls, and ensured that Home keep the eagle-eyed watch on Geylang at the top of the S.League table.
Singapore international Indra Sahdan provided his team with the footballing equivalent of a cattle prod after just five minutes, as he blasted a dipping half volley from outside the box that left keeper Effendy Subtu watching the dust fly.
A goal down in a blink, and some fans might have expected a massacre in the cooking. But the Protectors kept a cautious shape, and Gombak in fact had slightly more of the play in the early stages.
Ballamodou Conde hit a curving shot that Adi Saleh did well to cover, and minutes later nearly released Irfan Ismail with a through ball that Adi was again quick off the mark to smother.
Playing their first match since the resignation of Malaysian coach Moey Yok Ham, Gombak showed plenty of will but little direction or inspiration. Even as they were trying to impose a physical, direct game against the Protectors, all they managed to achieve was the rattling of a few Home nerves with stiff challenges and tough midfield battling.
However, there were a few positive signs for the Bulls, small comfort as they may be for the Gombak lot. With Irfan Ismail the outlying raider supported by Dane Nikolaj Lund, the home side appeared to be moving away from over-using the Conde channel, as they have been over the last few months.
Still the Guinean was working like a horse, and probably covered more ground in this match than anybody else, with little reward though.
Despite staying largely in their protective shell, Home yet looked dangerous, especially on the counter. The pace and guile of Indra was ever-ready to pounce on the Bulls’ at often times wayward passing, while Brazilian Peres de Oliveira dragged the defence left and right with his marauding runs.
Just before the break Egmar Goncalves nearly made it 2-0 to the visitors, after Effendy nearly dug his own grave by advancing but not reaching a long cross. Luckily for him, he was able to claw away the bullet header on the back pedal.
Three minutes into the second half Peres did make it mission nearly impossible for the unpenetrative Bulls. Released off a counter by Egmar's long ball, the Brazilian flew down the right and neatly placed his diagonal shot past Effendy.
The lead more secure, Home began to turn the attacking screw on Gombak, and Indra hit a post after the Bulls defence scrambled chaotically at a corner.
Eight minutes from the end, the visitors sealed it with Peres’ second of the night, a simple finish from Hrvoje Matkovic's cross after he was left unattended in the box. 3-0, and the brain had prevailed over the brawn.
Like the cleaner lady picking up trash from the stadium rows 15 minutes before full-time, the Bulls have a lot of tidying up to do, as they end the second half of the season with a sadly familiar loss.
Gombak United FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
2 Bah Mamadou DF
5 Choketawee Promrut DF
6 Zulkarnaen Sukur DF
8 Roy Yeo DF
10 Ballamodou Conde MF
12 Irfan Ismail FW
14 Nikolaj Lund MF
16 Iswandy Amil MF
17 Jorg Steinbrunner DF
18 Effendy Subtu GK
19 Saswadimata Dasuki MF
Home United FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Adi Salleh GK
2 Ong Leon Koen DF
3 Indra Sahdan Daud FW
4 Mardani Fatahollah DF
6 S Subramani DF
9 Egmar Goncalves FW
10 Peres De Oliveira FW
13 R Sasikumar DF
15 Paulo Sergio Morellato MF
19 Edson Garcia MF
20 Matkovic Hrvoje FW
Gombak United FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
3 Khairi Mawi DF
4 Davin Cook DF
9 Foo Yong Seng FW
15 Roslan Jasmin DF
23 Haleem Hanifa DF
30 Firdaus Salleh FW
38 Almi Osman GK
Home United FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
7 Gusta Guzarishah MF
8 Harun Juma'at MF
11 Zulkifli Zainolabidin GK
12 Aw Thiam Hor MF
14 Roniwardi Mamsa MF
16 Faris Mohamed DF
17 Yazid Sawal FW
Home United FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
10 Peres De Oliveira 48
3 Indra Sahdan Daud 5
10 Peres De Oliveira 82
Gombak United FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
6 >> 15 Zulkarnaen Sukur >> Roslan Jasmin 45
16 >> 9 Iswandy Amil >> Foo Yong Seng 61
2 >> 4 Bah Mamadou >> Davin Cook 81
Home United FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
3 >> 17 Indra Sahdan Daud >> Yazid Sawal 77
15 >> 14 Paulo Sergio Morellato >> Roniwardi Mamsa 88
20 >> 8 Matkovic Hrvoje >> Harun Juma'at 91
Match Number: 132
Date 11 August 2001 Time 7:30:00 PM
Competition:
Home Team Geylang United FC Away Team Jurong FC
Stadium Bedok Attendance 2,157
Referee Shamsul Maidin Reserve Referee Francis Lee
Assistant Referee 1 Naseer Hussain Assistant Referee 2 Megat Azman
Match Commissioner Sulaini Said
SLEAGUE.COM Man of the Match: Lewis Lionel (Geylang United FC)
Match Details
by Muhammad Yunus Mirza
11 Aug 2001
Akin to that of their previous meeting, tonight's game between Geylang and Jurong lived up to expectations. The faithful greens of Eagles and the ever so vehement travelling Cobras were treated to a grandeur spectacle of local football at its best. Although the game started off rather sluggishly, it progressively picked up pace and by the end of it all, majority of the turnout would have wished that it extended beyond 90 minutes. On a night where the result was largely influenced by factors other than that of the teams' performances, Geylang endured the grit of the Cobras to prevail 2-1 winners and stayed on course for the coveted title.
While the Eagles welcomed back Zulkarnaen Zainal from suspension, the only other change in their side was in the form of Azhar Baksin who came in for Nor Rahman. Jurong started the game without A Sivakumar and Latif Abdullah, who were probably sidelined due to injuries. Coach V Sundramoorthy did a bit of reshuffling to the team. As astounding as it was for Zakaria Awang make the starting eleven, it was even more perplexing to see Goh Tat Chuan, a natural midfielder, to start off at left back. Sundram also chose to employ a highly dubious 3-man defence against the likes of Duric and Bothwell.
The game was given a rousing start when Geylang scored in their virtually first attack. Picking the ball from centre, Noor Ali darted towards the flank and shimmied his way past Selvaraj and an incoming Itimi before laying a deft cross to the far end of the post for Bothwell to head home his 16th goal of the season. Despite the early goal, it did not serve much as a warning for Jurong as they remained edgy especially in defence. Noor Ali replicated a similar move, only to be on the receiving end of a William Bone's through pass. With only Itimi to beat, he stumbled and could only afford a hurried shot which ricocheted off the Nigerian for a corner. But he was not to be denied soon after. In the thick of action for the umpteenth time in as many minutes, Noor Ali intelligently rolled on a through ball to a running Nebojsa. The Jurong backline was caught off-guard and as they scampered back to prevent the inevitable, Nebojsa then centred the ball to Duric, who had the simplest of task in guiding it into goal. Though Nebojsa's pass was deemed to be offside, the assistant referee kept his flag down and the 14th minute goal stood, further accentuating the Eagles' dream start. In fact, Jurong failed to deploy their offside trap efficaciously and many a times they were the victims of their own device. Tat Chuan's misguided pass to Duric almost laid the settings for Geylang's 3rd goal of the night. The Australian, strode goal bound all the way from the half, only to be denied by a timely tackle by Selvaraj. Whether it was due to Duric's indecisiveness to shoot or Selvaraj's immaculate intervention, Bashir Khan can definitely heave a sigh of relief as it saved him the trouble of having to pick the ball from the net for a 3rd time.
Jurong spent much of the early proceedings defending their goal. Even attacking players like Itimi and Velimir Crljen had to come down often to lend a helping hand. They had few chances to account for in the 1st half, partly due to the fact that the home team did an excellent job in shutting them out. Park Tae Won, a favourite amongst the Jurong East faithful, was closely supervised by skipper Winston Yap. Though the Korean had speed and flair to his advantage, Winston stayed close to him and restricted his movements. The only time that Park got the better of his marker was when he skillfully turned Winston and drilled in a shot only to be parried away for a corner. Off the resulting corner, Crljen near-post in-swinger was heading towards goal, only to be headed behind by Duric for another corner. Just before the interval, Itimi had a similar chance to that of Park's. But just like how Noor Ali squandered a golden opportunity at the other end, Itimi could only direct his shot straight into the arms of Lewis Lionel.
The 2nd half saw a more balanced affair between the two. Jurong was thrown a lifeline almost immediately when Zul accidentally clipped Park right at the edge of the box. A maestro of dead ball situations, Velimir Crljen, gained enough composure before delivering a low drive towards goal. Worthy of the shot, Lewis Lionel pulled off an equally wonderful save when he managed to parry the ball to safety amidst his view being blocked by the defensive wall.
Then, in the 55th minute, a blatant error by the linesman almost sent Jurong to the dead. Latching on to a through ball, Duric was in an offside position yet the official saw nothing amiss and the Geylang attacker was more than obliging to comply. With only Bashir Khan to beat, Duric placed his shot a wee bit too wide. As he rued his miss, the passionate Jurong fans continued voicing out their two cents' worth of the officials with the army's lingo of reprimand.
The introduction of Marko Kraljevic and Syed Idros into the game was highly significant. As Kraljevic took up his place behind the strikers, Idros assumed the left back role from Tat Chuan. Sundram realized that the midfield zone needed firepower and by pushing Tat Chuan there, it can only bring out desirable effects. As if written in the wind, Jurong pulled a goal back shortly after. Midfield general Crljen set on another of his venture to break through the resilient Geylang defence. Armed with only exquisite ball control, he took on few players and just when they least expected it, he deceived them by pretending to shoot. Instead, he laid the ball sweetly to Choon Ming and like any experienced striker, did the mandatory two touches of cushioning the ball before coolly slotting past an advancing goalie.
Thereafter, Jurong took the game to Geylang. As Geylang hung on desperately to their slender lead, Jurong kept on coming at them, attack after attack. Jurong did conjure up a flowing passage of play yet they were often let down by their finishing touches. Kraljevic would probably not sleep well tonight after squandering Jurong's best chance at an equalizer. A cross from T Ramoo found Kraljevic unmarked at the top of the box. The former Balestier striker had the luxury of time and space to produce a decent attempt at goal yet all that he could do with Ramoo's accurate cross was let fly a 1st time volley which veered way off. Tat Chuan himself had a poor shot at goal from 25 metres out but he made amends when he forced a save off Lionel when he replicated the movement in stoppage time.
Just as they were fortunate to share the spoils with Home last week, they were even more so in defeating the Cobras. Jurong can consider themselves unlucky not to bring home at least a point. Taking into consideration Sundram's radical tactics in the 1st half and glaring misses by the players, Jurong has only itself to blame. They can however console themselves by saying that they put up a fight and even scare Jang Jung & Co. in the final quarter. Geylang might have extended its stay at the top for another week however for a team in aspiration of the title, they are still far from there. The X-factor seems to be lacking. With 11 games to go and a host of teams hot on their track, it will be highly entertaining to see who crosses the finishing line first.
Geylang United FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
6 Winston Yap DF
8 Nebojsa Vukosavljevic FW
9 Aleksandar Duric FW
10 Brian Bothwell MF
11 Azhar Baksin MF
12 Zulkarnaen Zainal MF
13 Sharifuddin Mahmood DF
14 Basri Halis MF
15 William Bone MF
19 Noor Ali FW
20 Lewis Lionel GK
Jurong FC First Eleven
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Bashir Khan GK
5 Bojan Hodak DF
7 V Selvaraj MF
9 Toh Choon Ming FW
10 Velimir Crijen MF
14 E. Manimohan DF
15 T Ramoo MF
16 Park Tae Won FW
17 Zakaria Awang MF
19 Goh Tat Chuan MF
22 Itimi Dickson Edherefe FW
Geylang United FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
1 Shahril Jantan GK
4 Razaleigh Khalik DF
5 Noh Rahman DF
7 Hamirul Hanif MF
16 Fadly Noor MF
17 Syed Mohammad Fadhil MF
18 Robin Chitrakar DF
Jurong FC Substitutes
Jersey No. Name Position
3 Abdul Latiff Abdullah DF
8 Marko Kraljevic MF
11 E Vadevellu GK
13 Syed Idros Hassan DF
18 V Sundram Moorthy FW
20 Imran Mohamed MF
33 Fazli Rashid FW
Geylang United FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
9 Aleksandar Duric 15
10 Brian Bothwell 3
Jurong FC Goal scorers
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
9 Toh Choon Ming 69
Geylang United FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
19 >> 5 Noor Ali >> Noh Rahman 77
Jurong FC Substitutions
Jersey No. Player(Out) >> Player(In) Event Time (min)
17 >> 8 Zakaria Awang >> Marko Kraljevic 55
14 >> 13 E. Manimohan >> Syed Idros Hassan 64
Geylang United FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
20 Lewis Lionel 82
Jurong FC Cautions
Jersey No. Name Event Time (min)
22 Itimi Dickson Edherefe 36