ARFC ends 2008 on top of league after double-header victories over FC Ventz

ARFC ensured that it will end 2008 at the top of the league (JUST LIKE LIVERPOOL) with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over FC Ventz, thereby completing double-header victories over the same team.

Playing in front of 99,999 fans at Xinmin Sec under the scorching heat of 39.99 degree celcius, the attendance was not ideal as only 12 warriors turned up since most as most were either injured during the last game or on "depression therapy" (aka holiday) to overcome the disapointment of the Lions in the Suzuki Cup, experiencing the Singapore Flyer incident as well as seeing Man Yoo winning the Club World Cup). However, all 12 warriors were determined to put on a great show to maintain its lead at the top, especially in front of the WAGS of Alvin (Irene), Elvis (Anna) and Guoxiong (Tracie), who chose to avoid the sale frenzy going on in Orchard and support their beaus.

ARFC started with his line-up:

GK - Jinzhong

RB - Guoxiong

CB - Elvis

CB - Toh

LB - Bernard

RM - Tong

CM - Soon

CM - Tjioe

LM - Hee

FW - Blackburn

FW - Alvin

Sub - Haron (chose to anlayse the game 1st before coming in, in other words, asking his team-mates to tire the opponents first before he plays)

ARFC started the game well with some neat passes around defence and midfield, however was a bit disapointing in the final third as either Alvin lack the support or Blackburn failing to hold onto the ball longer than was expected from him.

In the 9th min, Ventz nearly shocked the crowd when their tall and big Ang-moh striker took a venomous shot from the right side of the box, despite being double-marked, and was seemed to be going in, if not for the excellent and alert save of Jinzhong whom parried the ball away. World-class reflex that would have make Peter Schmeichel very proud!

Encouraged by the above moment, ARFC stepped up a gear in search of a goal but somehow could not penetrate the crowded backline of the opponent.

By the 29th min, the heat was slowly taking its toll on the players as some were seen slowing down or panting hard. Even the bald-headed referee who was a distant nephew of Pierlugi Collina, had to take a few seconds break by rushing to his bag at the side of the field, to find his suntan lotion and thereafter applying it on his clean shaven head, before resuming play amidst the giggles of the crowd.

To make matters worse, FC Ventz were busy making substitutions in freshening up their play as they intend to give each of their 18-man squad some time in the game. While ARFC had one only sub, which they finally used in the 39th min as Haron came in for the out-of-breath Tjioe. The tactical change saw Haron deployed as striker with Blackburn moving to RM and Tong covering the centre.

The above tactics somehow paid dividends, as ARFC grew more purposeful in attack. And from one of such relentless attacks made, they got their goal. With his back towards goal, Toh hooked the ball over everyone as he instinctively sent it into FC Ventz penalty area where Haron was lurking and the latter making no mistake, side-footing it past the goalkeeper with his left foot for his 132nd ARFC goal. 1-0!

ARFC nearly doubled their lead a minute later, when a dangerous cross from Blackburn into the penalty area nearly met Toh's diving header and Haron at the far side but alas it somehow missed everyone.

Thankfully for every ARFC warrior, the weather changed for the better in the 2nd half as it kicked off in a slight drizzle. FC Ventz got back into the game aggresively as they try to get the equalizing goal, making numerous tactical changes and countless substitutions. ARFC on the other hand, defended stoutly as they try to play their passing game and extend their lead through the soak and strike strategy ala inspiration from Vietnam. And they nearly got their reward when Haron's overhead kick from the right side of the goal missed the left post by a mere 0.99mm.

As the game wore on, the tired legs of ARFC warriors soon started to give way as one by one fell victims to cramps and other injuries. As there was only ONE substitution available, a lot of changes had to be made, thus somehow affecting ARFC's skillful play.

We even played with 10 men at one point of time with Tong and Toh suffering from cramps, Tjioe had abrasions on his left knee after falling off the pavement that was at the side of the field while Hee was boot-studded on his left knee by the opponent's clumsy defender. His shouts of pain could be heard almost 99 blocks away as it was thought that he would never play football again. However ...... miraculous of all recovery, Hee who was subsituted earlier, made his entrance a few minutes later and nearly made a dazzling goal with a virtuoso solo run from the halfway line. His pass to Alvin was however thwarted by the opponent's on-rushing defenders.

Nevertheless, ARFC never gave up and that 2nd goal finally came in the 90th minute as Alvin made amends from his earlier opportunity to slam the ball home in the penalty box for his 75th ARFC goal. 2-0 the final scoreline.

It was truly a hard-fought game won by all 12 deserving warriors out there today. Kudos and credits to all of them. I could not have asked for more contribution as they bravely withstood the opponent's attacks, the searing heat in the 1st half, did not succumb to their injuries without a fight and played intelligently when it mattered. It was a pity though that we only had 1 sub and missed a lot of our regular players.

While everyone had played their heart out, special praise has to go to Soon for another sterling MOM performance again. He ran when most of us has stopped and covered every blade of the grass even when he does not have to. His countless interventions in foiling the opponent's attack and control of the midfield was also stupenduous.

Now you may note why the numbers did not start or end with 7, and instead 9. It is simply because this report was penned by Haron (with very minimal editing)...

Cheers....

Father of Marco Mak is out of action!

Bad news to ARFC and extremely good news to the other teams in the League:

David Mak, father of Marco Mak and husband of Dora Mak, has been ruled out for at least 7 weeks after doctors at the famed Queenstown Polyclinic diagnosed that his 9th rib was cracked and 8th rib was almost cracked.

As a result of this injury, pl do not tell any jokes to David now as he cannot laugh since such movement would aggravate his injury.

However, he is still able to perform his "husbandry duty" though the pattern would be restricted to only missionary position and not any other patterns.

On behalf of ARFC, we wished him a speedy recovery.

ARFC in comfortable victory

Playing its 6th tournament match at the very poor pitch at West Spring SS again, ARFC crushed K-1-K FC 4-1 with an impressive display of team-work.

Needless to say, 77,777 fans packed the venue which caused residents to complain to the authorities. However, there is nothing much the authorities can do as they are also fans of ARFC!!!

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Uncompromising Edwin
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Left-foot wizard Bernard
Right-mid: Mean-machine Hock
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Hard-man Tjioe
Left-mid: Dynamic Soon
Striker: Unpredictable Blackburn (captain)
Striker: ARFC scoring legend Haron

Anyone who took a look at our subs bench will surely shiver and beaten mentally. The subs are as follows:

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Reliable David
Hardworking Tong
Powerful Alvin
Speedy Hee


ARFC was determined to show that its draw with the same team was a fluke result. Hence, it was no surprise that the warriors came out firing, with Haron and Hock impressing.

In the 17th min, ARFC opened the scoring. Tong, who just came on for Tjioe 77 seconds earlier, threaded a superb through ball right into the heart of their defence. Haron dummied the ball and in came Hock who cut in from the right and steered the ball past their keeper with his left foot.

This goal was his 17th ARFC goal and most significant of all, it is ARFC’s 900th goal in its illustrious history!!!!!

Strangely enough, ARFC was tentative after scoring the first goal. David and Alvin then came on to replace Guoxiong and Blackburn respectively, with Guoxiong having twisted his problematic ankle on the uneven pitch.

In the 2nd half, Elvis came in at right-back with David switching to the left, replacing Bernard. Hee also came on for Haron.

Just 7 mins into the half, ARFC got its second goal, again courtesy of some good work by Hock who terrorized their left-back no end. He latched on to a high ball and nipped ahead of their defender who had no choice but to pull him back, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.

Sebastian then stepped up to send their keeper the wrong way for his 61st ARFC goal. His reward for scoring? Been replaced by Tjioe immediately.

ARFC added its 3rd goal in the 57th min to effectively killed off the match. Blackburn’s precise corner from the right was met by the on-rushing Soon almost at the edge of their penalty box on the left. Soon connected with a world-class glancing header which flew over their keeper and into the top-right corner of the keeper’s side. Though there was a covering defender, he was unable to prevent Soon from scoring his 9th ARFC goal. 3-0

Edwin then came close but his superb curling free-kick was pushed over the bar by their keeper. From the corner, Toh nearly scored but their keeper again came to the rescue.

In the 77th min, Hee put the result beyond doubt. However, all the good work was done by Tjioe before that as his strength enabled him to muscle his way to the ball and side-footed the ball through the keeper’s legs. With the ball just 0.77 cm from the goal-line, Hee showed his famous speed as he almost came from nowhere to toe-poke the ball home for his 62nd ARFC goal. 4-0.

The opponent then pulled a goal back. 4-1

Sebastian then added more drama to the match when his poor back-pass was intercepted by their striker who rounded Jinzhong and shoot the ball towards the empty net. Sebastian, however, rolled back the good old days when he sprinted in and deflected the ball away for a corner. For the poor back-pass, he received a rollicking from Elvis.

This was a match where every warrior played to his ability. The ARFC defence of Edwin, Toh, Bernard, David, Guoxiong also put in yet another good show, with Edwin and Toh, and later on Elvis, particularly dominating at the heart of the defence. Of course, Hock was again the star performance, and also Alvin, Haron and Hee ensured that their defenders had a torrid time.

Special credit for the good attendance yet again.

The only negative point to emerge from this match is that ARFC paid a heavy price for this victory. David suffered a suspected crack ribs, Guoxiong had a twisted ankle and Jinzhong had a bad kick on his shins. David is confirmed out for this sunday, while Guoxiong and Jinzhong are doubtful.

Holiday greetings from ARFC

On behalf of ARFC, I would like to wish ARFC scoring legend Haron and his family and all our Muslim brothers a Selamat Hari Raya Haji....

Cheers....

Haron snatched late winner in 5th tournament match against RSM

Playing its 5th tournament match at the very poor pitch at West Spring SS, ARFC came from behind to snatch a last-grasp 2-1 victory over the impressive RSM.

Due to the Standard Chartered Marathon held early in the morning, Soon and Khim were missing, as were the usual 77,777 fans. Hence, only 7,777 fans turned up, including Haron’s wife, daughter and MIL. Guoxiong also made a speedy recovery to take his place as right-back.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Uncompromising Edwin
Stopper: Towering Toh;
Left-back: Left-foot wizard Bernard
Right-mid: Mean-machine Hock
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Hardworking Tong
Left-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn (captain)
Striker: Powerful Alvin
Striker: ARFC scoring legend Haron;


The subs bench reads who’s who as follows:

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Speedy Hee;
WO Jeffrey Neo;
Reliable David


ARFC started the match gingerly, due in large part to the really poor pitch where passing of the ball on the ground was extremely difficult. Also, the opponents, RSM, was quite a decent team, especially their right-winger who gave both Blackburn and Bernard a torrid time.

Indeed, their opening goal came after good work by the same right winger who broke into the box and Sebastian clumsily stuck out a foot and brought him down. The penalty was converted but nearly saved by Jinzhong.

In the 37th min, Hee came on to replace Alvin which proved to be an inspired substitution. Within mins of coming on, Hock chipped in a delicious ball over their defence, ala Glenn Hoddle, and in came Hee who chested the ball expertly ala Ryan Giggs, and sped clear ala Ryan Giggs. Obviously, their last defender had absolutely no chance of catching Hee who then clinically placed the ball home for his 61st ARFC goal. His goal also allowed him to over-take Sebastian as the top-5 scorer for ARFC. 1-1.

In the 2nd half, David, Jeffrey and Elvis came on to replace Blackburn, Tong and Toh respectively. Jeffrey continued his good performance at right-back and made many vital interceptions while David gave a calm and assured display at left-back. Sebastian, on the other hand, continued his sorry performance when he time and again sent the ball too near their keeper. As a result, he was substituted.

Both teams continued to press for the winning goal and both teams had chances.

The break-through finally arrived in the 87th min. Alvin, who improved in the 2nd half, broke down the left wing and powered past their defenders. Looking up, Alvin sent a cross in and eluded everyone. The ball landed at the feet of Sebastian, who had replaced the injured Jeffrey, who kept his cool and squared to the lurking Haron who without breaking his stride, proceeded to thump the ball past their keeper for his 131st ARFC goal!!

Sebastian was relieved to have atoned for his amateur mistake and Haron finally scored after missing several chances earlier in the match. Upon seeing the goal, Fiqah nearly dashed onto the field but was held back frantically by Su and her mother.

Mins later and nearing the end, David had a great chance to increase his ARFC tally of 23 goals. His first shot in the box was parried, Haron’s follow-up was also blocked, David followed up again and saw his shot saved and Haron’s effort was blocked yet again and eventually, the ball was cleared away for a corner.

For this match, it was very clear that the Man-of-the-Match is none other than Hock who gave a powerful display.

Special credit also for the good attendance yet again.

ARFC won 4-2 in friendly match at Tampines SAFRA

In a friendly match at the Tampines SAFRA pitch on 05 Dec 08, ARFC defeated a rather-youthful team 4-2 in front of 77,777 fans which included Su and Fiqah (Haron’s family) and Caren, Sebastian’s wife who finally lend her support after so many matches away due to tattoo aspirations.


ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Uncompromising Edwin
Stopper: Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Left-back: Left-foot wizard Bernard
Right-mid: Mean-machine Hock
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon
Left-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn (captain)
Striker: Powerful Alvin
Striker: Speedy Hee;


The subs bench reads who’s who as follows:

Towering Toh;
Sublime Khim;
ARFC scoring legend Haron;
Hardman Tjioe;
Deadly Robin;
WO Jeffrey Neo

Clearly, the quality of the bench will send shivers down the spines of any opponents including the formidable clubs like Liverpool and Real Madrid.


ARFC immediately seized control and it would be a matter of time before ARFC open the scoring. True enough, the opening goal came in the 7th min. Hee was fouled and Sebastian played a quick one by chipping the ball over their right-back to Alvin. Alvin broke clear on the left and when their keeper charged out, he lofted the ball over him and it seemed that he would add to his 74 ARFC goals. However, Hock charged in and make sure of the goal as their defenders were chasing back and Hock simply rolled the ball into the net for his 16th ARFC goal. 1-0

7 mins after the goal, shouts of “ARFC!! ARFC!! ARFC!!” rang loudly down the pitch. It turned out that WO Jeffrey had made a long-awaited appearance and he had brought along his 7 platoons of army recruits to lend support and they were shouting war-cry which WO Neo had taught them.
Strangely enough, ARFC went soft after this goal and several golden chances were well-saved by their impressive keeper. On the 25th min mark, ARFC made 5 substitutions (except Jeffrey as he was still in his No. 4 uniform).

Half-time 1-0.

In the 2nd half, WO Neo made his appearance at right-back, replacing the injured Guoxiong who played on despite his ankle injury sustained just the night before.

Special credit must also be given to Jinzhong who also played despite a thigh injury.

In the space of 7 mins, ARFC conceded 2 goals and went 1-2 behind.


ARFC upped its tempo as the fans were getting frustrated with the insipid display.

The equalizer came into the 57th min. Haron, who had a great match, was fouled outside the box and Edwin shrugged aside Sebastian to execute a world-class bendign free-kick that even Beckham would be proud of. The ball was dropped and spilled and in came Khim, who learn from Hee, to poke the ball home before anyone could do so. It was Khim’s 36th ARFC goal. 2-2 now.

Not contented, ARFC went in search of the break-through goal and it came in the 77th min. Sebastian sent in a long high ball to Hee who was lurking in the box. Holding their defender off excellently, Hee spun and thumped the ball home for his 60th ARFC goal. The goal allowed him to go joint-5th with Sebastian in ARFC’s leading scorer chart.

The icing on the cake came on the stroke of half-time. Hock’s sizzling corner-kick was met emphatically by Edwin and despite their keeper getting a hand to the ball, was unable to prevent the ball from trickling in. It was Edwin’s 3rd ARFC goal and 2nd goal in successive match. 4-2.

All ARFC warriors played well and it was really difficult to single any warrior out as Man-of-the-Match. The exceptional warriors are Alvin, Elvis, Hock, Haron and Hee.

For this match, special mention must be given to the defenders, Toh, Elvis, Edwin, Bernard, Guoxiong, Blackburn, Jeffrey and Jinzhong for giving a stable display which allowed the midfielders and attackers to launch attacks without much worries. Defenders have a thankless job. Mistakes made by them usually ended in goals and they are made villains, whereas for midfielders and strikers, they can miss tonnes of chances and when any one of them scored the winning goal, they would be feted and accorded hero status.

The attendance for this match is also fantastic. Again, special credit must be given as no warrior was unhappy at the limited playing time due to the rotation to try and ensure all have somewhat equal playing time.