05 September 2010 (Sun)
1700 hrs = 5 pm
Pasir Ris Crest Sec Sch
Opponent is Ultras
Pls bring both colours.
Pls e-mail Sebastian of your availability.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Darren's debut ARFC goal in 5-2 victory
In a totally dominant performance, ARFC demolished New Easteroids 5-2 at the rather-poor pitch at East View SS in front of 177,777 fans including Anna, Cerine, Suhana+Afiqah, lovely beaus of Elvis, Jinzhong and Haron respectively.
ARFC received a tremendous boost when ARFC Scoring Legend Haron declared in his personal blog www.ilovesuhana&afiqah.haron.sg hat he will just play in one half due to fasting. Because of that, an additional 100,000 fans turned up for the match.
Jinzhong also returned to goalkeeping after being unavailable for 2 weeks due to injury.
ARFC started with this strong line-up:
Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Sliding King Guoxiong
Sweeper: Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Long-throw Specialist Norman
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Steely Tze Ern
Left-mid: Dynamic Soon
Striker: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (captain)
Striker: Unpredictable Blackburn
Subs:
Combative Ron
Talisman Derrick
En Dian
Prior to the match, it was noted that the opponents had in their ranks a 1.97 metre centre forward and Toh was forewarned that he would be in for a good aerial duals with him. Thankfully, Toh showed his experience by containing him very well, with strong help from Darren and later on, Ron.
It did not take long for the fans to realize who the eventual winner would be as ARFC completely dominated possession. Within minutes, Haron showed quick feet ala Steven McManamam when he eluded 3 defenders by shuffling the ball between his feet. Unfortunately, he was forced out too wide by their last covering defender and could not get a good shot in.
7 mins later, Haron looked to have scored after being put through. Unfortunately, he was challenged very strongly by their burly last man but still managed to toe-poke the ball towards goal. Miraculously, their keeper stuck out a foot and deflected the ball away for a corner. Totally unlucky!
Sebastian then executed a sharp volley from 37 metres but the ball flew wide.
Ron then replaced the tiring Soon. En Dian also came in for the disappointing Blackburn, and Derrick replaced Norman.
ARFC finally opened the scoring in the 27th min. En Dian picked up a long ball down the left flank and held the ball well. Sebastian called for the ball just outside the penalty box and En Dian duly obliged. Hearing a call from Ron, Sebastian laid the ball for Ron who took a touch, looked up, and let fly a venomous shot which landed at the top left-hand corner. The shot was so powerful and precise that their goalkeeper could not keep out at all. In fact, even any world-class keepers like Neville Southall, Peter Schmeichel, Pepe Reina or David Lee could do nothing too. This was Ron’s 2nd successive goals after he opened his accounts for ARFC last week. 1-0
The opening goal settled the nerves and ARFC doubled its lead 7 mins later. Derrick was fouled at the right flank area and Sebastian took the free-kick. For the 2nd week in a row, Sebastian again found his range as his high free-kick to the far post sailed over everybody and in came En Dian to plant a looping header over their keeper at his far post ala Alan Shearer for his 5th ARFC goal. 2-0
Half-time score was 2-0 and during the break, ARFC was reminded not to be complacent and to avoid the previous match error against the same opponents.
True enough, ARFC scored its 3rd goal just 7 mins after the break. En Dian did very well to power down the right bye-line but as he was about to square the ball, he was brought down clumsily, giving the excellent referee an easy decision to award a penalty. Darren was cajoled to take the penalty and after much hesitation, he stepped forward and sent their keeper the wrong way for his 1st-ever ARFC goal. 3-0
Toh looked to have ended his goal-scoring drought (last goal on 13 June 2010) when Blackburn’s excellent corner found him. However, Toh’s powerful header hit the cross-bar. Unlucky!
ARFC turned complacent and conceded a goal. 3-1.
En Dian or Derrick then hit the post.
In the 67th min, ARFC scored its 4th goal. Derrick picked up the ball and slalomed his way just outside the penalty box. He exchanged wall-passes with En Dian and powered into the box. The ball looked to be cleared by their keeper but Derrick did not give up and stuck out his foot. Fortunately, heavens was smiling at Derrick as the keeper’s clearance hit Derrick’s foot and Derrick then rolled the ball home into the empty net for his 28th ARFC goal. 4-1
ARFC was then awarded a 2nd penalty in the match when Derrick was cruelly brought down in the box which warranted a red card for the defender who only got a caution. Norman was also coaxed to take the penalty but unfortunately, he sent his kick just 0.77 metres wide.
No worries there as even regular successful penalty takers like Sebastian and Elvis had also missed before.
ARFC then wrapped up the match with a 5th goal. Darren’s excellent cross-field ball from his position found Norman dashing in from the right flank and broke their off-side trap. Norman was then unselfish when he squared the ball across goal for Derrick to gleefully tap into the empty net for his 29th ARFC goal. 5-1. Wonderful goal in terms of movement.
ARFC then conceded an unfortunate own goal. 5-2
Once again, credit must be given to the team attendance which is a good number. Particularly, special mention must be accorded to Haron for his willingness to come for the match despite on fast and most importantly, he did not show any ill-effects of fasting as his movements and dribbles were very good. For that, his match fees would be waived.
Once again, ARFC’s defence of Guoxiong (and for a short while Norman), Darren, Toh and Elvis was really a fortress. Jinzhong also showed that he was not rusty with some very safe catches and saves, and the 2 goals conceded were totally not his fault.
In midfield, Tze Ern and Ron also provided the muscle and tenacity with their never-ending pressing of opponents, while Soon was relentless in his pursuit of opponents and any loose balls. Sebastian also showed that his set-pieces are slowly getting back into shape in this match.
Derrick also provided some flash-backs of his wing-play with some excellent dribbles that totally dazzled the crowd.
Norman also improved on his positional play while En Dian again showed why he would be a huge asset to ARFC with his clever runs and hold-up play. Also, he provided another alternative to Toh in the air with his good jumps and timing. Blackburn also improved in the 2nd half after putting in a woeful performance in the 1st half.
There is no individual Man-of-the-Match for this match as every warrior played very well.
If there is anything that ARFC should strive for, it is that we should all try to keep a clean sheet in our next match. From my records, the last clean sheet was 12 matches ago, a 1-0 win over Serangoon CSC on 16 May 2010.
ARFC received a tremendous boost when ARFC Scoring Legend Haron declared in his personal blog www.ilovesuhana&afiqah.haron.sg hat he will just play in one half due to fasting. Because of that, an additional 100,000 fans turned up for the match.
Jinzhong also returned to goalkeeping after being unavailable for 2 weeks due to injury.
ARFC started with this strong line-up:
Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Sliding King Guoxiong
Sweeper: Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Long-throw Specialist Norman
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Steely Tze Ern
Left-mid: Dynamic Soon
Striker: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (captain)
Striker: Unpredictable Blackburn
Subs:
Combative Ron
Talisman Derrick
En Dian
Prior to the match, it was noted that the opponents had in their ranks a 1.97 metre centre forward and Toh was forewarned that he would be in for a good aerial duals with him. Thankfully, Toh showed his experience by containing him very well, with strong help from Darren and later on, Ron.
It did not take long for the fans to realize who the eventual winner would be as ARFC completely dominated possession. Within minutes, Haron showed quick feet ala Steven McManamam when he eluded 3 defenders by shuffling the ball between his feet. Unfortunately, he was forced out too wide by their last covering defender and could not get a good shot in.
7 mins later, Haron looked to have scored after being put through. Unfortunately, he was challenged very strongly by their burly last man but still managed to toe-poke the ball towards goal. Miraculously, their keeper stuck out a foot and deflected the ball away for a corner. Totally unlucky!
Sebastian then executed a sharp volley from 37 metres but the ball flew wide.
Ron then replaced the tiring Soon. En Dian also came in for the disappointing Blackburn, and Derrick replaced Norman.
ARFC finally opened the scoring in the 27th min. En Dian picked up a long ball down the left flank and held the ball well. Sebastian called for the ball just outside the penalty box and En Dian duly obliged. Hearing a call from Ron, Sebastian laid the ball for Ron who took a touch, looked up, and let fly a venomous shot which landed at the top left-hand corner. The shot was so powerful and precise that their goalkeeper could not keep out at all. In fact, even any world-class keepers like Neville Southall, Peter Schmeichel, Pepe Reina or David Lee could do nothing too. This was Ron’s 2nd successive goals after he opened his accounts for ARFC last week. 1-0
The opening goal settled the nerves and ARFC doubled its lead 7 mins later. Derrick was fouled at the right flank area and Sebastian took the free-kick. For the 2nd week in a row, Sebastian again found his range as his high free-kick to the far post sailed over everybody and in came En Dian to plant a looping header over their keeper at his far post ala Alan Shearer for his 5th ARFC goal. 2-0
Half-time score was 2-0 and during the break, ARFC was reminded not to be complacent and to avoid the previous match error against the same opponents.
True enough, ARFC scored its 3rd goal just 7 mins after the break. En Dian did very well to power down the right bye-line but as he was about to square the ball, he was brought down clumsily, giving the excellent referee an easy decision to award a penalty. Darren was cajoled to take the penalty and after much hesitation, he stepped forward and sent their keeper the wrong way for his 1st-ever ARFC goal. 3-0
Toh looked to have ended his goal-scoring drought (last goal on 13 June 2010) when Blackburn’s excellent corner found him. However, Toh’s powerful header hit the cross-bar. Unlucky!
ARFC turned complacent and conceded a goal. 3-1.
En Dian or Derrick then hit the post.
In the 67th min, ARFC scored its 4th goal. Derrick picked up the ball and slalomed his way just outside the penalty box. He exchanged wall-passes with En Dian and powered into the box. The ball looked to be cleared by their keeper but Derrick did not give up and stuck out his foot. Fortunately, heavens was smiling at Derrick as the keeper’s clearance hit Derrick’s foot and Derrick then rolled the ball home into the empty net for his 28th ARFC goal. 4-1
ARFC was then awarded a 2nd penalty in the match when Derrick was cruelly brought down in the box which warranted a red card for the defender who only got a caution. Norman was also coaxed to take the penalty but unfortunately, he sent his kick just 0.77 metres wide.
No worries there as even regular successful penalty takers like Sebastian and Elvis had also missed before.
ARFC then wrapped up the match with a 5th goal. Darren’s excellent cross-field ball from his position found Norman dashing in from the right flank and broke their off-side trap. Norman was then unselfish when he squared the ball across goal for Derrick to gleefully tap into the empty net for his 29th ARFC goal. 5-1. Wonderful goal in terms of movement.
ARFC then conceded an unfortunate own goal. 5-2
Once again, credit must be given to the team attendance which is a good number. Particularly, special mention must be accorded to Haron for his willingness to come for the match despite on fast and most importantly, he did not show any ill-effects of fasting as his movements and dribbles were very good. For that, his match fees would be waived.
Once again, ARFC’s defence of Guoxiong (and for a short while Norman), Darren, Toh and Elvis was really a fortress. Jinzhong also showed that he was not rusty with some very safe catches and saves, and the 2 goals conceded were totally not his fault.
In midfield, Tze Ern and Ron also provided the muscle and tenacity with their never-ending pressing of opponents, while Soon was relentless in his pursuit of opponents and any loose balls. Sebastian also showed that his set-pieces are slowly getting back into shape in this match.
Derrick also provided some flash-backs of his wing-play with some excellent dribbles that totally dazzled the crowd.
Norman also improved on his positional play while En Dian again showed why he would be a huge asset to ARFC with his clever runs and hold-up play. Also, he provided another alternative to Toh in the air with his good jumps and timing. Blackburn also improved in the 2nd half after putting in a woeful performance in the 1st half.
There is no individual Man-of-the-Match for this match as every warrior played very well.
If there is anything that ARFC should strive for, it is that we should all try to keep a clean sheet in our next match. From my records, the last clean sheet was 12 matches ago, a 1-0 win over Serangoon CSC on 16 May 2010.
Monday, August 23, 2010
6th tournament match details
29 August 2010 (Sun)
5 pm = 1700 hrs
East View Secondary School
Opponent is New Easteroids
Pls bring both colours.
Pls e-mail to Sebastian of your availability.
5 pm = 1700 hrs
East View Secondary School
Opponent is New Easteroids
Pls bring both colours.
Pls e-mail to Sebastian of your availability.
ARFC walloped Team Kangtao in a superb team performance
Fired up by the gritty performance by the Cubs’ 3-2 win over Montenegro in the YOG, ARFC thrashed Team Kangtao 5-1 after captain of the day Kenny put in a virtuoso performance at the artificial pitch at Bedok Green SS in front of 77,777 fans that included Elvis’ beau Anna.
ARFC had lost 1-2 to the same team the previous week due mainly to insufficient substitutes. Thankfully, there were 15 warriors present as Derrick went to the wrong pitch and only arrived late in the 2nd half.
ARFC was further boosted by the return of Elvis after his 2-week reservist duty to serve the nation.
ARFC started with this strong line-up:
Keeper: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (stand-in keeper)
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Combative Ron
Left-mid: Dynamic Soon
Striker: Nippy Kenny (captain)
Striker: Speedy Hee
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
Tze Ern
En Dian
Talisman Derrick (only arrived late in the 2nd half)
ARFC was determined to put things right from the word go. Our two speedy forwards impressed with their constant harassing at their defence.
ARFC took the lead in the 17th min. Sebastian, whose set-pieces delivery in last week’s match was very woeful, finally got things right. From a free-kick on the right, his curling kick eluded their defence and Ron dashed in and turned the ball for his 1st–ever ARFC goal. 1-0
The opponents then equalized after a rare error by ARFC’s defence. 1-1
Straight from the kick-off, ARFC immediately regained the lead. Hee touched the ball and instead of passing backwards, Kenny pushed the ball 0.77 cm forward and let fly a venomous shot towards the goal. The ball was deflected by their sweeper outside the box and bounced towards goal. Their keeper allowed the ball to bounce once and incredibly he was fooled by the violent spin of the ball and parried the ball into his own net for a comical own goal. 2-1 and this was the 20th own goal conceded by ARFC’s opponents.
ARFC extended its lead in the 27th min. From defending a corner, ARFC counter-attacked and Kenny showed world-class speed ala Ryan Giggs and sprinted down the left flank. At the same time, En Dian, Soon and Wayne also set off towards their goal. Kenny looked up and sent a cross-field ball to En Dian at the right flank. Killing the ball, En Dian paused a while and crossed the ball into the box and there was Wayne to slid the ball home for his 1st-ever ARFC goal. 3-1
The downside is that in scoring the goal, Wayne aggravated his right shoulder injury and had to be replaced. L
In the 2nd half, ARFC almost scored within 77 seconds. Kenny pressured their keeper into spilling the ball at the left-hand side near the touchline. Kenny headed the spilled ball towards the empty net and En Dian dashed in but just narrowly failed to connect and the ball trickled just 0.7 cm wide. Unlucky!
ARFC continued its dominance and twice from Sebastian’s corners, Toh and En Dian both went for the same balls and the chances were lost.
Blackburn was next to come close but his turn and volley flew narrowly wide.
Soon also flashed a shot high over the bar after Norman’s corner was half-cleared to him just outside the box.
ARFC finally scored the 4th goal. From Borman’s excellent corner on the right, En Dian rose majestically and headed the ball home for his 4th ARFC goal. Incidentally, En Dian’s previous goal was also a header at the same field! 4-1
At this point, Derrick immediately changed though there were only about less than 7.7 mins to go.
With almost the last kick of the match, ARFC scored its 5th goal in the match. Derrick made an immediate impact upon coming on. He won the ball at the middle and passed the ball down the right flank for Norman. Norman’s cross found Derrick in the box and Derrick then passed the ball out to the left for the lurking Kenny. Kenny fooled their keeper into committing a challenge ala Messi and rifled the bal into the roof of the net for his 7th ARFC goal to cap off a virtuoso captain’s performance. 5-1
This was a match where every warrior played their hearts out to avenge the previous week’s defeat to the same team. It was earlier predicted that with enough substitutes, ARFC can defeat them which, true enough, was achieved. Hopefully, ARFC will always have about 14-15 warriors for every match.
ARFC’s defence of Guoxiong, Darren, Toh, Elvis and later on Ron, reminded everyone of the famed defences of both Liverpool (Steve Nicol, Jim Beglin, Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen) and Everton (Gary Stevens, Pat Van de Hauw, Derek Mountfield and Kevin Ratcliff) in the 80s. In particular, Toh repeatedly repelled their aerial attacks from their long throw-ins, and Darren and Guoxiong also gave their wingers no chance at all. Haron, despite being on fast, showed good reading in the keeper’s position by coming out for a few balls. Wayne did his part when covering at left-back and did very well in scoring his first goal for ARFC.
The midfielders were also alert in this match with Tze Ern, Ron and Soon impressing. Sebastian also regained his accuracy with his set pieces and is really close to regaining match fitness after being out for so long. Blackburn contributed by his ability to play in so many positions in a single match. Norman assisted with 2 goals and will be a good replacement for Derrick in matches to come.
Up front, En Dian proved a perfect foil as a 2nd forward with his clever running into space. If En Dian can join ARFC on a permanent basis, ARFC can at least balance the loss of Alvin who is likely to be out for a long time. Hee showcased his world-class speed with his constant harassing and also took in a few hard tackles at the same time.
This leaves me with Kenny, the captain of the day, who inspired the victory by working endlessly and was finally rewarded with a goal with the last kick of the match. If I remembered correctly, this is also the 1st time that he completed a full match for ARFC. So, Man-of-the-Match goes to him.
ARFC had lost 1-2 to the same team the previous week due mainly to insufficient substitutes. Thankfully, there were 15 warriors present as Derrick went to the wrong pitch and only arrived late in the 2nd half.
ARFC was further boosted by the return of Elvis after his 2-week reservist duty to serve the nation.
ARFC started with this strong line-up:
Keeper: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (stand-in keeper)
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Combative Ron
Left-mid: Dynamic Soon
Striker: Nippy Kenny (captain)
Striker: Speedy Hee
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
Tze Ern
En Dian
Talisman Derrick (only arrived late in the 2nd half)
ARFC was determined to put things right from the word go. Our two speedy forwards impressed with their constant harassing at their defence.
ARFC took the lead in the 17th min. Sebastian, whose set-pieces delivery in last week’s match was very woeful, finally got things right. From a free-kick on the right, his curling kick eluded their defence and Ron dashed in and turned the ball for his 1st–ever ARFC goal. 1-0
The opponents then equalized after a rare error by ARFC’s defence. 1-1
Straight from the kick-off, ARFC immediately regained the lead. Hee touched the ball and instead of passing backwards, Kenny pushed the ball 0.77 cm forward and let fly a venomous shot towards the goal. The ball was deflected by their sweeper outside the box and bounced towards goal. Their keeper allowed the ball to bounce once and incredibly he was fooled by the violent spin of the ball and parried the ball into his own net for a comical own goal. 2-1 and this was the 20th own goal conceded by ARFC’s opponents.
ARFC extended its lead in the 27th min. From defending a corner, ARFC counter-attacked and Kenny showed world-class speed ala Ryan Giggs and sprinted down the left flank. At the same time, En Dian, Soon and Wayne also set off towards their goal. Kenny looked up and sent a cross-field ball to En Dian at the right flank. Killing the ball, En Dian paused a while and crossed the ball into the box and there was Wayne to slid the ball home for his 1st-ever ARFC goal. 3-1
The downside is that in scoring the goal, Wayne aggravated his right shoulder injury and had to be replaced. L
In the 2nd half, ARFC almost scored within 77 seconds. Kenny pressured their keeper into spilling the ball at the left-hand side near the touchline. Kenny headed the spilled ball towards the empty net and En Dian dashed in but just narrowly failed to connect and the ball trickled just 0.7 cm wide. Unlucky!
ARFC continued its dominance and twice from Sebastian’s corners, Toh and En Dian both went for the same balls and the chances were lost.
Blackburn was next to come close but his turn and volley flew narrowly wide.
Soon also flashed a shot high over the bar after Norman’s corner was half-cleared to him just outside the box.
ARFC finally scored the 4th goal. From Borman’s excellent corner on the right, En Dian rose majestically and headed the ball home for his 4th ARFC goal. Incidentally, En Dian’s previous goal was also a header at the same field! 4-1
At this point, Derrick immediately changed though there were only about less than 7.7 mins to go.
With almost the last kick of the match, ARFC scored its 5th goal in the match. Derrick made an immediate impact upon coming on. He won the ball at the middle and passed the ball down the right flank for Norman. Norman’s cross found Derrick in the box and Derrick then passed the ball out to the left for the lurking Kenny. Kenny fooled their keeper into committing a challenge ala Messi and rifled the bal into the roof of the net for his 7th ARFC goal to cap off a virtuoso captain’s performance. 5-1
This was a match where every warrior played their hearts out to avenge the previous week’s defeat to the same team. It was earlier predicted that with enough substitutes, ARFC can defeat them which, true enough, was achieved. Hopefully, ARFC will always have about 14-15 warriors for every match.
ARFC’s defence of Guoxiong, Darren, Toh, Elvis and later on Ron, reminded everyone of the famed defences of both Liverpool (Steve Nicol, Jim Beglin, Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen) and Everton (Gary Stevens, Pat Van de Hauw, Derek Mountfield and Kevin Ratcliff) in the 80s. In particular, Toh repeatedly repelled their aerial attacks from their long throw-ins, and Darren and Guoxiong also gave their wingers no chance at all. Haron, despite being on fast, showed good reading in the keeper’s position by coming out for a few balls. Wayne did his part when covering at left-back and did very well in scoring his first goal for ARFC.
The midfielders were also alert in this match with Tze Ern, Ron and Soon impressing. Sebastian also regained his accuracy with his set pieces and is really close to regaining match fitness after being out for so long. Blackburn contributed by his ability to play in so many positions in a single match. Norman assisted with 2 goals and will be a good replacement for Derrick in matches to come.
Up front, En Dian proved a perfect foil as a 2nd forward with his clever running into space. If En Dian can join ARFC on a permanent basis, ARFC can at least balance the loss of Alvin who is likely to be out for a long time. Hee showcased his world-class speed with his constant harassing and also took in a few hard tackles at the same time.
This leaves me with Kenny, the captain of the day, who inspired the victory by working endlessly and was finally rewarded with a goal with the last kick of the match. If I remembered correctly, this is also the 1st time that he completed a full match for ARFC. So, Man-of-the-Match goes to him.
Monday, August 16, 2010
5th tournament match details
22 August 2010 (Sun)
5pm = 1700 hrs
Bedok Green Secondary School (artificial pitch)
Opponent is Team Kangtao (again)
Pls e-mail Sebastian of your availability.
5pm = 1700 hrs
Bedok Green Secondary School (artificial pitch)
Opponent is Team Kangtao (again)
Pls e-mail Sebastian of your availability.
Haron's heroics failed to save ARFC from defeat
Resuming its tournament match after the last tournament match on 11 July 2010, ARFC took the lead first but succumbed 1-2 to the young and fit Team Kangtao at Tanglin Sec Sch.
Prior to the match, ARFC was disrupted by the last-min notice on the change in match venue from the East side (Bedok area) all the way to the west end at Tanglin SS. This change caused panic and confusion amongst the warriors as several warriors had to detour and ended up arriving just 7 mins before the start. Due to the change, many of the fanatical ARFC fans did not turn up to support as only 77 fans managed to make it there.
To make matters worse, ARFC lost the prowess of the powerful Alvin who was ruled out for the rest of the season after the doctors at SGH diagnosed that his slip disc had, well, slipped.
Thankfully, Derrick recovered from his metersalalalala injury on this right foot and Haron also made a great sacrifice to volunteer as keeper despite being on a fast.
ARFC started with a 4-5-1 line-up with Darren captaining ARFC for the very first time:
Keeper: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Unpredictable Blackburn
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren (captain)
Right-mid: Talisman Derrick
Centre-mid: Combative Ron
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon
Left-mid: Speedy Hee
Striker: Yoong
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
ARFC dominated proceedings in the opening 20 mins with Yoong and Hee particularly impressive. In the 17th min, ARFC took the lead after Blackburn’s free-kick from the sweeper position found Yoong just outside the box. With a sharp turn, Yoong made space for himself and unleashed a stiff grounder that left their keeper rooted to the spot for his 8th ARFC goal. 1-0 and it was a fantastic strike.
ARFC warriors, however, quickly tired out with Norman replacing Derrick at right mid. Mins later, Ron’s boots gave way and was replaced by Wayne. By now, ARFC switched to 4-4-2 with Hee moving upfront and Soon moved over to left mid. Messi salivating. 2-0
Haron then produced a world-class save when he brilliantly tipped a ferocious free-kick over the bar.
7 mins later, he again produced a low diving save to parry the ball for a corner after the ball looked to have skidded into the net.
ARFC nearly doubled the lead when Sebastian’s corner kick from the right hit the cross-bar but no warriors were on hand to tap in the rebound. Unlucky!
ARFC had a couple of half chances but could not capitalize.
The turning point came when Yoong departed at half time as he had another match at Tampines SAFRA. With just one sub left and tiring quickly, it was no surprise that ARFC was under heavy pressure from the opponents.
Thankfully, Haron again showed his great goalkeeping when he kept out at least another 2 or 3 saves to preserve ARFC’s slender lead.
Upfront, Derrick pressured their keeper into spilling the ball but his curling kick from near the right touch-line just failed to trickle into the net. Unlucky!
In the 57th min, Toh then bundled the ball, and their keeper, over from Sebastian’s corner but it was correctly ruled out for a foul by the excellent referee.
ARFC then conceded 2 goals in the space of 5.7 mins. 1-2.
Towards the end of the match, Norman’s several missile throw-ins threatened to bring the match to parity but to no avail. ARFC then lost for the first time in the tournament.
Man-of-the-Match is obviously Haron who came up with several top-notch saves.
Prior to the match, ARFC was disrupted by the last-min notice on the change in match venue from the East side (Bedok area) all the way to the west end at Tanglin SS. This change caused panic and confusion amongst the warriors as several warriors had to detour and ended up arriving just 7 mins before the start. Due to the change, many of the fanatical ARFC fans did not turn up to support as only 77 fans managed to make it there.
To make matters worse, ARFC lost the prowess of the powerful Alvin who was ruled out for the rest of the season after the doctors at SGH diagnosed that his slip disc had, well, slipped.
Thankfully, Derrick recovered from his metersalalalala injury on this right foot and Haron also made a great sacrifice to volunteer as keeper despite being on a fast.
ARFC started with a 4-5-1 line-up with Darren captaining ARFC for the very first time:
Keeper: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Unpredictable Blackburn
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren (captain)
Right-mid: Talisman Derrick
Centre-mid: Combative Ron
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon
Left-mid: Speedy Hee
Striker: Yoong
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
ARFC dominated proceedings in the opening 20 mins with Yoong and Hee particularly impressive. In the 17th min, ARFC took the lead after Blackburn’s free-kick from the sweeper position found Yoong just outside the box. With a sharp turn, Yoong made space for himself and unleashed a stiff grounder that left their keeper rooted to the spot for his 8th ARFC goal. 1-0 and it was a fantastic strike.
ARFC warriors, however, quickly tired out with Norman replacing Derrick at right mid. Mins later, Ron’s boots gave way and was replaced by Wayne. By now, ARFC switched to 4-4-2 with Hee moving upfront and Soon moved over to left mid. Messi salivating. 2-0
Haron then produced a world-class save when he brilliantly tipped a ferocious free-kick over the bar.
7 mins later, he again produced a low diving save to parry the ball for a corner after the ball looked to have skidded into the net.
ARFC nearly doubled the lead when Sebastian’s corner kick from the right hit the cross-bar but no warriors were on hand to tap in the rebound. Unlucky!
ARFC had a couple of half chances but could not capitalize.
The turning point came when Yoong departed at half time as he had another match at Tampines SAFRA. With just one sub left and tiring quickly, it was no surprise that ARFC was under heavy pressure from the opponents.
Thankfully, Haron again showed his great goalkeeping when he kept out at least another 2 or 3 saves to preserve ARFC’s slender lead.
Upfront, Derrick pressured their keeper into spilling the ball but his curling kick from near the right touch-line just failed to trickle into the net. Unlucky!
In the 57th min, Toh then bundled the ball, and their keeper, over from Sebastian’s corner but it was correctly ruled out for a foul by the excellent referee.
ARFC then conceded 2 goals in the space of 5.7 mins. 1-2.
Towards the end of the match, Norman’s several missile throw-ins threatened to bring the match to parity but to no avail. ARFC then lost for the first time in the tournament.
Man-of-the-Match is obviously Haron who came up with several top-notch saves.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
4th tournament match details
15 August 2010 (sun)
3 pm = 1500 hrs
Damai SS @ Bedok Reservoir area
Opponent is Team Kangtao (formerly known as Oogleee Boys)
Pls inform Sebastian of your availability.
Thanks a lot.
3 pm = 1500 hrs
Damai SS @ Bedok Reservoir area
Opponent is Team Kangtao (formerly known as Oogleee Boys)
Pls inform Sebastian of your availability.
Thanks a lot.
ARFC paid heavy price for thrilling 3-2 win over Raven
In a 9 pm friendly match at Tampines SAFRA, ARFC paid a huge price for their thrilling 3-2 win over perennial rivals Raven as Alvin suffered a serious injury on his right hamstring that threatened to rule him out for the rest of the season.
ARFC started with this strong line-up:
Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Unpredictable Blackburn (captain)
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Talisman Derrick
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon
Left-mid: Sublime Khim
Striker: Nippy Kenny
Striker: Powerful Alvin
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
Tze Ern
Yoong
This was the 11th time that ARFC had played against Raven and the past results were:
(i) 26 August 2001 – 5-0 @ ITE AMK;
(ii) 14 April 2002 – 3-1 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(iii) 25 August 2002 – 0-1 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(iv) 21 September 2003 - 2-0 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(v) 05 February 2006 - 4-4 @ ITE AMK:
(vi) 11 March 2007 - 6-0 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(vii) 29 April 2007 - 1-5 @ Admiralty SS;
(viii) 24 August 2008 - 3-0 @ St. Wilfrids;
(ix) 20 December 2009 - 3-2 @ Pioneer SS;
(x) 09 May 2010 – 5-1 @ Regent SS.
Interestingly, this would be the 1st time that both teams are playing at night.
ARFC quickly put the opponents on their back-foot with some quick passing. Within 7 mins, Kenny spurned 2 great opportunities after being put through but put both shots too near to their keeper. Unlucky!
At the 20th min mark, Yoong and Norman came on for Kenny and Derrick respectively. 5 mins later, Tze Ern replaced Soon, and later on Wayne took over Sebastian with Blackburn moving into centre mid role and Toh dropped to sweeper with Wayne covering him at stopper.
In the 27th min, Yoong’s superb long throw was headed on to Tze Ern who was lurking just inside the penalty box. Unfortunately, Tze Eern’s well-struck sweet volley was parried away for a corner by their keeper.
The worst news came soon after when Alvin pulled up with a hamstring injury after chasing a long ball. Kenny came back on for him and soon redeemed himself.
Khim, who was having a superb match, back-heeled the ball for Kenny who galloped down the left flank. Looking up, he crossed in and the ball was spilled by their keeper. Blackburn picked up the loose ball just right outside the 6-yard box, shaped to shoot but eluded one covering defender. As the subs were getting ready to “scold” him, Blackburn still did not shoot and evaded another defender. Blackburn then rifled the ball into the roof of the net for his 92nd ARFC goal. 1-0!
ARFC doubled its lead just 3 mins later. Again, Khim started the move with a world-class through ball to Kenny who broke the off-side trap and expertly placed the ball to the far corner for his 6th ARFC goal. 2-0!
In the 2nd half, Sebastian gave a well-deserved break to Guoxiong and Toh which drew a chorus of boos from the crowd. Thankfully, the fans later realized that ARFC is having a grueling tournament match on Sunday afternoon. Derrick came back on and Norman dropped to right-back. Sebastian also played as the sweeper, and Soon tok over Blackburn in the centre mid role.
The opponents seemed fired up in the 2nd half and actually controlled proceedings in the opening 10-15 mins. In fact, they could have pulled a goal back but Jinzhong produced a world-class one-on-one save to deny them. Fantastic stuff!
Raven also came close with several half-chances.
ARFC then settled down and scored its 3rd goal. Soon’s clever through ball to the right saw Yoong latching the ball on and moved into the right side of the box. From an almost acute angle, Yoong fired the ball past their keeper for his 7th ARFC goal. 3-0
Kenny could have scored his second goal in the match after Sebastian’s pass was too weak to reach him at the left hand side but their right-back “lobang” the ball. Without breaking his stride, Kenny hit a curling right-side-footed shot that bent over their despairing keeper but the ball struck the left post. Totally unlucky!
Raven was then given a reprieve by the referee who wrongly awarded a penalty to them. Toh cleared the ball but the ball struck his own hand which was totally unintentional. Despite going the right way, Jinzhong just narrowly failed to keep the ball out. 1-3.
With 10 mins remaining, Blackburn produced the “Kelong Act of the Century” when he “purposely” let the ball run through his legs and their striker duly struck home. 2-3
The last 10 mins was tense as the opponents looked to grab an equalizer. Thankfully, ARFC held firm for a 3-2 victory.
For this match, every warrior played very well and all contributed to the victory. Particularly impressive were Tze Ern, Wayne, Derrick, Khim, Kenny and Yoong.
ARFC started with this strong line-up:
Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Unpredictable Blackburn (captain)
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Talisman Derrick
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon
Left-mid: Sublime Khim
Striker: Nippy Kenny
Striker: Powerful Alvin
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
Tze Ern
Yoong
This was the 11th time that ARFC had played against Raven and the past results were:
(i) 26 August 2001 – 5-0 @ ITE AMK;
(ii) 14 April 2002 – 3-1 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(iii) 25 August 2002 – 0-1 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(iv) 21 September 2003 - 2-0 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(v) 05 February 2006 - 4-4 @ ITE AMK:
(vi) 11 March 2007 - 6-0 @ Blk 367 Yishun Ring Road;
(vii) 29 April 2007 - 1-5 @ Admiralty SS;
(viii) 24 August 2008 - 3-0 @ St. Wilfrids;
(ix) 20 December 2009 - 3-2 @ Pioneer SS;
(x) 09 May 2010 – 5-1 @ Regent SS.
Interestingly, this would be the 1st time that both teams are playing at night.
ARFC quickly put the opponents on their back-foot with some quick passing. Within 7 mins, Kenny spurned 2 great opportunities after being put through but put both shots too near to their keeper. Unlucky!
At the 20th min mark, Yoong and Norman came on for Kenny and Derrick respectively. 5 mins later, Tze Ern replaced Soon, and later on Wayne took over Sebastian with Blackburn moving into centre mid role and Toh dropped to sweeper with Wayne covering him at stopper.
In the 27th min, Yoong’s superb long throw was headed on to Tze Ern who was lurking just inside the penalty box. Unfortunately, Tze Eern’s well-struck sweet volley was parried away for a corner by their keeper.
The worst news came soon after when Alvin pulled up with a hamstring injury after chasing a long ball. Kenny came back on for him and soon redeemed himself.
Khim, who was having a superb match, back-heeled the ball for Kenny who galloped down the left flank. Looking up, he crossed in and the ball was spilled by their keeper. Blackburn picked up the loose ball just right outside the 6-yard box, shaped to shoot but eluded one covering defender. As the subs were getting ready to “scold” him, Blackburn still did not shoot and evaded another defender. Blackburn then rifled the ball into the roof of the net for his 92nd ARFC goal. 1-0!
ARFC doubled its lead just 3 mins later. Again, Khim started the move with a world-class through ball to Kenny who broke the off-side trap and expertly placed the ball to the far corner for his 6th ARFC goal. 2-0!
In the 2nd half, Sebastian gave a well-deserved break to Guoxiong and Toh which drew a chorus of boos from the crowd. Thankfully, the fans later realized that ARFC is having a grueling tournament match on Sunday afternoon. Derrick came back on and Norman dropped to right-back. Sebastian also played as the sweeper, and Soon tok over Blackburn in the centre mid role.
The opponents seemed fired up in the 2nd half and actually controlled proceedings in the opening 10-15 mins. In fact, they could have pulled a goal back but Jinzhong produced a world-class one-on-one save to deny them. Fantastic stuff!
Raven also came close with several half-chances.
ARFC then settled down and scored its 3rd goal. Soon’s clever through ball to the right saw Yoong latching the ball on and moved into the right side of the box. From an almost acute angle, Yoong fired the ball past their keeper for his 7th ARFC goal. 3-0
Kenny could have scored his second goal in the match after Sebastian’s pass was too weak to reach him at the left hand side but their right-back “lobang” the ball. Without breaking his stride, Kenny hit a curling right-side-footed shot that bent over their despairing keeper but the ball struck the left post. Totally unlucky!
Raven was then given a reprieve by the referee who wrongly awarded a penalty to them. Toh cleared the ball but the ball struck his own hand which was totally unintentional. Despite going the right way, Jinzhong just narrowly failed to keep the ball out. 1-3.
With 10 mins remaining, Blackburn produced the “Kelong Act of the Century” when he “purposely” let the ball run through his legs and their striker duly struck home. 2-3
The last 10 mins was tense as the opponents looked to grab an equalizer. Thankfully, ARFC held firm for a 3-2 victory.
For this match, every warrior played very well and all contributed to the victory. Particularly impressive were Tze Ern, Wayne, Derrick, Khim, Kenny and Yoong.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Friendly match at Tampines SAFRA - 11 Aug @ 2100 hrs
Dear ARFC warriors,
Friendly match on 11 August 2010 at 2100 hrs = 9 pm @ Tampines SAFRA.
Pls e-mail Sebastian and Toh of your availability.
Thanks
Friendly match on 11 August 2010 at 2100 hrs = 9 pm @ Tampines SAFRA.
Pls e-mail Sebastian and Toh of your availability.
Thanks
ARFC faltered to a 2-2 draw
In a friendly match held to commemorate Singapore’s 45th National Day, ARFC led 2-0 before being held to a 2-2 draw by a young Chinese team at East Spring SS.
As it was a long weekend, ARFC was missing a host of regular first-teamers and no WAGs were present. In fact, only 77 fans turned up to watch a patch-up ARFC side comprising 3 guest players.
ARFC started with this line-up:
Keeper: Guohui (guest player)
Right-back: Sze Meng (guest player)
Sweeper: Combative Ron
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Talisman Derrick
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Tze Ern
Left-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn
Striker: Speedy Hee (captain)
Striker: Powerful Alvin
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
Yaoyang (guest player)
ARFC opened the scoring in the 17th min when strong pressure from Derrick, Blackburn and Hee caused panic in their defence. Alvin picked up the loose ball outside the box and with a quick sharp turn, eluded their sweeper and powered just right to the edge of the box. Before their sweeper and keeper can blink their eyes, Alvin executed a outside right foot shot that gave their keeper no chance at all to react. 1-0 and this was Alvin’s 129th ARFC goal. 1-0
ARFC doubled its lead courtesy of yet another Alvin goal. Derrick’s clever through ball found Alvin who again showed world-class deadly skill by thumping the ball past their keeper for his 130th ARFC goal. 2-0
In the 2nd half, ARFC sportingly gave the better performer in the form of Sze Meng to the opponents as they were short of players.
In the 2nd half, ARFC continued to conjure up golden chances but all were spurned. Tze Ern, who impressed with his biting tackles but lacked match fitness, found Alvin with a slide-rule pass but Alvin was denied his hat-trick by the save of their keeper.
Next up, Derrick’s precise right wing cross sailed over their keeper but struck the cross-bar. Hee dashed in for the rebound but his header also struck the same cross-bar. Unlucky for both!
Alvin again had another chance denied when his shot was again saved by their keeper.
Hee had a golden chance to increase ARFC’s lead when their keeper’s clearance found Hee about 37 metres outside the box. Alas, Hee’s lob was agonizingly just 0.77 metres wide.
Off a quick corner from Alvin, Sebastian’s chip was nearly headed in by Toh but he was just a fraction late.
The young and fitter opponents then scored 2 goals after ARFC warriors tired out in the last 20 mins.
Man-of-the-match is jointly given to Darren (for making the left back a fortress in the match) and Alvin (for his Ian Rush-like finishes).
Special mention to Ron for volunteering to be the keeper in the 2nd half.
As it was a long weekend, ARFC was missing a host of regular first-teamers and no WAGs were present. In fact, only 77 fans turned up to watch a patch-up ARFC side comprising 3 guest players.
ARFC started with this line-up:
Keeper: Guohui (guest player)
Right-back: Sze Meng (guest player)
Sweeper: Combative Ron
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unbeatable Darren
Right-mid: Talisman Derrick
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Centre-mid: Tze Ern
Left-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn
Striker: Speedy Hee (captain)
Striker: Powerful Alvin
Subs:
Wayne
Norman
Yaoyang (guest player)
ARFC opened the scoring in the 17th min when strong pressure from Derrick, Blackburn and Hee caused panic in their defence. Alvin picked up the loose ball outside the box and with a quick sharp turn, eluded their sweeper and powered just right to the edge of the box. Before their sweeper and keeper can blink their eyes, Alvin executed a outside right foot shot that gave their keeper no chance at all to react. 1-0 and this was Alvin’s 129th ARFC goal. 1-0
ARFC doubled its lead courtesy of yet another Alvin goal. Derrick’s clever through ball found Alvin who again showed world-class deadly skill by thumping the ball past their keeper for his 130th ARFC goal. 2-0
In the 2nd half, ARFC sportingly gave the better performer in the form of Sze Meng to the opponents as they were short of players.
In the 2nd half, ARFC continued to conjure up golden chances but all were spurned. Tze Ern, who impressed with his biting tackles but lacked match fitness, found Alvin with a slide-rule pass but Alvin was denied his hat-trick by the save of their keeper.
Next up, Derrick’s precise right wing cross sailed over their keeper but struck the cross-bar. Hee dashed in for the rebound but his header also struck the same cross-bar. Unlucky for both!
Alvin again had another chance denied when his shot was again saved by their keeper.
Hee had a golden chance to increase ARFC’s lead when their keeper’s clearance found Hee about 37 metres outside the box. Alas, Hee’s lob was agonizingly just 0.77 metres wide.
Off a quick corner from Alvin, Sebastian’s chip was nearly headed in by Toh but he was just a fraction late.
The young and fitter opponents then scored 2 goals after ARFC warriors tired out in the last 20 mins.
Man-of-the-match is jointly given to Darren (for making the left back a fortress in the match) and Alvin (for his Ian Rush-like finishes).
Special mention to Ron for volunteering to be the keeper in the 2nd half.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Friendly match details - pre-National Day
Dear ARFC warriors,
No tournament match but I have arranged a friendly match to celebrate our National Day.
Match details:
08 August 2010 (Sun)
5 pm = 1700 hrs
East Spring (not ease-spring) Sec Sch
Bring both colours
Pls e-mail Sebastian of your availability.
Thanks so much! I love Singapore!
No tournament match but I have arranged a friendly match to celebrate our National Day.
Match details:
08 August 2010 (Sun)
5 pm = 1700 hrs
East Spring (not ease-spring) Sec Sch
Bring both colours
Pls e-mail Sebastian of your availability.
Thanks so much! I love Singapore!
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