Voting results for 24 Aug 2013 match

Darren - 23 pts;
Guoxiong & Weilit - 10 pts;
Ron & Toh - 8 pts;
Soon & Kenny - 7 pts;
Hee - 5 pts;
Jinzhong, Chun Haw & Derrick - 3 pts;
Elvis - 2 pts.

Congrats to Darren for winning $10 mil, and Guoxiong & Weilit for sharing the $5 mil jackpot.

ARFC's iron-wrought defence in 2-2 draw

Playing in its new jerseys (red set) and at the PSA ground pitch for the very first time, ARFC struggled in the superbly-large field (almost square shape) but still came away with a 2-2 draw against a quite strong team, PSA staff team.

ARFC was watched by Lingzhi, Melissa and Anna, partners of Ron, Hee and Elvis respectively.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Dependable Jinzhong

Right-back - Marauding Guoxiong

Sweeper - Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unbeatable Darren

Left-mid - Speedy Hee

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Centre-mid - Unpredictable Blackburn

Right-mid - Talisman Derrick  

Striker - Nippy Kenny

Striker - Powerful Alvin (captain)

 

Subs:

Skillful Weilit

Talented Chun Haw

Combative Ron (late)

Influential Sebastian (late)

Absent:

Steely Tze Ern

Wonder Wayne

Impeccable How Meng

Composed Jackson

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Resolute Jasper

Sublime Khim

Hard-man Tjioe

Booming Boon

ARFC really struggled to come to terms with the huge pitch and was under siege from the start by the PSA Staff Team, which has been playing at the pitch every week for many years and obviously knows every inch of the pitch.

Nevertheless, ARFC’s famed defence held very firm and the opponents were unable to make a break-through.

ARFC took the lead after Chun Haw, after just replaced Kenny at left-mid, lofted in a brilliant cross-field ball from the left all the way to Weilit, who replaced Derrick, at the right. Weilit trapped the ball down expertly but his first ball was poor. However, fortune smiles on Weilit as his ball was rebounded to him from their defender and he seized the second chance by slotting the ball low home for his 4^th ARFC goal. 1-0.

In the second half, the very impressive Darren voluntarily made way for Blackburn at left-back and it turned out to be ARFC’s achilles heel as ARFC conceded the equalizer. 1-1

Almost instantaneously, ARFC regained the lead. Derrick pressured their defender by closing him down from a long ball. In his haste, their defender tried to clear the ball but it only went as far as Kenny who was at least 40.77 metres away from goal. Displaying fantastic vision and awareness, Kenny spotted their keeper way off his line and without even bothered to stop the ball first, Kenny chipped an audacious ball over their keeper ala Xabi Alonso for his 21^st ARFC goal. 2-1

Kenny’s goal was his 2^nd successive goal for ARFC in as many matches. He also moved ahead of Chun Haw and is now on level position with Hock and Jiong Jiong, two ex-ARFC warriors.  

However, ARFC conceded another goal. 2-2

ARFC then conceded another goal but the referee correctly ruled that their goal was off-side.

ARFC responded by reinstating Darren at left-back to stabilize the defence.

In the 67^th min, off a counter-attack, Soon released Alvin who brought the ball down the left flank. Pulling the ball back, Alvin laid to the on-rushing Hee who looked to add to his ARFC goal tally. Unfortunately, their defender somehow deflected Hee’s shot out for a corner.

7 mins later, from yet another counter-attack, Soon burst clear and faced their keeper one-on-one. Unluckily, Soon’s shot hit the upright!

For this match, ARFC’s defence deserved special mention as the home team clearly exploited the big pitch by stretching ARFC at the flanks. Guoxiong and Darren ensured that they did not gain significant advantage, while Elvis, Ron and Toh ensured ARFC’s heart was functioning.

Sometimes, a player’s worth would clearly be seen when they are not in the pitch. Everybody can see Darren was totally unbeatable at left-back and when he left, ARFC conceded 2 goals which came in from the left-back position.

The same can be said for Guoxiong. His pace, tackle and tenacity kept their left-winger quiet most of the match, and when he left the pitch, the left-winger almost had a field day.

At press time, we are still awaiting the top 3 players choices from Guoxiong, Soon, Blackburn and Ron.  Rumours had it that all 4 of them are currently still partying away at a certain Geylang Lor…..

Kenny led 10-man ARFC to 2-1 victory

Playing in its new jerseys (BLACK set) for the very first time, 10-man ARFC defeated Anfield Reds 2-1 with an inspiring performance from Kenny.

ARFC was hit by several last-min withdrawals that left the team with just 10 warriors for the match.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Dependable Jinzhong

Right-back - Marauding Guoxiong

Sweeper - Combative Ron

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unpredictable Blackburn

Left-mid - Speedy Hee

Centre-mid - Steely Tze Ern

Centre-mid - Influential Sebastian

Right-mid - Talisman Derrick  

Striker - Nippy Kenny

 

Subs:

None

Absent:

Skillful Weilit

Dynamic Soon

Powerful Alvin

Unbeatable Darren

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Wonder Wayne

Impeccable How Meng

Talented Chun Haw

Composed Jackson

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Resolute Jasper

Sublime Khim

Hard-man Tjioe

Booming Boon

It was clear from the start that the opponents were much inferior as ARFC totally dominated proceedings. However, several chances were wasted with Blackburn’s hasty shot particularly eye-catching after being put through lone by Derrick.

Toh also failed to get a clean connection from Sebastian’s free-kick when he chested the ball down and fired high and wide.

From the opponents’ first attack of the match, they took the lead!! 0-1

ARFC drew level with yet another clever foul conjured by Derrick. Trapping the ball in the box, Derrick tried to turn and their big defender ala Christopher Samba kicked him. Derrick fell first but though he immediately got up on his feet, the referee already blew for a penalty.  

Sebastian stepped up and his kick was hit diagonal high up to their keeper’s right. Though he got a touch, he could not prevent the powerful ball from hitting the net. 1-1 and this was Sebastian’s 87^th ARFC goal and successive penalty in 2 matches.

Due to playing with only 10 warriors and coupled with their huge number of substitutes, ARFC began tiring out in the 2^nd half and was pegged back.  However, they could not find a way past ARFC’s stellar defence led ably by Ron.

ARFC then grabbed the winning goal in the 77^th min. Tze Ern received a ball from Guoxiong and with a quick reverse ball down right into the centre, Kenny sprinted clear and brought the ball to the left. He looked to have narrowed his own angle and somehow he showed sharp finishing when he fired a sweet and venomous low volley with his left foot to beat their keeper at his near post. 2-1 and this was Kenny’s 20^th ARFC goal.

With this goal, Kenny moved on level position with Chun Haw at 20 ARFC goals.

ARFC held on for its 17^th victory in 2013 from 24 matches.

These are the voting results:

Ron – 17 pts;

Derrick – 11 pts;

Kenny – 10 pts;

Toh – 7 pts;

Tze Ern – 6 pts;

Guoxiong – 5 pts;

Sebastian – 2 pts;

Hee – 2 pts.

Congratulations to both Ron and Derrick for winning $10 million and $5 million respectively.

ARFC lost 2-3 in exciting friendly

In a friendly match during the super long weekend, ARFC suffered its 4^th defeat in 2013 after going down 2-3 to FC Genesis at the artificial pitch at Springfield SS.

ARFC was watched by Melissa and Booming Boon.

Special shout-out to both Wayne and Derrick for volunteering to be keeper for each half respectively.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Wonder Wayne

Right-back - Dependable Jinzhong

Sweeper - Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unbeatable Darren

Left-mid - Nippy Kenny  

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Centre-mid - Influential Sebastian

Right-mid - Talisman Derrick  

Striker - Speedy Hee

Striker - Powerful Alvin (captain)

 

Subs:

Combative Ron (late)

Skillful Weilit

Unpredictable Blackburn

Absent:

Marauding Guoxiong

Steely Tze Ern

Impeccable How Meng

Talented Chun Haw

Composed Jackson

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Resolute Jasper

Sublime Khim

Hard-man Tjioe

Booming Boon

ARFC was forewarned that the opponents would press at every opportunity and challenged for every ball since they are much younger and true enough, they did just that! However, ARFC’s experience told and was able to gain a strong foothold in the match.

ARFC took the lead under very fortuitous circumstances. Once again, Derrick’s dribbling proved a handful and he drew a foul back on the right side. Sebastian stepped up and his delivery saw their defender stretched out his arms to block the ball in the penalty area ala John Terry. Blackburn took the penalty and though his initial weak shot was saved by their keeper, the ball bounced up high and Blackburn reacted quickest to the rebound and stabbed the ball home for his 128^th ARFC goal. 1-0

Wayne then produced a full-length diving save to preserve ARFC’s slender lead.

On the stroke of the half-time, ARFC conceded from a quick counter-attack. 1-1

Just minutes after the restart, ARFC conceded another goal. 1-2

ARFC equalized with yet another penalty. From a loose ball in the box, Kenny showed quick thinking when he nipped ahead of their defender to the loose ball and when he was clumsily touched by the slower defender, Kenny went down. This time round, Sebastian took the penalty and sent their keeper the wrong way for his 86^th ARFC goal. 2-2.

ARFC then conceded a goal from a corner. 2-3

Weilit then wasted a golden opportunity when a cross from the right by Kenny found him totally alone in the box. However, Weilit’s attempted volley kicked thin air!

Sebastian’s free-kick on the left looked to have found the top left-hand corner until their keeper produced a flying save to tip the ball onto the cross-bar and the ball dropped kindly for the keeper to catch.

ARFC tried to find an equalizer but to no avail.

These are the voting results:

Soon – 16 pts;

Toh – 15 pts;

Kenny – 13 pts;

Darren – 12 pts;

Jinzhong – 7 pts;

Ron – 7 pts;

Derrick – 6 pts;

Sebastian – 5 pts;

Blackburn – 3 pts.

Congratulations to both Soon and Toh for winning $10 million and $5 million respectively.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

On behalf of ARFC, here's wishing Haron, Su, Afiqah & Ariq a:

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Enjoy the long weekend!

Soon edged closer to 50 ARFC goals in 2-0 win

In a friendly match before Singapore 48^th National Day, ARFC had no trouble in brushing aside the OVA 2-0 at their home-ground.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Talisman Derrick

Right-back - Impeccable How Meng

Sweeper - Astute-reading sweeper Elvis (captain)

Stopper - Talented Chun Haw

Left-back - Unpredictable Blackburn

Left-mid - Nippy Kenny  

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Centre-mid - Steely Tze Ern

Right-mid - Marauding Guoxiong

Striker - Speedy Hee

Striker - Powerful Alvin

 

Subs:

Combative Ron (late)

Skillful Weilit

Absent:

Influential Sebastian

Composed Jackson

Unbeatable Darren

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Resolute Jasper

Towering Toh

Dependable Jinzhong

Wonder Wayne

Sublime Khim

Hard-man Tjioe

Booming Boon

ARFC welcomed back Hee from his birthday celebration trip at Bali. With such high spirits, Hee immediately made a HARD impact in the 9^th min.  He ran the ball from the left to the right penalty area and back-heeled ala Dwight Yorke to Soon. Soon quickly moved in and did another back-heel to Alvin.  Like Stan Collymore, Alvin took a great first-touch and thrashed the ball into the net for his 207^th ARFC goal. 1-0

In the 19^th min, ARFC’s corner was only half-cleared to the middle of the field. Soon picked up the loose ball, brought the ball inwards and hit a rising shot ala Robbie Fowler. His fierce shot hit the cross-bar but fortune favoured the brave when the rebound hit their keeper’s head and went into the net. 2-0 and this was Soon’s 49^th ARFC goal, one goal shy of getting an award.

In the 25^th min, Weilit replaced Hee and quickly made his presence felt. Weilit dribbled all the way from left midfield area to the left touch-line, all the time shielding the ball expertly away fro his marker. Weilit then squared a stiff grounder across goal but no one was there for the tap-in.

In the 29^th min, their keeper threw a clearance straight at Alvin who was outside the box. Alvin tried to lob their keeper ala Alonso but the ball was just 0.99 inch wide.

In the 59^th min, off an ARFC clearance, Alvin’s flick header saw Kenny racing away from their defence. Faced with their keeper, Kenny let go a great shot but their keeper produced an even greater save. Unlucky!

In the 79^th min, Chun Haw showed all why he was so highly-regarded by all when he went on a mazy dribble and easily glided past 4 opponents. Chun Haw then released  great through ball to Derrick whose shot just sailed 0.77 inch over the bar. Perhaps Derrick was a bit rusty from the long lay-off but it was certainly great to see him back as a player.

In the voting results, Soon once again clinched the MOM award with 23 points with Elvis second on 19 points, earning each $10m and $5m respectively.

These are the overall results:

Soon – 23 pts;

Elvis – 19 pts;

Chun Haw – 9 pts;

How Meng – 7 pts;

Derrick – 6 pts;

Alvin – 4 pts;

Ron – 3 pts;

Tze Ern – 3 pts;

Guoxiong – 2 pts;

Kenny – 1 pt;

Weilit – 1 pt.