Playing its 6th Veterans match in 2022 and 33rd Veterans match overall, ARFC Veterans was let down by poor attendance and was beaten 3-5 by Ayer Rajah Veterans at the way-too-small pitch at Khalsa Club on 25 Sep 202 at 7 pm.
ARFC Veterans started with this 4-4-2 line-up:
GK – Zhi Chong (guest GK)
RB – Eng Lai
Sweeper – Elvis
Stopper – Toh
LB – Darren
RM – Soon
CM – Tjioe
CM – Sebastian (captain)
LM – Kenny
SC – Derrick
SC – Haron
Subs:
Daniel
Wayne
Ron
At the request of the opponents, the match was played in three 30-min halves.
ARFC Veterans started the match brightly and nearly took the lead within 3 mins.
From his left-back position, Darren pinged a long ball down the right flank which Derrick managed to retrieve right at the right byeline. He then squared the ball across goal and running in, Soon met the ball perfectly but his shot was blocked by both their GK and sliding defender for a corner kick. Unlucky but what a move.
ARFC Veterans then suffered a huge blow when Toh pulled his calf after stretching for a ball, resulting in him being replaced by Ron.
Zhi Chong then produced 2 top-draw saves, and Elvis also came up with a brilliant block to keep the first-30 half 0-0.
Kenny then departed the match due to family commitment, leaving ARFC Veterans with just 2 substitutes.
ARFC Veterans then found itself 2 goals down within the space of 7 mins. 0-2.
From Sebastian’s corner on the right, the ball was headed away by the opponents. The ball was picked up by Elvis, who again had a good match, at the centre of the pitch. With an instinctive move, Elvis switched the ball to the left flank where Ron had taken up a good position. Ron’s clever flick with his right foot saw the ball floating right into the heart of the opponent’s penalty box. Before their GK could punch the ball away, Darren sneaked in and managed to head the ball over their GK for his 12th Veterans goa and 27t ARFC goals overall. 1-2 now!
Daniel then pressured their defender by sliding the ball away and Soon gleefully picked up the loose ball. Alas, his clean shot was saved by their GK.
Tjioe was next to come close when his venomous shot from distance was palmed away by their GK.
The second 30-min half ended 1-2.
In the last 30-min half, the opponents took the lead from a long shot. 1-3 now.
ARFC Veterans pulled a goal back 7 mins later. Derrick’s good work from the left resulted in the ball being played into the penalty box. With the ball rolling about in the area between the penalty spot and the top of the box, Haron did well to shield their stopper. Wasted no time, Sebastian immediately seized the golden opportunity and fired in a sizzling grounder that beat their full-diving GK. The ball landed nicely at the bottom left corner. 2-3 and this was Sebastian’s 128th ARFC goal, with 12 coming from ARFC Veterans matches.
The opponents then regained its 2-goal cushion. 2-4 now.
Ron then came up with a world-class block with his body to prevent ARFC Veterans from falling behind.
Derrick nearly scored when his long-range shot from outside the box looked to be ending up at the bottom right corner when their GK stuck out his feet to turn the ball away for a corner. Unlucky!
ARFC Veterans then narrowed the score 7 mins later. Sebastian’s throw-in from the right saw Wayne chested the ball back to Sebastian. In a swift move, Sebastian lofted the ball into the penalty box and Tjioe leaped highest to nod the ball over their GK. 3-4.
With the goal, Tjioe has moved to 70 ARFC goals, with 4 of those goals coming from ARFC Veterans matches, and surpassed Robin’s 69 goals.
The opponents then scored a last-gasp goal to win 5-3.
Including this match, these were all the details for ARFC Veterans’ 33 matches since it was formed in 2017:
2017 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 7 |
2018 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 21 |
2019 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 16 |
2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 15 |
Total | 33 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 112 | 59 |
These are the top 5 scorers for ARFC Veterans’ 33 matches:
1. Raymond – 18 goals
2. Haron – 15 goals
3. Darren – 12 goals
4. Sebastian – 12 goals
5. Soon – 11 goals
Special thanks to Derrick for generously topping up the short-fall for match fee payments.
Man of the Match has to be Darren.Tjioe
