Friendly Match details - 24 Jun 2012

24 Jun 2012 (Sun)
3pm = 1500 hrs
Sengkang SS

Chun Haw inspired ARFC's victory

Playing its 3^rd league match, Chun Haw produced an inspiring performance to lead ARFC to a 2-0 victory over Team BBG.

ARFC continued to miss a slew of first time regulars but thankfully, Khim (best ARFC player) and Haron (best ARFC scorer) turned up at the 11^th hour.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper        -        Dependable Jinzhong

Right-back  -        Marauding Guoxiong

Sweeper      -        Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper      -        Combative Ron

Left-back    -        Unpredictable Blackburn

Left-mid      -        Speedy Hee

Centre-mid  -        Sublime Khim

Centre-mid  -        Dynamic Soon

Right-mid   -        Talisman Derrick

Striker        -        Powerful Alvin (captain)

Striker        -        ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Sub:

Talented Chun Haw

Jasper

Alex

Weili

Absent:

Influential Sebastian

Unbeatable Darren

Towering Toh

Steely Tze Ern

Hard-man Tjioe

Wonder Wayne

Long-throw specialist Norman

Mean-machine Hock

Precocious En Dian

Nippy Kenny

Both teams cancelled each other out in the first half and chances were at a premium.  Of course, the bouncy uneven pitch did not help matters as controlling and passing of the ball was extremely difficult.

In the 25^th min mark, Chun Haw replaced the tiring Hee with Khim switching over to left mid.

Mins later, Khim showed the world why he is regarded as ARFC’s best player of all time when he mesmerized 2 opposing players and floated in a delightful cross that eluded their sweeper. Haron swopped in like an eagle but under immerse pressure from their left back, Haron just sent the ball about 0.77 cm wide of the goal. Unlucky!

The half ended 0-0.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC unleashed the remaining young prodigies, Alex, Jasper and Jackson with Ron moving to centre mid to add much-needed steel and bite.

Ron then dominated the centre mid area.

ARFC finally made the break-through in the 60^th min. Chun Haw produced a world-class through ball to Alvin who, in a trade-mark move, sprinted clear of their defence and with his outside right foot shot into the bottom corner for his 175^th ARFC goal. 1-0 and Alvin’s goal pulled him ever so close to Haron’s all-time record of 177 goals.

Chun Haw then capped off his inspired display with his 6^th ARFC goal. From a throw-in, ARFC’s twin-terrors, Haron and Alvin combined brilliantly to pressure their defender which saw Alvin winning the ball. Alvin then returned the compliment by sending Chun Haw through on goal. Chun Haw did not disappoint as he burst clear and produced a stinging shot that found the bottom of the net. 2-0 and Chun Haw’s 6 goals pulled him level with Tze Ern.

Chun Haw is the Man-of-the-Match with his incisive running and passing, but Ron came close too with his dominating display at the heart of defence and centre mid.

League Match details - 17 Jun 2012

17 Jun 2012 (Sun)
5 pm = 1700 hrs
Greendale Sec Sch
(located at 51 Edgedale Plains - located near Punggol Central)

Not sure whether grass or artificial pitch

Opponent is Team BBG.

Haron ends goal drought

Playing under Sahara desert-like weather at the brand-new artificial pitch at Turf City, ARFC shrugged off the rugged challenge of a young team 4-2 courtesy of inspired performances from Chun Haw and Alex.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper: Haomin (guest keeper – Home Utd U-14 keeper)

Right-back: Marauding Guoxiong  

Sweeper: Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper: Combative Ron

Left-back: Unbeatable Darren

Right-mid: Speedy Hee

Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon

Centre-mid: Unpredictable Blackburn

Left-mid: Wonder Wayne

Striker: Powerful Alvin

Striker: ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (captain)

Subs:

Talented Chun Haw

Alex

Jasper

Weili

Absent:

Towering Toh

Influential Sebastian

Steely Tze Ern

Sublime Khim

Hard-man Tjioe

Talisman Derrick

Dependable Jinzhong

Long-throw specialist Norman

Precocious En Dian

Nippy Kenny

Prior to the match, ARFC was hit by the double last-min absence of Khim and Derrick who pulled out due to family and work commitment respectively. As such, Soon had to take the field despite still nursing his leg injury.

Thankfully, all the young players all rose to the occasion and I can say that this was the match that all of them blossomed!

Within mins of the start and perhaps still not used to the heat, ARFC fell a goal behind. 0-1

Hee and Wayne then succumbed to the heat and were replaced by Chun Haw and Alex who made an immediate impact.

Weili then took over Haron, and Jasper replaced Ron to rest him.

Blackburn hit a shot that struck the cross-bar and out. Unlucky!

ARFC equalized 7 mins before the end of the first half. After some clever inter-exchange, Chun Haw unleashed a stinging low shot from 37 metres that their keeper could not parry out. Alex did very well to react fastest to the loose ball and prodded the ball home for his ARFC debut goal. 1-1

Alex’s goal had all the nearby horses galloping profusely into the field but thankfully, no ARFC warrior was stepped on by the horses!

ARFC then took the lead in the 2^nd half thanks to Chun Haw. He received a world-class through ball from Blackburn (or Ron?) and broke the off-side trap with his sheer pace and tenacity. With only the keeper to beat, Chun Haw calmly placed the ball to the far corner for his 5^th ARFC goal. 2-1 and Chun Haw’s goal moved him level with Wayne at 5 goals for ARFC.

ARFC scored its 3^rd goal after a fantastic quick thinking by Jasper who continued to improve. Jasper took a quick throw-in into the box which caught their defenders off-guard. The ball found its way to Haron who curled home a brilliant left-footer ala Chris Waddle to the top right corner of their keeper for his 177^th ARFC goal. 3-1.

With the goal, Haron also ended his goal drought which stretches all the way to 29 Jan 2012 when he netted in the 4-1 loss to Jaws SC in the league title-decided then.

ARFC then conceded a goal 3-2.

However, ARFC put the result to bed thanks to a brilliant piece of skill from Hee. With a cheeky back-heel ala Ryan Giggs, Hee’s ball tricked their defenders and presented Alex with a violent first-time shot that flew into the far post. 4-2 and Alex doubled his debut ARFC goals!

ARFC then closed out the match and Elvis, as usual, marshaled the defence superbly!

I want to specially praise Haomin. Given his tender age, his distribution and kicking was really good and I have personally relayed this to his Home Utd U-16 coach who is my personal friend. Like Chun Haw before him, Haomin has a bright future ahead of him if he continues to play and improve.

Next, I want to also say that Alex, Weili and Jasper have done pretty well in the recent matches. The litmus test, however, will come when ARFC plays older and better teams.

Roberto Carlos-like Darren inspires ARFC victory

In a performance that reminded the whole world of a certain Roberto Carlos in his prime years, Darren put in an inspiring and whole-hearted display to propel ARFC to a 3-0 victory over a tough CCFC.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper        -        Talented Chun Haw

Right-back  -        Marauding Guoxiong

Sweeper      -        Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper      -        Towering Toh

Left-back    -        Jasper

Left-mid      -        Unbeatable Darren

Centre-mid  -        Unpredictable Blackburn

Centre-mid  -        Alex

Right-mid   -        Talisman Derrick

Striker        -        Powerful Alvin (captain)

Striker        -        Weili

Sub:

Speedy Hee (late)

Absent:

Dynamic Soon (present but did not play due to leg injury)

Dependable Jinzhong

Combative Ron

Sublime Khim

Wonder Wayne

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Long-throw specialist Norman

Mean-machine Hock

Steely Tze Ern

Hard-man Tjioe

Influential Sebastian

Precocious En Dian

Nippy Kenny

With such a long list of absentees especially almost all the regular midfielders, any other team would have given up. Not ARFC though, as the young guest warriors like Alex and Weili stepped up their game, and Blackburn also turned back the years with a decent performance. Of course, Darren was instrumental as he totally monopolized the entire left side of the field.

Starting with 3 young players, it was no surprise that the opponent sought to take advantage with their physical strength.  However, ARFC did very well to contain their attacks, particularly Darren who frequently tracked back to assist the inexperienced but enthusiastic Jasper.

The first half did not spring up any clear-cut chances for ARFC due to the lack of creativity from the absent centre midfielders. Hee then replaced Weili with 15 mins to go to inject some pace but to no avail.

The half ended 0-0 though ARFC would have strewn up the match if the attendance is better.

For the second-half, stand-ip managers Elvis and Toh decided to add more grit and speed in midfield by playing Hee at left-mid and Weili in centre mid. Alex then took a breather.

The move paid handsome dividends about 15 mins into the re-start. Weili received a brilliant through-ball from Darren at the left, showed his skills by slaloming his way past 2 defenders and then fired in a rasping shot that hit the underside of the bar past the gasping keeper for his debut ARFC goal. 1-0!

The break-through goal brought relief and belief to ARFC that a win is achievable and within mins, ARFC scored another goal. Derrick, who also put in a decent shift, won a corner on the right. Blackburn delivered a delicious ball into  the box and who else but Toh who dashed in and thumped the ball home with his forehead beyond the outstretched hand of the keeper for his 56^th ARFC goal. 2-0.

With a 2-goal lead, ARFC played disciplined football and limited the opponents to almost no chances at goal. Alex then came in for Weili to beef up the midfield.

With 15 seconds to go, ARFC wrapped up the match with yet another header goal from Toh.  ARFC won a free-kick on the left and Blackburn whipped in a pin-point cross for Toh, who escaped his marker, to dive in and nod the ball into the net. The header was also powerful that the keeper could not keep out despite getting his hands to the ball. 3-0 and it was Toh’s 57th ARFC goal.

Man-of-the-Match goes to Darren.

Special mention to Guoxiong for soldiering on the entire match despite sustaining a sprained wrist midway into the 2^nd half.

Special mention to Soon for turning up and support despite carrying a leg injury.

Special mention to all who have contributed to the clean sheet.

ARFC in 3-1 friendly victory

ARFC beat an opponent 3-1 in a friendly on 27 May 2012.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper: Haomin (guest keeper – Home Utd U-16 keeper)

Right-back: Marauding Guoxiong  

Sweeper: Unpredictable Blackburn

Stopper: Towering Toh

Left-back: Wonder Wayne

Right-mid: Long-throw specialist Norman

Centre-mid: Sublime Khim

Centre-mid: Hard-man Tjioe

Left-mid: Talisman Derrick

Striker: Powerful Alvin

Striker: Speedy Hee

Subs:

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Combative Ron

Unbeatable Darren

Influential Sebastian

Steely Tze Ern

Alex, Jasper and Weili (all guest players)

Absent:

Dependable Jinzhong

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Talented Chun Haw

Dynamic Soon

Precocious En Dian

Nippy Kenny

Just by looking at the ARFC bench, it is enough to send shivers down the opponents’ spine.

ARFC dominated throughout and Alvin nearly opened the scoring but his clever rising shot rocked the cross-bar.

Hee was next to come close when his brilliant lifting shot was bettered only by a brilliant save from their keeper who somehow managed to tip the ball over.

Hee was not to be denied later. Put through by Khim’s world-class through ball ala Xavi Hernandez, Hee placed his low shot into the bottom left corner for his 83^rd ARFC goal.   1-1

Hee’s goal also moved him ahead of Sebastian (82 goals) and he is now the 4^th-top goal-scorer in ARFC;s history, behind Haron, Alvin and Blackburn.

ARFC then conceded an equalizer after Haomin spilled an innocuous ball ala Robert Green against the US in World Cup 2010.

ARFC regained the lead when Derrick received the ball inside the box and made a sharp turn. Before he can shoot, however, he was clumsily brought down. Blackburn stepped up and hit an assured hard ball to send their keeper the wrong way for his 112^th ARFC goal. 2-1.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC had so many chances but could not extend its lead. Hee then won a penalty after using his world-class speed which their defender only saw in a flash and chopped Hee down. Derrick also hit a low diagonal shot to send their keeper the wrong way for his 55^th ARFC goal. 3-1

Derrick’s goal moved him on level terms with Toh at 55 goals.

The match was disrupted by the frequent ARFC substitutions due to many warriors present.

ARFC drew in league opener

Opening its league season, ARFC missed a glut of chances to draw 1-1 with YVFC at Compassvale SS.

The match was only played at 30-min half as the original referee failed to turn up. Luckily, a replacement referee was found at the last minute.

ARFC's scorer was Ron who netted his 3rd ARFC goal. His previous 2 goals were on 22 Aug and 29 Aug 2010!

Ron is now level with Darren on 3 goals.

Toh is now 3rd-time father!!!

On behalf of ARFC, congratulations to Towering Toh for becoming a 3rd-time father on 12 May 2012.

On behalf of Prime Minister Lee, thank you for boosting Singapore declining fertility rate. I understand that Toh will be given a national day award soon.....

:)

ARFC ran riot in 9-1 friendly win

ARFC won 9-1 against a young Malay team in a friendly played on 13 May 2012.

The ARFC warriors present were:

Dependable Jinzhong
Marauding Guoxiong
Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
Wonder Wayne
Unbeatable Darren
Talisman Derrick
Unpredictable Blackburn
Talented Chun Haw
Speedy Hee
Powerful Alvin
ARFC Scoring Legend Haron
Alex (guest player)

ARFC led 4-0 at half-time.

The goal of the match came from Alvin who was released by Blackburn at the half-way line. Spotting their keeper off the line, Alvin produced an audacious chip over him from 37.77 yards out.

The goal-scorers are: Alvin (4 goals), Blackburn (2 goals), Derrick (1), Chun Haw (1) and Guoxiong (1).

Guoxiong's goal was his first in 2012 and his last goal was ARFC was back on 20 Jun 2011. Guoxiong has now scored 12 goals which moved him on level terms with Elvis.

Alvin's 4 goals were his 174 goals for ARFC and is now inching dangerously close to Haron's all-time record of 176 goals.



  

Friendly Match - 13 May (Sun)

13 May 2012 (Sun)
5 pm = 1700 hrs
Pei Hwa Sec Sch

Please bring both colours.