ARFC started 2019 with disastrous but undeserving 1-8 loss

Playing its first match in 2019, ARFC suffered a meltdown in the last 15 mins and went down 1-8 to Maccabees.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Jersey no.	Name	Position
xx	Andrew (guest GK)	Goalkeeper
31	Vintage Chua	Right-back
3	Astute-reading sweeper Elvis	Sweeper
20	Composed Eng Lai	Stopper
14	Combative Ron	Left-back
16	Marauding Guoxiong	Right-mid
7	Influential Sebastian (captain)	Centre-mid
12	Remarkable Rashid	Centre-mid
19	Skillful Weilit	Left-mid
66	Wonder Wayne	Striker
99	Powerful Alvin	Striker
Subs:
2	Unpredictable Blackburn
8	Talented Chun Haw
9	ARFC Scoring Legend Haron
11	Speedy Hee
15	Towering Toh
Absent:
4	Dynamic Soon
5	Impeccable How Meng
6	Unbeatable Darren
10	Sublime Khim
17	Nippy Kenny
18	Determined Huiming
21	Rampaging Raymond
28	Hard-man Tjioe
33	Talisman Derrick
45	Commanding Ismail
77	Dependable Jinzhong
78	Steely Tze Ern

ARFC started the match confidently and was matched by the much younger opponents.

Wayne was put clean through by Rashid’s perfectly-weighted pass but he could not find enough power behind his shot.

Sebastian then lofted a no-look high pass down to Wayne but his shot lacked sting.

However, ARFC found itself 0-2 down at half time.

In the 2^nd half, the opponents changed almost its entire team and to make maters worst for ARFC, they fielded almost all youngsters.

However, ARFC continued to plug away and pulled a goal back.  Sebastian passed the ball to Alvin who did very well to hold up the ball.  Alvin then heard Chun Haw’s call and split their defence with a brilliant ball for Chun Haw to run in from deep.  Despite playing his first match in months, Chun Haw did not disappoint as he dispatched a low shot through the legs of their GK. 1-2 and this was Chun Haw’s 74^th ARFC goal.

ARFC then nearly grabbed the equalizing goal.  Chua did very well to intercept and block their pass which saw the ball flew to Sebastian on the right. Looking up, Sebastian fizzed in a curling cross which just eluded Wayne’s head. Alvin was behind Wayne and his out-stretched sliding leg just missed the ball by 0.77 mm or else it would have been a EPL-type of sliding goal. Unlucky.

The opponents then scored from an obviously off-side position. 1-3

Thereafter, ARFC simply collapsed due to the heat and also the much younger and fitter opponents to lose 1-8.

Chua is the clear Man-of-the-Match today.

ARFC top 10 goal-scorers at as 31 Dec 2018

1. Alvin - 310
2. Haron - 257
3. Blackburn - 164
4. Sebastian - 108
5. Hee - 107
6. Derrick - 106
7. Toh - 100
8. Kenny - 82
9. Soon - 81
10. Chun Haw - 73

ARFC Goal-scorers for 2018

Haron - 10
Alvin - 10
Wayne - 9
Blackburn - 9
Chun Haw - 7
Raymond - 7
Soon - 6
Darren - 6
Guoxiong - 4
Sebastian - 4
Kenny - 3
Tjioe - 2
Derrick - 2
Elvis - 2
Khim - 2
Toh - 2
Tong - 2
Ron - 1
Rashid - 1
How Meng - 1
Wei lit - 1
Tze Ern - 1
Own goal - 1

Guest players:

Weng Tuck - 1
KJ - 1
Lucas - 1
Xavier - 1
Kerwin - 1
Sufi - 1
Reuben - 1
Abdullah - 1

ARFC results for 2018

ARFC Open Team:

P = 25
W = 12
D = 7
L = 6
GF = 71
GA = 64

ARFC Veterans Team:

P = 11
W = 8
D = 1
L = 2
GF = 30
GA = 21

Happy New Year to all ARFC warriors and love ones

On behalf of ARFC, I would like to wish all ARFC warriors and their love ones a Happy and Prosperous New Year.....

Best of Health always....

Toh's landmark 100th ARFC goal in 2-2 draw

Playing its last match in 2018, ARFC was unlucky to draw 2-2 against Eagles FC at The Arena pitch.

ARFC was supported by Tiara and Dylan (Elvis’ children) and Lingzhi and Rio (Ron’s wife and son) for the match.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Jersey no.	Name	Position
xx	Sunny (guest GK)	Goalkeeper
31	Vintage Chua	Right-back
14	Combative Ron	Sweeper
15	Towering Toh	Stopper
6	Unbeatable Darren	Left-back
16	Marauding Guoxiong	Right-mid
7	Influential Sebastian (captain)	Centre-mid
28	Hard-man Tjioe	Centre-mid
4	Dynamic Soon	Left-mid
66	Wonder Wayne	Striker
99	Powerful Alvin	Striker
Subs:
2	Unpredictable Blackburn
3	Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
9	ARFC Scoring Legend Haron
17	Nippy Kenny
19	Skillful Weilit
20	Composed Eng Lai
Absent:
5	Impeccable How Meng
8	Talented Chun Haw
10	Sublime Khim
11	Speedy Hee
12	Remarkable Rashid
18	Determined Huiming
21	Rampaging Raymond
33	Talisman Derrick
45	Commanding Ismail
77	Dependable Jinzhong
78	Steely Tze Ern

ARFC fired the first salvo when Tjioe let fly from 30 metres but their GK read his shot well.

The opponents then put up some good fight and was able to match ARFC in the opening 10 mins.  Retired Warrant Officer Sunny then produced a stunning low save to deny their striker.

ARFC then won a free kick about 37 metres on the left from their goal.  Sebastian then bend in a wicked curler that looked destined for the top corner until their GK leaped and palmed the ball away for a corner.

From Blackburn’s corner, Toh just failed to connect cleanly.

The opponents then took the lead when their 1.97 metres tall forward headed in a corner. 0-1

ARFC did not panic and responded immediately. Darren’s long throw-in from the left caused a mayhem in the box and the ball was half-cleared to Sebastian outside the box. Sebastian then teed up Guoxiong whose shot was just slightly over the bar.

Kenny then fired in a shot from almost the left touchline but the ball skimmed the crossbar.

In a quick switch of play, Darren passed the over to Alvin who then laid the ball for Sebastian. With a no-look pass, Sebastian put Guoxiong through with a perfectly-weighted diagonal ball which Guoxiong read perfectly. Unfortunately, their alert GK was quick to sprint out from his line and blocked Guoxiong’s sliding shot for a corner.

ARFC almost equalised in the 27 min.  Guoxiong, who was having a monster of a game down the right flank, chipped in a world-class hanging ball into the box.  Haron, who was deployed a centre mid role to fully utilise his intelligence, dashed in from deep and leaped highest to plant a firm downward header that had the crowd shouting for goal.  Unfirtunately again, their GK was equal to the task and produced a flying save to deny Haron.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC continued to press with Kenny and Wayne linking up very well.

Darren then pinged a long ball down the left for Kenny who eluded their defender with his speed. Kenny continued down the left flank and after hearing a call from Wayne, who had made a telling run into the box, squared the ball across.  Their recovering defender then turned the ball into his own net before Wayne could pounce.  1-1 and it was the 36^th own goal conceded to ARFC.

Wayne then made a perfectly-timed low ball for Kenny who again sped past their defender.  However, his lift and shot volley was just 0.77 cm over the bar.  What a move between the front two.

Sebastian then fired a poor free-kick about 0.77 cm over the bar.

After some relentless pressure, ARFC finally took the lead deservingly.  Sebastian took a quick throw-in on the right to Wayne.  Holding off the opponent very well, ala Didier Drogba, Wayne turned and crossed the ball into the box. Kenny’s shot was blocked by their impressive GK but thankfully, the ball spun upwards into the air and Toh was at the right place and time to nod the ball home into the empty net. 2-1 and this was Toh’s 100^th ARFC goal! 

With the landmark goal, Toh has become the 7^th member in the ARFC Centurion Goal Club.  What a fantastic achievement, especially since Toh is playing as a Stopper!

ARFC then conceded a late equaliser though their goal-scorer was at least 2 metres offside when he scored. 2-2

The only dampener of the match was that Soon suffered a fairly serious knock to his ribs.

Wish to highlight Kenny too as he had made several runs back to midfield area to rob the opponents off the ball on several occasions.

Voting results:

Kenny – 13

Guoxiong – 6

Soon – 6

Sebastian – 5

Chua – 3

Darren – 3

Ron – 3

Elvis – 3

Toh – 2

Wayne – 2

Tjioe – 1