ARFC's 3rd Annual Reunion ends in victory

In a departure from the previous 2 editions of ARFC's Annual Reunion-cum-Awards occasion, ARFC played a match against a team comprising some ex-S-League players on 15 Feb 2015 (Sun) from 7 to 9 pm at Tampines SAFRA, and came away victors with a hard-fought and exciting 4-3 win.

The joyous occasion kicked off at 5.40 pm (slightly later than the 5.30 pm scheduled time) with a 'lou hei' (toast), sponsored by Hee.

At about 5.50 pm, the magician-cum-baloon sculptor arrived to entertain both the adults and children alike. The children really enjoyed themselves.

At about 6.30 pm, all past and present ARFC warriors gathered for a simple pre-match briefing by Sebastian. It was then that Sebastian broke the bad and good news to them.

Bad news was that ARFC would be playing against an experienced and strong team instead of amongst ourselves. The good news? ARFC would be playing at the Marina Floating Platform on 28 March 2015 (Sat) from 7 to 9 pm - this time really amongst ourselves (provided we have enough players to form 2 teams).

Back to the reunion match, it was to be played in three 30-mins halves with the following line-up:

Team 1:

Derrick (GK)
Jinzhong (RB)
Darren (LB)
Ron (Sweeper)
Toh (Stopper) - replacing How Meng who was late
Tze Ern (RM)
Sebastian (CM) - replacing Chun Haw who was late
Guoxiong (CM)
Weilit (LM)
Alvin (SC)
Kenny (SC)

The match kicked off with both Alvin and Kenny harassing their defence relentlessly with their speed.

ARFC took the lead in the 7th min. From yet another trade-mark missile-like throw-in from Darren, ARFC's 2013 Player of the Year, Toh flicked on and Kenny stooped a little to nod the ball low past their keeper. 1-0

How Meng and Chun Haw then came on, as originally planned, for Toh and Sebastian, respectively.

Even before both Toh and Sebastian had taken their seats, ARFC conceded a goal. 1-1

ARFC then regained its lead. From Tze Ern's vicious corner, How Meng swooped in to sweep the ball home. Wonderful! 2-1

Team 2:

It was then the turn of the 'ARFC Old Guards' to take the field as follows:

Derrick (GK)
Khiam (RB)
David (LB)
Blackburn (sweeper)
Huiming (stopper)
Kiat (RM)
Sebastian (CM)
Soon (CM)
Khim (LM)
Haron (SC)
Daniel (SC)

With this aging team, it was no surprise that ARFC was on the back seat and was constantly pegged back and soon conceded a goal. 2-2.

However, vintage is gold and ARFC stood up to the test and passed with flying colours with some clever defending.

Sebastian then made a goal-line clearance.

Unfortunately, Kiat suffered an unlucky injury with a nasty cut at his mouth and had to be replaced by Chun Haw. Thankfully, he is now ok and recovering. We can only wish him all a speedy recovery.

ARFC fought back and with some patient build-up passing, ARFC restored its lead. The ball found its way to Haron who had the vision to spread the ball wide to Khim on the left. Khim displayed even better vision when his diagonal ball was delivered right into the danger zone and Haron came in from the blindside and scored with a stooping header! World-class! 3-2

Team 3:

Derrick (GK)
Eng Lai (RB)
Wayne (LB)
Elvis (sweeper)
Toh (stopper)
Tong (RM)
Ron (CM)
Tjioe (CM)
Hee (LM)
Alvin (SC)
Kenny (SC)

ARFC conceded a goal. 3-3

ARFC took the lead for the 4th time after Hee sped away with a quick counter-attack. Kenny nicked the ball from their defender and passed to Alvin who throdded down the left. From Alvin's square pass, Kenny placed the ball and though their keeper got a touch, he was unable to prevent the ball from rolling into the net. 4-3

Alvin was clearly tiring and Khim came on for him with Hee partnering Kenny upfront.

Tong then asked to be replaced after his boots gave way. Tze Ern took over his place.

ARFC then conceded a penalty. However, Derrick justified his Player of the Year (Manager's Choice) 2014 by palming away their penalty that was aimed towards the top left-hand corner!!!  4-3 is the final score!

These are the Awards Winners for 2014:

ARFC Player of the Year (Manager's Choice) = Derrick
ARFC Most Improved Player (Manager's Choice) = Jinzhong
ARFC Player of the Year (by votes) - 1st = Ron
ARFC Player of the Year (by votes) - 2nd = Derrick
ARFC Player of the Year (by votes) - 3rd = Soon
ARFC Player of the Year (by votes) - 4th = Kenny
ARFC Player of the Year (by votes) - 5th = Alvin

250 goals = Alvin
100 goals = Derrick
100 goals = Hee
50 goals = Kenny

ARFC received rare heavy defeat

Playing under hot humid weather, ARFC was drubbed 1-6 by Team 89 at Punggol SS.

ARFC welcomed Tjioe after his long hiatus. Sebastian also made a surprise appearance after being sturkc down by vertigo.

ARFC was supported by:

Haron’s family – Su, Afiqah and Ariq;

Ismail’s family – Shidah and Aqeel

Hee’s future-wife – Melissa

ARFC’s future sponsor – lady X

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Commanding Ismail

Right-back - Dependable Jinzhong

Sweeper - Astute-reading sweeper Elvis  

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unpredictable Blackburn

Left-mid - Nippy Kenny

Centre-mid - Hard-man Tjioe

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Right-mid - Speedy Hee  

Striker - Powerful Alvin (captain)

Striker - Talisman Derrick

Subs:

Combative Ron

Impeccable How Meng

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Influential Sebastian

Absent:

Wonder Wayne

Sublime Khim

Unbeatable Darren

Steely Tze Ern

Skilful Weilit

Marauding Guoxiong

ARFC proceeded to concede 5 goals but it could have been worse of not for Ismail’s 3-4 brilliant one-on-one saves.

ARFC finally pulled a goal back after settling down in tactical discipline and shape.  From the right, Jinzhong floated in a high ball into the box. Alvin and Haron exchanged wall passes before releasing Soon down the right into the box. Soon’s shot was partially blocked by their keeper but he could not prevent the ball from landing in the net.

1-5 and this was Soon’s 67^th ARFC goal.

ARFC definitely did much much better in the 2^nd half. Haron was unlucky to hit the post but after teed up nicely by Alvin.

Kenny tried several shots from distance but could not find the target.

Alvin really worked his socks off by closing down defenders and space relentlessly.

Sebastian was next to try his luck from a free-kick but his curling shot just sailed over the cross-bar.

ARFC then conceded another goal to lose 1-6.

How Meng was really colossal today but it was obvious that ARFC missed the tenacity and strong defending Darren at left-back.

ARFC was also unfortunate that Ron was hurt earlier while cycling as he could not be his usually combative self.

Voting results:

How Meng – 10

Soon – 9

Ismail – 9

Kenny – 7

Jinzhong – 3

Toh – 1

Tjioe – 1

Ron – 1

Hee – 1

Epic 5-5 draw

Playing with just 11 warriors under the hot unforgiving sun, ARFC drew 5-5 with Roma FC at Yio Chu Kang SS.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Commanding Ismail

Right-back - Steely Tze Ern

Sweeper - Combative Ron  

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unbeatable Darren 

Left-mid - Sublime Khim  

Centre-mid - Unpredictable Blackburn

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Right-mid - Nippy Kenny

Striker - Powerful Alvin (captain)

Striker - Wonder Wayne  

Subs:

Nil

Absent:

Skilful Weilit

Impeccable How Meng

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron

Marauding Guoxiong

Speedy Hee

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Dependable Jinzhong

Talisman Derrick

Influential Sebastian

Hard-man Tjioe

ARFC completed dominated the first 10 mins and therefore it was a huge surprise that ARFC fell 0-2 behind.

In the 25^th min, their defender handled the ball and Blackburn, as usual, brushed aside all other warriors to stroke the ball past their keeper for his 145^th ARFC goal. 1-2

Kenny then showcased his shooting prowess when he let fly from 37 metres that their keeper could not palm the ball away to the waiting Alvin.  Atoning for his many misses last week, Alvin discovered his scoring boots to slam the ball home with his outside right foot. 2-2 and this was Alvin’s 249^th ARFC goal.

In the 2^nd half, the opponents took the lead again. 2-3

ARFC did not give up. After Wayne was hacked down just outside the box, the opponents continued their argument with the referee. Alvin leveraged his experience when he quickly placed the ball down and simply shot into the empty net for his 250^th ARFC goal. 3-3

In the 60^th min, Khim lofted the ball over their defence and Kenny came in from right and dispatched an absolute belter to almost tear the net apart. 4-3 and this was Kenny’s 50^th ARFC goal.

ARFC looked to have wrapped up the match in the 65^th min. Soon, who ran till he suffered rare cramps, received the ball from Blackburn on the right.  Soon returned the ball and from just outside the box, Blackburn placed the ball nicely beyond the despairing dive of their keeper for his 146^th ARFC goal. 5-3.

In between, Wayne inexplicably conjured to miss 5 one-on-one scoring chances!

ARFC then paid the price when it conceded 2 late goals due to fatigue to draw 5-5.

Voting results:

Khim – 7

Ron – 6

Alvin – 5

Kenny – 4

Darren – 3

Tze Ern – 2

Soon – 2

Toh – 1

Blackburn – 1

Ismail – 1

Wayne – 1

ARFC kicked off 2015 with 4-0 victory

Playing its first match in 2015, ARFC totally dominated the match by trouncing Anfield Warriors FC 4-0 at St. Wilfrids field.

ARFC was supported by Ron’s family, Lingzhi, Avril and Rio, and Sebastian who continued to be laid low by vertigo.

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Talisman Derrick

Right-back - Dependable Jinzhong

Sweeper - Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper - Combative Ron

Left-back - Unbeatable Darren 

Left-mid - Speedy Hee   

Centre-mid - Marauding Guoxiong   

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Right-mid - Unpredictable Blackburn

Striker - Powerful Alvin (captain)

Striker - ARFC Scoring Legend Haron  

Subs:

Skilful Weilit

Wonder Wayne

Impeccable How Meng

Chun Haw (guest player)

Absent:

Nippy Kenny

Towering Toh

Commanding Ismail

Sublime Khim

Steely Tze Ern

Influential Sebastian

Hard-man Tjioe

After stringing 27 passes together right from the kick-off, ARFC took the lead. Jinzhong sent a long ball from his right-back position that saw Alvin charging in like a raging bull from a diagonal position. Winning the ball ahead of their GK, Alvin’s first effort was blocked by their GK.  Alvin retrieved the ball at the right touch-line, steadied himself, looked up and heard Haron’s call for the ball.  Showing deep understanding by ARFC’s 2 leading scorers, Alvin chipped the ball to the far post which saw Haron running in from deep like a Japanese bullet train to propel a header that almost burst the net! 1-0 and this was Haron’s 219^th ARFC goal.

Haron then nearly grabbed a brace 77 seconds later. Receiving a ball from Hee just outside the box, Haron swiveled and placed the ball to the far top left-hand corner. However, their GK thwarted Haron’s brilliant effort with a flying save to tip the ball over the bar.

ARFC was not to be denied. Blackburn played a short corner to Guoxiong who in turned played back to Ron. Inspired by his family’s presence, Ron swung the ball in which Soon flicked over high over their defence. Their GK charged out but did not manage to get a clean punch away. Jinzhong then had the easiest of task to head the ball into the empty net for his 3^rd ARFC goal. 2-0

Chun Haw, Weilit, Wayne and How Meng then came on for Soon, Haron, Hee and Ron respectively.

Chun Haw immediately made an impact when his 47-metre effort rocked the cross-bar.

Wayne then contributed with a sharp crisp low shot that was parried by their keeper.

ARFC then put the result to bed. After a mad scramble which saw the ball pinging like a pinball machine from Blackburn’s free-kick, Weilit finally swept the ball home for his 11^th ARFC goal. 3-0

In the 2^nd half, ARFC loosened a bit and was indebted to Ron who made a stunning recovering block for a corner.

Stand-in keeper Derrick then conjured a brave punch clearance from a corner despite being challenged by 3 opponents.

Hee then wriggled his way into the box but instead of shooting, he unselfishly tried to square to the on-rushing Haron. Unfortunately, Hee’s pass was blocked and cleared away. Brilliant team player!

Chun Haw then mesmerised their defender with 3 quick-turns before being upended. Alvin stood up but his penalty cannoned back the left-hand post. Unlucky!

Alvin then continued his luckless streak in front of goal when he squandered 2 one-on-one chances.

ARFC had the final say with mins to go. From a half-cleared corner, Ron hoisted the ball back into the danger area near the 6-yard box. Haron executed a superb back-header that sailed over their GK and landed nicely and comfortably at the far post. 4-0 and this was Haron’s 220^th ARFC goal.

Voting results:

Haron – 9

Alvin – 6

Soon – 6

Guoxiong – 5

Ron – 5

Jinzhong – 4

Weilit – 2

How Meng – 2

Elvis – 1

Darren – 1

ARFC's 2014 results

Play - 45
Win - 27
Draw - 9
Lose - 9
GF - 175
GA - 87

Votes / Goals tally:

Ron - 160 (1 goal)
Derrick - 148 (30 goals)
Soon - 144 (14 goals)
Kenny - 113 (21 goals)
Alvin - 99 (27 goals)
Darren - 96 (0 goal)
Guoxiong - 88 (5 goals)

Toh - 75 (13 goals)

Hee - 70 (7 goals)

Jinzhong - 69 (2 goals)

Tze Ern - 65 (2 goals)

How Meng - 58 (4 goals)
Haron - 55 (18 goals)
Sebastian - 53 (6 goals)

Elvis - 41 (0 goal)

Ismail - 41 (0 goal)

Blackburn - 40 (11 goals)
Weilit - 30 (6 goals)
Khim - 17 (0 goal)
Wayne - 11 (2 goals)

ARFC ends 2014 in defeat

Playing its last match in 2014, ARFC was let down by several dubious decisions by the referee to lose 2-4 against Monshi Monsters at Yio Chu Kang SS.

The last time ARFC played the same opponent was on 16 Jun 2013 at Greenridge SS where ARFC won 3-1 with goals from Sebastian, Kenny and Alvin.

Elvis returned to the starting line-up with a piece of great news for his family and the Singapore government – the ever-lovely Ana is 4-month pregnant!!!

ARFC was supported by these supporters:

Lingzhi – Ron’s lovely and capable wife

Ana – Elvis’ woman

Tiara – Elvis’ girl

Siti Miriam – Elvis’ maid

ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper - Commanding Ismail

Right-back - Unpredictable Blackburn

Sweeper - Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unbeatable Darren 

Left-mid - Speedy Hee   

Centre-mid - Combative Ron

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Right-mid - Talisman Derrick (captain)

Striker - Nippy Kenny

Striker - ARFC Scoring Legend Haron  

Subs:

Impeccable How Meng

Chun Haw (guest player)

Absent:

Skilful Weilit

Wonder Wayne

Sublime Khim

Powerful Alvin

Steely Tze Ern

Dependable Jinzhong

Influential Sebastian

Marauding Guoxiong 

Hard-man Tjioe

Opponent are a group of big-sized Indians who looked bigger than Toh and have "Monsters" aptly reflected at the back of their jerseys. 

Despite their NBA-liked figures, the opponents played well by matching ARFC's slick passing game and stamped authority by scoring 3 goals before half-time; the third goal fortuitously given by the inept referee who failed to spot the striker being offside. The scoreline did not reflect the competitive nature of the game though as ARFC did have a few chances to score themselves if not for poor finishing n wayward shots.

In the second half, ARFC started the game like guns ablaze and were keen to set the record straight. Darren nearly scored 7 minutes into the new half when he was left unmarked in the center of the box during a corner kick. Unfortunately, his header skimmed the left goalpost by a mere 0.07mm. 

Chun Haw then showed that why he was so highly regarded when he next displayed one of the moves of the game when he dribbled from the center line at the right side of the field, gliding past 2 opponents, before zooming towards the edge of the box where he was cruelly brought down. The referee did not hesitate to point for a penalty which Blackburn dispatched beautifully beyond any keeper's outstretching arms. 3-1 and this was his 144^th ARFC goal.   

Sensing a comeback, ARFC continued to harass its opponents and got its reward in the 77th min when Kenny curled a stupendous freekick which sailed over the wall and into the top corner, leaving their keeper rooted to the spot.

3-2 and this was Kenny’s 49^th ARFC goal, moving him level with ex-scoring legend Jeffrey Neo.

ARFC went on to pressure the opponent with more goal scoring opportunities but just could not find the equalizer due to bad finishing and poor first touch. They were made to pay for it when the opponent scored 7th min from time off a long range speculative shot. 4-2. 

Voting results:

How Meng – 11

Kenny – 8

Derrick – 6

Ron – 4

Blackburn – 2

Soon – 2

Toh – 1

Darren – 1