TOA PAYOH, SINGAPORE
ITS THE FINAL DAY OF ESPZEN SEASON 19 FOR DIVISION 7 TEAMS BUT IT WAS FAR MORE ENTERTAINING AS RELEGATION BATTLERS HILDERINC FC TAKES ON PROMOTION CONTENDERS, CHESTERCITY IN WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE GAME OF THE SEASON. WITH BOTH TEAM HAS SOMETHING AT STAKE, THIS GAME HAS A COUPLE OF MOUTHWATERING ACTIONS.
CITY STARTED THE MATCH WELCOMING BACK A FEW KEY PLAYERS FOR THE TIE AND THEY LINE UP AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE. NAMING A CHANGE IN GOAL, RONNIE WAS TRUSTED BETWEEN THE STICKS, XAVIER KEPT HIS PLACE AT RIGHT BACK WHILE FRED WAS USED AS A LEFT BACK POSITION IN AN ATTEMPT TO NEUTRALISED HILDERINC'S WINGERS WHILE INDRA AND TAM TEAM UP FOR THE FIRST TIME. WITH HILDERINC HAVING TWO GREAT CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS IN GRAHAM HENDERSON AND FRANK PINTOR MARSHALLING IN THE CENTRE, CITY PUT UP A GOOD BALANCE IN NAMING RYAN, BRAHIM AND ZAHRUL IN THE CENTRE WHILE ANON AND THE RETURNING JEREMIAH ON THE WINGS. UPFRONT GABIR WAS AGAIN THE LONE STRIKER IN THE 4-5-1 FORMATION.
DESPITE THE PAST HISTORY BETWEEN THE 2 TEAMS, CITY AND HILDERINC WOULD JUST WANT TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THE MATCH.
HILDERINC STARTED THE FIRST HALF STRONGLY AND DID MARKED UP CITY'S TOP SCORER, GABIR AND FRUSTRATING CITY TO LIMITED CHANCES AND WAS COMPOSED AT THE BACK.
CITY WERE AT THE BACKFOOT MOST OF THE TIME WITH THE BLACKS PUSHING FORWARD NEUTRALISING CITY'S EFFORT WITH ATTACK OF THEIR OWN.
IN ONE MOVE, CITY WERE CAUGHT NAPPING AND THE RACE IS ON AS THE BLACKS COUNTERED AND IAN MORRIS WAS LEFT SPACE FOR A SHOT BUT WAS DENIED BY AN EXCELLENT SAVE BY DEPUTISED RONNIE.
A PIECE OF BRILLIANCE ONCE AGAIN SAW THEIR FORWARD FREE AND WITH FRED BREATHING DOWN HIS NECK, THE LATTER COULD ONLY SHOOTS INTO THE SIDE NETTING. HILDERINC LOOKS THREATHENING IN THEIR ATTACKS.
CITY HAD A COUPLE OF SHOTS GOING WIDE AND HIGH WITH HILDERINC PROVIDE NO OPPORTUNITY, TIME AND SPACE FOR CITY TO DICTATE.
HALFTIME BOTH TEAMS SETTLED FOR THE 0-0 STALEMATE.
SECOND HALF SAW A COUPLE OF CHANGES FROM BOTH SIDE AS CITY REPLACED RYAN, BRAHIM, MIAH WITH NAUFAL, HAKIM AND SYAM AND REVERT THE FORMATION TO A MORE ADVANCE 4-4-2 FORMATION. HILDERINC FC WHO PICKED UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF WAS GIVING THEIR ALL IN THIS GAME AS THEY PUT CITY ON THE BACKFOOT YET AGAIN WITH ONE SHOT GOING JUST OVER.
COACH RIDWAN THEN DECIDED TO UP THE TEMPO, DEMANDING HIS TEAM TO SWITCH THE PLAY TO HAKIM, THE ATTACKING MIDFIELDER REALLY CAUSE HAVOC ON THE RIGHT FLANK AS HE SKIPS PAST TO CHALLENGES LAY IT OFF TO SYAM WHO SAW HIS EFFORT PARRIED.
CITY PROWLED FORWARD, GABIR HAD A SHOT SAVED AND HAD ANOTHER JUST BRUSH PAST THE POST WITH THE GOALKEEPER BEATEN. BOB THEN WAS BROUGHT ON FOR ANON. THAT WAS THE KEY AS THE HILDERINC DEPLEATED MIDFIELD DUE TO INJURIES WAS UNLOCKED FOR THE FIRST TIME. INDRA'S VISION WAS SPOT ON AS HE PUTS GABIR THRU AND WITH A DEFENDER GAPPING, GABIR DID WHAT HE DID BEST AS HE SLOTTED PAST THE DIVING HILDERINC'S CUSTODIAN MUCH TO THE JUBILATION OF CITY PLAYERS WHO RUN WILD CELEBRATING THE GOAL SCORER. IT WAS THE WINNER.
WITH 1 MINUTE INTO STOPPAGE TIME, CITY DEFENDED A CORNER. HILDERINC PUSH EVERYONE FORWARD INCLUDING THE GOALKEEPER BUT AS AMIN COLLECTED THE BALL, HE LAYS TO GABIR WHOM WAS PULLED BACK BY THE GOALKEEPER. WITH AN EMPTY NET TEMPTING CITY PLAYERS FOR A SHOT, INDRA RACE TOGETHER WITH THE GOALKEEPER ONLY TO BE BROUGHT DOWN IN THE CENTRE FIELD AND WITH CITY'S CAPTAIN DOWN, BLACKS GOALKEEPER KICKS OUT AT THE INJURED INDRA. REFEREE SAW THE INCIDENT AND SEEING WITH CITY HAS NO ADVANTAGE, REFEREE PULLED BACK FOR A FREEKICK AND SENDS OFF THE THE CUSTODIAN AND WITH SCUFFLE GOING ON WITH MUCH PLAYERS PULLING EACH OTHER AWAY, REFEREE HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO END THE MATCH PREMATURELY 1 MINUTE INTO STOPPAGE TIME.
CITY COACH COMMENTED,"IT WAS A HARD FOUGHT WIN FOR THE LADS. BOTH TEAMS WANT TO WIN THIS GAME BADLY BUT ONLY ONE TEAM CAN DO THAT BUT KUDOS TO THE OPPONENTS FOR GIVING OUR PLAYERS A RUN FOR THE MONEY. IT WAS A DEIFFERENT HILDERINC SIDE COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS MEETING. THEY CERTAINLY HAS DONE THEIR HOMEWORK ON KEEPING US AT BAY. I WANT TO TELL THE LADS THEY HAVE DONE EXCEPTIONALLY BRILLIANT ON BEING PROMOTED. IT WAS AN ACHIEVEMENT AFTER ALL. TO EVERYONE IN THE TEAM, THANK YOU FOR THE EFFORT PUT IN."
"ABOUT THE INCIDENT OFF THE BALL, THE REFEREE WAS RIGHT TO SEND THE KEEPER OFF FOR VIOLENT CONDUCT BUT DUE TO PLAYERS ALL OVER THE PITCH, I DID NOT SEE THE CLAIMED BY THEIR GOALKEEPER BEING PUCHED. I WAS ON THE PITCH CHECKING OUT ON MY CAPTAIN AND ALSO CALLING ALL MY PLAYERS OFF THE FIELD BUT IF MY PLAYERS DID IT THEN THERE'S NOTHING WHICH I CAN DENY IT BUT EVEN HILDERINC CAMP AND THEIR BOSS CAME TO MEET ME AND CONGRATULATE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT THE INCIDENT, SO I GUESS WE ARE EVEN. BACK TO THE MATCH, I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE IAN MORRIS AND CO FOR PUSHING US ALL THE WAY TO THE FINAL MINUTE AND NOT SHOWING THEM AS PUSHOVERS. GOOD LUCK FOR THE PLAYOFF WITH CHAP PAH LANG AND THE REST OF SEASON."
