Order of Red Kappa Jerseys

The unity of a team is symbolized by the shirt that they wear on the pitch. In order to combat the strip “irregularities” plaguing the team recently, we will be taking orders for players who do not have the red Kappa jersey of Redbacks Amateur Football Club.

The Set includes:
1) Red top
2) Red shorts
3) Red socks
4) Printing of number and name

The Set will cost less than $40 each, depending on the number of orders we receive. We will be collecting $40 from the players and any difference will be returned to them upon completion of the order. If you have any difficulty in paying the full amount, please approach any member of the Exco so that we can make proper arrangements.

The following numbers are available:
8, 10, 17, 19, 25-27, 29-44, 46-76 and 78-99

Please provide the payment, number of choice and name to be printed to Jaz. Numbers will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. You pay it, you keep it. Cut-off date to make reservations and payment will be on the 30th November 2009.

Forza Redbacks.

Redbacks Make It Count

Redbacks: 3
Macheda: 2

Venue: Serangoon Secondary School
Scorers: Mikael (3)
Assist: Fairus

For once, it was great to see the Redbacks turn up at the game before our opponents. We lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with the returning Oggy in goal, Azhar, Sani, William and Aidil playing in defence, Joe, Fai, debutant Amir and Jaz in midfield and Kai and Mikael in attack.

Macheda scored first after Azhar fouled one of their players just outside the box. They scored direct from the free kick with the ball bursting through the net. Stunned, the Spiders swung into action. The midfield struggled throughout the first half, much like what happened to Singapore the night before. To make matters worse, Jaz had to limp out of the game due to an injury.

Then, a game-changing event. Hidayat broke clear of the defence after being put through by Mikael. Under pressure, a Macheda defender brought down Hidayat. Being the last man, the referee had no choice but to send the player off for a professional foul. However, even with a man down, Macheda proved to be a very tough nut to crack.

Against the odds, Macheda pulled further ahead. Another free kick conceded, another great attempt, another goal. 2-0 to Macheda. Were the Spiders staring a third straight defeat? Thankfully, we managed to pull a goal back just before half-time. Hidayat and Kai combined to release Mikael down the left side. The striker still had much to do but he powered past all challengers and slammed the ball into the net via a deflection. We were back in the game!

In the second half, multiple substitutions were made. With the one man advantage, the Spiders had to utilize the rolling subs if we were to get anything from the game. One crucial change made was Samy coming into goal. He was called into action early in the half, responding well to punch the ball away after a Macheda player had been put through.

Azhar had a chance to score when he spotted the goalkeeper off his line. Unfortunately his attempt came back off the crossbar. Misery for the Spiders. Was it going to be tour day?

With the Spiders pushing forward in search for an equalizer, gaps were left at the back. Macheda soaked the pressure well and launched some dangerous counter attacks. Then, to everyone’s horror, we conceded a penalty. William brought a Macheda player down in the box. It was a killer sucker punch waiting to be delivered. Up stepped Samy who dove well to his right to palm the penalty away. Samy saves William’s bacon!

That crucial save gave the Spiders belief that the game was there to be taken. Had the penalty gone in, it would have been curtains for sure. Not too long later, the Redbacks won our own penalty. Azhar was brought down in the box as he was pursuing a deep free kick. Mikael scored the penalty but it was ordered to be re-taken after Alfiah encroached into the penalty area as the kick was being taken. Mikael kept his nerve and stroked the penalty home at the second attempt.

Macheda almost took the lead through yet another free kick. However, we were relieved to see the ball come back off the crossbar. The tide was finally turning.

Finally, the Spiders took the lead late into the game. Mok found Fairus on the left flank. Fairus then played a superb ball into the area to Mikael. Mikael controlled the ball well and applied a clinical finish to send the Redbacks into a frenzy. A hat-trick for Mikael and a victory for the Spiders. A tough game against formidable opponents with fortunate circumstances. It could have been so different but we came through in the end.

FORZA REDBACKS!

Team (4-4-2): Oggy, Azhar, Sani, Aidil, William, Joe, Jaz, Amir, Fairus, Kai, Mikael
Subs: Samy, Mok, Alfiah, Hidayat, Wan, Aziz, Bob, Halim

Special mention goes to Yusman for turning up and supporting the team.

A Giveaway

Redbacks: 0
Industmarine: 1

Venue: Commonwealth Secondary

An unfortunate loss for the Spiders. We kicked off with only 9 players with several others turning up late for the game. The only goal was conceded early in the game, the numerical disadvantage proving too much for the team. We hope to see punctuality from all players in the future.

There was no urgency in our game. Apart from a few players, the others just did not turn up. After scoring the goal, Industmarine were content to just sit back and soak the pressure in the second half. Chances were minimal with attempts on goal far in between. Maybe the lazy Sunday afternoon was taking its toll on the players.

This is the second game we have failed to score a goal, a worrying situation for the Spiders. With the absence of Mikael and the loss of Azhar through injury, who can we depend on to deliver the goals? Just when we are beginning to shape up defensively, a new complication has surfaced.

Either way, we hope for an improved performance in our next game. Hopefully, everyone will be up to the challenge to return the Spiders to winning ways.

Forza Redbacks.

A Total Collapse!

Total Football: 4
Redbacks: 0

Venue: Siglap Secondary School

A second-half collapse saw the Spiders succumb to their first defeat this season, leaving our captain and chief tactician, Azhar, much to think about. Without Samy nor Izan available, Fai found himself between the sticks today. Rizal volunteered to be the sweeper, assisted by Sani and Kai in the middle with Aidil and Alfiah operating as full-backs. Jo started in midfield alongside Jaz, Mok and Yasser. Azhar was the lone striker.

Total Football offered little threat in the first half, with the defense dealing comfortably with what was thrown at them. Redbacks were content to sit back and soak the offense, while trying to make the most of whatever counter-attacks that we could come up with. Alfiah was the standout performer in the backline once again, doing more than what was required to ensure that the defense was not breached. The first half ended goalless.

Many players were introduced at the break. That unsettled the team a bit and allowed a Total Footballer to take centre stage. Firdaus Paijan, remember the name. The son of renowned coach Tohari Paijan had been identified by D2D to be one of the key players of the team and on this day, he proved to be the difference. Spotting a gap in the middle, Firdaus literally burst through the middle and hit a stiff shot past Fai. However, one would feel that we let him through too easily.

Buoyed by the goal, Total Football piled on the pressure. However, the Redbacks had a few good chances to equalize. Rizal tested his luck with a free kick that the goalkeeper fumbled. Hilmi used all of his speed to get to the rebound but the goalkeeper managed to get to the ball first. Firdaus made his mark on the game again, taking advantage of some loose defending to score the second of the game. He went on tormenting the Redbacks’ defense. After beating Aziz down the left side, he squared the ball for his teammate to score with a simple tap-in. A fourth goal was added late in the game to further compound the Spiders’ misery. With everyone wilting in the scorching afternoon heat, the final whistle brought much relief and disappointment at tasting our first defeat.

Despite the heavy defeat, spirits remain high in the camp and we hope this will just be a one-off letdown. We must take heart at a solid first-half performance and look to improve our fitness so that we can maintain our performance, especially if we need to play a 3pm game again! Players must be prepared to play for one another and fight till the very end. To concede 4 goals in a single half when you’re playing a defensive formation just will not do. There are still many more games to be played and we should look forward to them and aim to make a mark in Division 3 this season. Rest well and see everyone next weekend!

Forza Redbacks!

Team (5-4-1): Fairoz, Rizal, Sani, Kai, Aidil, Alfiah, Jo, Jaz, Mok, Yasser, Azhar
Subs: Hilmi, Halim, Yusman, Aziz, Taufiq

An Abandoned Epic

GAME ABANDONED

Score at time of abandonment:

Redbacks: 2
1980s United: 1

Scorers: Azhar, Fairoz

Venue: Sembawang Secondary School

With only 11 players available, the Redbacks had to make do with whoever we had in a 5-4-1 formation. Raizal gamely took up the responsibility of goalkeeping. Zaini was the sweeper with defenders Sani, Bob, William and Alfiah. Kai, Jaz, Mok and Yasser were the midfielders and Azhar played alone upfront. In fact, we kicked off the game with only 10 players as Bob arrived late. However, being one man down did not prevent us from taking the lead. Noticing that 1980s’ goalkeeper liked to stray out of his goal area, Azhar showed great technique by simply lobbing the ball from 30 yards out over the stranded goalkeeper after receiving the ball from Mok. That would have been the veteran’s first goal this season.

1980s came at the Spiders with everything that they got but Redbacks were resilient defensively and refused to give anything away. William, Sani and Alfiah in particular were majestic at the back. The defense stood tall against all the challenges, proving that the newly-found defensive stability is no coincidence. However, this has been the result of dogged determination and faithfulness to execute a well-thought game plan. It would be a great challenge to keep 1980s out and they got their equalizer from a direct free kick.

Multiple changes were made at the break. Irwan, Jo, Samy, Fairoz and debutant Asri were thrown into the fray, replacing Azhar, Kai, Raizal, Mok and Bob. The game became more open and 1980s threatened to take the lead. They manage to create some good opportunities but when they managed to puncture the defense, they found Samy to be in bullish mood. Buoyed by a clean sheet in the last match, our custodian is keen to ensure that he keeps up his streak.

The Redbacks had our chances too. Alfiah had a great effort from a free kick tipped over the crossbar by the goalkeeper. Asri then made a telling contribution as he was fouled when he embarked on a run down the right flank. Unfortunately, our debutant got injured in the process. Jaz sent the free kick in and the keeper punched it away. The ball pinballed its way to Jo who hit it towards goal, only to be blocked by a 1980s’ player. The ball then fell to Fairoz, who hit it first time beautifully. The ball found its way into the top right-hand corner of the goal. He had waited so long for his first goal, and that would have been his first ever for the team. Will it be just reward for his positive performances recently.

The game became more intense, as both teams tried to get the upper hand, it was clear that the challenges were becoming more physical. Unfortunately, the game was thrown into disrepute in the 65th minute when 1980s midfielder and Bob got entangled with an ugly contact, which the 1980s Midfielder retaliated by kicking Bob off the ball. The Referee immediately rushed to scene and flashed the red card to both of the player involved in effort to contain the situation. One thing led to another, a few blows were delivered and unfortunately, a pitch invasion occurred and the referee lost control of the situation. One more red cards were shown to a 1980s player and the referee decided that it was best to abandon the game. Salute to the Redbacks substitutes and supporters in containing their emotion and respecting the spirit of the game by staying at the sidelines.

This shows that in the heat of the moment, things can happen. It’s easy to say that everyone should have kept their cool but there are times when people just lose it. Redbacks do not condone such behaviour and we have upheld that belief ever since we started kicking together 5 years ago. All in all, we hope that all parties will take this opportunity to reflect on what had happened. It’s a waste that such an epic encounter had to end in such a manner.

Redbacks and 1980s United will now wait for the disciplinary board of D2D League to decide on the outcome of the match. Let’s hope for a favourable outcome and look forward to another great weekend of football.

FORZA REDBACKS!

Team (5-4-1): Raizal, Zaini, Sani, Bob, William, Alfiah, Kai, Jaz, Mok, Yasser, Azhar
Subs: Samy, Irwan, Jo, Fairoz, Asri

Thank you to Izat for turning up to support the team. Your feedback, guidance and assistance is always treasured and your presence has been missed. We wish you recovery and hope to see you play for us once again.

Like Two Sides of a Coin

Match Preview vs 1980s United FC

This Sunday’s encounter with 1980s might be the biggest challenge that the Spiders will face. Throughout the years, we have faced some tough adversaries but 1980s threaten to be the toughest one of all. Many neutral observers have already written off the Spiders’ chances, predicting a huge win for 1980s as a mere formality. A look through 1980s impressive CV is enough to send shivers down the spines of most teams. Six-time champions of eleven tournaments that they have taken part in, 1980s sure is a mean machine. A team of extreme footballing pedigree, they boast of players who have played at some of the highest level of local football.

However, the Spiders are not like most teams.

The comparisons cannot be any different. 1980s are filled with youthful, fit and fast 20-year-olds while Redbacks are made up of players as young as 19 to as old as 50 plus. However, the one thing in common that both teams share is the passion for the game. We hope that the passion will be brought out in a positive way. If it does, the match will be a spectacle indeed. While it can be expected that 1980s will look to utilize their pace, skill and power to overwhelm the Spiders, the Redbacks could probably use one thing that we have in abundance: our experience. We might not have played for any S-League team (most of us were too old when it first started anyway), but we have played quite a bit. Trying to match them pace for pace might be suicide. Therefore, expect a tactical battle to ensue. This will be a match that might be decided by the team which is smarter. Another quality that the Spiders can count on is our fighting spirit. The bigger the opponents, the more fired up we are and the better we play.

Brotherhood. That’s what we stand for. Brothers in arms, we fight to the end.

We will be hoping for a healthy turnout this Sunday as we can expect a tiring and bruising outing. Make no mistake, 1980s will run us to the ground and given our lack of fitness, we might have to rely on the rolling substitute rule more than ever. Expect to play in short bursts as it will keep everyone fresh. No matter how hard 1980s run, make sure we run harder. No matter how incessant they attack us, make sure we are as stubborn. No matter how little attacking we create, make sure we are ready to make the little chances count. Will we park the bus (as William has mentioned) and hold out for the draw? Let’s keep the cards close to our chests for now but I’m sure the tacticians of the team have a game plan. They may be the favourites for the title, but we are just as hungry for our first win of the season. Much have been made about the Spiders’ defensive abilities lately and this Sunday’s match will be the acid test for the team.

The test is tough, but we are up for it.

Therefore, I call upon all Spiders to stand up and be counted. Play with your hearts and your brains. Regardless of how good 1980s United are made out to be, it is still a game played with eleven men on each side. It is still a game played on the same rectangular pitch. It is still a game played with one spherical ball. It is still a game of football and all is fair in this game we love. Win, lose or draw, we will play to the end. Let’s go into the match with our heads held high and leave the field in the same way.

FORZA REDBACKS!

FORZA REDBACKS!

FORZA REDBACKS!

An Ultra Stalemate

Redbacks: 0
Ultras: 0

Venue: Yio Chu Kang Secondary School

It is very rare indeed for the Spiders to be involved in a goalless draw. A terribly dry and bumpy pitch welcomed both teams. 20 players turned up for the game for the Redbacks, providing Azhar and Jaz with a big headache. We opted to start in our familiar 5-3-2 formation. Samy was in goal. Kai played as the libero with Sani and Raizal as the stoppers. Aidil and Alfiah operated as the overlapping full backs. Jaz, Fai and Mok were the three midfield generals. Azhar and Rizal played upfront.

The defence showed great stability in the first half and managed to deal with the Ultras’ threats comfortably. At the other end, the attackers were really missing the panache and direct style of Mikael but we did manage to create some meaningful chances. However, the finish was sorely lacking with Mok and Rizal not being able to make the most of whatever opportunity that came their way. Ultras had a great chance to open the scoring. From a throw-in, the ball was headed on by one of their attackers. An Ultras midfielder almost made contact with the ball but thankfully he missed it.

The second half saw multiple changes and also a change of formation to a more attacking 4-4-2. It led to a more open game with both teams enjoying attacking spells of possession. Once again, the defence of both teams stood tall and it was proving to be a really frustrating outing for the attackers. Fai saw his cross graze the top of the crossbar and Ultras had to depend on some last ditch defending to keep the Spiders away. Ultras themselves had a great chance to win it deep into the match when their striker twisted and turned inside the penalty area but was unable to apply the finishing touch, allowing the Spiders to clear the danger.

Even though we could feel that we missed a great chance to win our first match, we can take pride in the fact that we played a good defensive game, one which is not really synonymous with the Spiders.  Hopefully, this will be a sign of things to come and will send a message to the other teams in the league that we never give in and we will fight to the end. Some might say we missed Mikael but it’s up to everyone to raise their game and play their parts. Alfiah, in particular had an outstanding game at left-back, gobbling up everything that came in his way. Fai had a standout performance too, troubling Ultras on the left side of the field. Jufri and Jo showed great aggression and consistency today and Yasser showed great enterprise and initiative attacking down the left. With such assured performances, the future of the Spiders look very bright indeed.

We would like welcome new additions to the family: Taufiq, Halim, Ernest and Yasser. We hope you will enjoy your time with us and look forward to growing together as a team and a family of brothers. In this team, it’s all about passion, brotherhood and a healthy lifestyle. If you’re down with that, then we got two words for you: WELCOME HOME!

Let’s look forward to our next game and notch our first win of the season. Forza Redbacks!

Team (5-3-2): Samy, Kai, Sani, Raizal, Alfiah, Aidil, Jaz, Mok, Fai, Azhar, Rizal
Subs: Hidayat, Bob, Aziz, Ernest, Yasser, Halim, Taufiq, Jo, Jufri

A Tom Yam To Draw For

Samalongkok : 2

Redbacks FC : 2

Scorers : Rizal,Jaz

The champion of Division 4 last season, had Redbacks FC as their welcoming party, in their first outing in Division 3. Samalongkok will prove to be a handful for the Spiders.

Azhar lined the team up with a now familiar 5-3-2 formation. Samy, had his defense line marshalled by Zaini, Sani, Bob, William and Alfiah. The trio of Jufri, Jo and Fai made up the midfield generals as Rizal and Mikael lined up as the attacking apex.

The first 10 minutes of the match, proved to be a cagey affair as the Spiders found themselves pinned in their defensive half. Samalongkok, with their superior fitness, bustled and hustled the Spiders midfield line. The Spiders midfielders seemed to have their positional line stretched as Samalongkok, made sure that each oncoming balls were met with firm tackles. The Spiders twin stoppers found themselves having to bail the midfield line numerous times, as floated balls from Samalongkok seemed to find their players frequently. Alfiah in particular, found himself  to be having a busy evening. But the player made his defending a resolute affair,as Samalongkok found themselves wanting whenever they attacked the flanks.

One floated ball from Samalongkok finally made its way, uncharacteristically into the Spiders’s penalty box. Zaini’s feeble attempt of heading back to Samy, fell nicely into the path of an onrushing Samalongkok striker who stroked it past the flailing dive of the Spider’s custodian. 1-0 to Samalongkok. A few substitutions were made from the Spider’s bench to freshen the line up. Another quick attack by Samalongkok, saw them crossing into the path of an unmarked player, who finished the move off with a hard side footed shot into the top corner.

The half ended with 2 goals to Samalongkok and that almost dreaded familiar feeling within the Spider’s ranks.

A roar of cry seemed to galvanise the Spiders into wanting to score at least a goal. Azhar slotted into the attacking line, replacing Mikael, as Jaz, Raizal and Mokh entered the fray. The Spiders started brightly as they strung purposeful movements. One such move led to Azhar executing a snap volley that just flew inches from the goal. The midfield line of Jaz, Raizal and Mokh, moved with conviction. A long punt from the defense line found its way onto the path of Rizal. Perhaps heeding Jaz’s words during the break of trying shots from any angle, the mercurial striker produced a hard shot from the edge of the penalty box that hit the underside of the bar,ricocheted off the keeper and into the goal. A splendid effort that seemed to breathe renewed purpose into the Spiders.

The Spider’s defense line played above themselves as they repelled waves of attack. Raizal earned himself a yellow card for making a neccessary foul on an advancing Samalongkok player.Talk about clever defending. Zaini too seemed to up his ante,as he cleared every single ball rolling into his path.Alfiah made it an easy affair of stopping every advancing Samalongkok player.

The Redbacks then won a freekick just outside the penalty box. Jaz took the initiative to line himself up to take it. Sensing blood, Jaz curled a midwaist ball into the penalty bos, and the sudden movement of Raizal and Mokh created confusion amongst the defenders. That resulted in an error of judgement by their keeper and the ball nestled nicely into the corner to draw a deserved equalizer.

The Spiders had ample opportunities from then on to win the game, but as luck will have it, the Powers above destined to have the spirited Spiders draw their first game.

From an embarassing debut last season, the Spiders had made it clear from this frst match that they are not in the league for remembrance sake. The stamping of their never say die attitude will certainly bring the Spiders a long way into the league. For all that the Spiders lacked, they more than compensated it with their hearts.

Forza Redbacks.

Line up :

Samy,Zaini,Bob,Sani,Alfiah,William,Jufri,Fairuz,Jo,Mikael,Rizal

Subs :

Azhar,Jaz,Raizal,Mokh,Ajiz,Taufiq

D2DSports League Preview

After weeks of waiting, the new season in finally here! This is the 4th season of the league and our 3rd consecutive season in it. After years of footballing wilderness, it seems the Spiders have finally found a place to call home. Our very first season was very productive as we enjoyed vast improvements playing against competitive opponents, leading us to finish the season 4th out of 8 teams.

With the teams above us promoted to Division 2, there was a lot of expectation in our second season, with some predicting a promotion push and others dreaming of our first league championship. However, it was not meant to be as the introduction of excellent teams such as FC Simpang, FZE and Huat FC meant that competition in the league was stiffer than ever. We were thrashed in our opening match 5-2 and continued on an uncharacteristic losing streak thereafter. The situation were made worse by the mass exodus of some players from the team. From a team competing for a title, we became a team in transition.

Players were tested, formations were changed and tactics were tweaked, the experiments continued in order to help the Spiders find the best formula for the team’s success. It was only halfway through the season when things began to fall into place again. In a battling 4-4 draw against Prestigio, we began to see the fighting spirit of the players and even though we continued to suffer narrow 1-goal defeats, we never let out heads drop and kept plugging away, confident that the tide would turn soon.

The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle was found in the shape of Mikael, who soon ascended to be the goalscoring machine that the Spiders desperately needed. Even though he joined the team late in the season, he managed to score an astonishing 11 goals in a short period of time, becoming the team’s top scorer in the process.

The team’s efforts culminated into a fantastic penalty shoot-out win in the League Cup against Division 2 outfit New Eastroids. The team began to have better self-belief and were fired up to notch its first victory in the league. It finally happened against Dirty Dozen when the Spiders triumphed 6-1, with Captain Fantastic Azhar rolling back the years with a well-taken hat-trick. Our inspirational leader continued to redefine himself, proving that he can deliver the good up front as well. He ended the season with 8 goals and 8 assists, his best return for the club so far and nudging Jaz as the team’s top assist-maker for lat season.

Jaz himself continued to prove that he is still a class act by contributing 7 goals and 7 assists. The team’s playmaker seems as hungry as ever as he vows to reclaim the assist title that he had lost for 2 straight seasons. For fans of the Spiders, we hope Jaz delivers on his promise. We ended the season with 11 points, finishing 6th out of 8 teams, while recording only 2 victories in the process. Through the valuable lessons learned, we are hopeful that this new season will yield better results for the team.

With the emergence of youth in Aidil, Wan Jr, Jo, Alfiah and Jufri, the future looks bright for the Spiders. With the guidance of seasoned heads like Azhar, Sani and Zaini, they have the best role models to further develop their games. With players like Jaz, Kai, Raizal, William, Irwan, Aki, Fai, Mikael, Taufik and Mok supposedly coming into their peak, much will be expected of the team. Yet, regardless of what happens, we will always stay true to the beliefs of the team: enjoyment, brotherhood and camaraderie above everything else.

FORZA REDBACKS!

Redbacks Claw Back!

Redbacks: 2
Maccabees: 2

Venue: MacPherson Sec Sch
Scorer: Mikael (2)
Assists by: Jaz (2)

In the first and only pre-season game, the Spiders came back from a goal down to earn a creditable draw against worthy opponents. Fears of a poor turnout were laid to rest when 14 players turned up for the match, even though we had to deal with a last minute change of venue. In fact, it was our opponents who were short of players. They ended up borrowing two of ours, with William and Rizal offering themselves for the temporary trade.

 The Redbacks started with Samy in goal, Kai playing as the sweeper with Bob and Sani as stoppers and Wan Jr and Aidil as the wingbacks. The three midfield generals were Jaz, Jo and Raizal and Azhar and Mikael formed the forward line.

It was a tight game from the beginning. Things got really interesting when both teams began to get into their groove. Both defences were tested and both held firm. Out of the blue, the Spiders took the lead. A through ball was Jaz found Mikael. Using his strength, he got past his marker and slotted the ball home. Maccabees tried to get back into the game but they found the Spiders backline in bullish mood, repelling everything that was thrown at them. When they did breach the backline, Samy did well to keep the invaders at bay.

We could have gone further ahead when Jaz found himself in space after some good work on the right flank. Unfortunately, his shot hit the upright of Maccabees goal. More controversy was to follow. As Mikael broke free on the left flank, his low cross was turned in by the surging Wan Jr. The players celebrated only to discover that the referee had judged Wan to be in an offside position.

Maccabees then got a lucky break when Bob completely missed his clearance. The ball found its way to a Maccabees player who relayed the ball to his teammate for a crisp finish. It was disappointing considering that the referee blew for half-time shortly after the equalizer.

In the second half, Desmond came in for Mikael, William for Sani and Rizal for Jo. This time, Raizal was asked to turn out for the team in black instead. The changes seem to have worked in Maccabees favour as they laid seige onto the Redbacks’ goal. With the midfield unable to make most of whatever position we had, the defence had their backs against the wall. Samy was called into action a few times. One stood out from the rest. Faced in a one-on-one situation, Samy pulled off a superb save to keep Maccabees out. A save that he described as “simple”. Got to love the confidence.

However, due to the sustained pressure, it was a matter of time before we cracked and we did. Maccabees beat the offside trap and the two attackers had time to trade passes before one of them beat Samy at his near post. The Spiders questioned the validity of the goal as they appeared suspiciously offside but the referee was having none of it.

Struggling to make meaningful attack, the Redbacks re-introduced Mikael and Jo back into the fray. Jo stamped his authority in midfield and slowly shifted the control of the game back to the Spiders. With time running out, Jaz and Mikael combined again for the equalizer. The pass was searching and accurate and Mikael produced a finish that did justice to the pass. Azhar described it as a goal that would typically be scored by the great Marco van Basten.

With the momentum with the Redbacks, we created a few more chances to steal the win but in the end, we had to be happy with a draw. Missing some regulars, we are sure that we can continue to build on this result and we are looking forward to the first game of the new season next week. Hope to see everyone there.

Forza Redbacks!