Kluang Trip

Gentlemen,

Our football trip to Kluang will be ON this Saturday, 5th April 2008. We need to settle some admin matters prior to the trip.

1) We need you to confirm your attendance for the game. As of yesterday, only Ayyub has confirmed his absence due to reservist duty. Raizal has been listed as doubtful. That means we are expecting everyone else to attend. Please confirm your attendance to any one of the exco members or your anchor points. Please do not make us sms you endlessly and beg for a reply. SMSes cost money. Let’s be fair to everyone.

2) Are you driving? If you are, can you give some teammates a lift? If yes, how many can you take in. We are trying to figure out transportation arrangements. For now, Irwan and Hisham have confirmed that they are driving. For those drivers who are giving their teammates a ride, please furnish the cost that the passengers would have to pay.

Azhar has set the meeting point to be at Woodlands MRT station taxi stand at 12pm. We will play the game at night and according to what I was told, we will return to Singapore that very night. Bai, please confirm this detail and how much are we expected to pay for match fees.

If there are any queries, please contact any of the exco members. Thank you and looking forward to see all on Saturday.

Go Redbacks!

Goal-Shy Spiders

Northvia: 2
Redbacks: 0

Venue: Chua Chu Kang Sec Sch

At 4.30pm, the Spiders received a last minute change of location. Worries of a lack of manpower was soon dispelled as we turned up at CCKSS. We were looking to build on the past week’s victory. Our opponents were Northvia, a solid unit that would provide a sterner test for the Redbacks.

It was a tight affair from the very beginning. Our cause was not helped when our flavour of the week, Irwan, limped off with a pulled muscle. Without a target man to play off, our attacks were noticably blunt and aimless. We are hoping that Irwan can shake off his injury for our upcoming tour. Our opponents were carving out numerous chances but poor finishing denied the game its opening goal in the first period.

We started brightly in the second half as we became more adventurous in our attacks. We began to win more challenges in midfield and string more passes. However, our players failed to muster up a decent chance. Northvia, however, made the most of the little chance they got. The first goal was awarded despite the Spiders protesting that Faizal was fouled by their number 7 in the process. They got a second goal through the very same number 7 who slalomed past Sharizan to tap the ball into an empty net.

Over the weeks it has become clear that the Spiders are experiencing problems in attack. We failed to test the keeper on a regular basis and our shots were mostly off-target. Considering that the goalkeeper had no gloves on, it is quite disappointing that we did not do better. However, it must be celebrated that we were able to hold our own against a strong team. We made them work hard for their win and it is something for us to build on in the coming weeks.

Wan, Wan, Wan!

Redbacks: 3
Clementi: 1

Venue: Woodgrove Secondary School
Scorers: Irwan (2), Ridzwan

The Redbacks pulled off a great win through a patient and disciplined approach. The shock of day clearly belonged to Irwan, who scored two opportunistic goals. Not to be outdone, our other Wan, the smaller one, added a third late in the game.

It was not easy sailing as we struggled to cope with the speed and flair of the Clementi players. We weathered the storm, thanks to some super saves by Sharizan. It was a tight and cagey affair where both teams carved out decent chances to break the deadlock. Irwan came close on two occassions when he was put through on goal, however he was unable to convert. The half ended goalless as the Spiders urged one another to keep focused on the game and have faith that the goals will come.

The game started brightly in the second half. Both teams believed that they had what it takes to earn the victory. From a counter attack, Faiz broke free on the right. His nudged the ball past the onrushing keeper and Irwan was there to tap the ball into the empty net. We then went to sleep and allowed Clementi to score from a free header via a corner. Both teams, buoyed by the goals, went for the jugular. Irwan scored a second with a cool finish when he was put through on goal by a through ball by Azhar.

Clementi poured men forward in search of an equalizer. Specific instructions to mark their number 7 was heeded and the playmaker did not have much space to stamp his authority on the game. We were forced to camp in our half for prolonged periods. However, when the chance came to score, we capitalized. The goalkeeper completely missed a pass by Ayyub and Irwan, who had been overlapping tirelessly throughout the match, gleefully accepted the gift and scored his first ever Redbacks goal.

It was a superb display of counter-attacking football. A victory well-earned. A truly memorable game indeed.

But not as memorable as Man Utd beating Liverpool by 3 goals to nil….

Announcement on Training

In view of the ongoing monsoon season, please take note that training will only be conducted in the event of good weather. No training in the rain as we do not wish for any of our players to be plagued by fever, cold or flu. Plus, we do not want anyone to be burned to a crisp by an unexpected bolt of lightning. For those who want to be sure, you may call Khairil or Abang Sani to check the status of training.

On top of that, we hope that more players will try and make time to come down for the sessions. Support lah members2 sendiri. Peace. Hahaha!

Benedetto’s Revenge

Benedetto: 3
Redbacks: 1

Venue: Commonwealth Secondary School
Scorer: Ming

After a long hiatus from AFL competition, Redbacks returned to face our first opponents in the league this year. This time, our hosts exacted sweet revenge as they fought to a hard-earned victory over the Spiders. The team was at a bare minimum with only 10 players available for selection at kick-off. A cautious 4-4-1 formation was employed and we were successful in keeping our opponents at bay.

Our resistance eventually broke as Benedetto scored from a good counter attack, with their player sneaking in at the far post to score. It remained that way at half time. With more players arriving, we made some changes hoping to make an impact in the game. Our search for an early equalizer in the second half backfired as Benedetto added a second. We failed to deal with a free kick and once again conceded at the far post.

Not that we were giving the game up that easily. Ming pulled one back after latching on to a brilliant through pass by Ayyub. Although the keeper came out to unnerve him, Ming kept his composure and lifted the ball over the onrushing keeper. Having come so close in previous games, relief was clear for all to see and Ming ran across the pitch to celebrate his maiden goal for the Spiders.

In searching for an equalizer, we inevitably left gaps at the back and Benedetto scored yet again from another breakaway. The goal came after their striker crept in at, yup, the far post yet again. That was how the game ended.

After the game, we reflected on a few learning points from the game. We felt that we are still not utilizing our short passing game. Credit to Benedetto, they closed us down really fast and time and again, we struggle to perform against such hardworking teams. Generally we are still toothless in attack, lacking a serious goal threat. Our strikers are still struggling to combine well with the midfield and each other. We can still do much defensively as it seems we are still leaking goals easily. In Azhar’s words, we were “gifting goals to our opponents”. We hope we will learn from our mistakes and strive to do better in the next.

No worries, we’ll get there.