Implosion at the Regent!

Redbacks: 2
Queensland United: 4

Venue: Regent Secondary School
Scorers: Kai, Ayyub

Good weather? Check. Superb playing surface? Check. Opponents present? Check. Enjoyment? Probably not. After weeks of having matches called off due to rain, this much anticipated game ended abruptly due to a mass brawl. Unfortunately, one of our players was hurt in the incident that could have been avoided.

The Spiders welcomed two new members to the family, An and Hidayat. Thank you Ayyub and Jaz respectively for helping to add to a much depleted squad. We hope they are not turned off by what happened at the end the game. This is the first time that such an incident has ever happened in a Redbacks’ game.

The Redbacks’ lack of pace in the defence was cruelly exposed by Queensland over and over again. Their game plan was simple: punt the ball over our backline for their frontrunners to latch onto. The strategy worked to devastating effect. A long punt by one of their defenders caught out the Spiders and gave the match its opening goal.

The Spiders worked hard to get the equalizer and was duly rewarded. Yusman made some space for himself on the right side and hit a perfect cross into the box. Kai then rose unmarked to head the ball past the goalkeeper. Having not scored for so long, he could not contain his relief. However, Queensland immediately regained the lead when another punt caused all sorts of problems in the Redbacks’ penalty box.

If the teachers combined for the first equalizer, the brothers took centre-stage for the second. Despite the attentions of a defender, Ming managed to find Ayyub in the box with a superb pass. In one swift movement, Ayyub brought the ball under control and steadied himself before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper. Once again, the Spiders went to sleep as Queensland scored within a short period after conceding.

In the second half, more horrors await.Oggy failed to deal with a seemingly harmless ball and fumbled it. After a few more fluffed attempts, the ball found its way into the back of the net. The game was fiercely contested after that. There were a few over-the-top challenges that went unpunished by the ref. Eventually, it took a toll on the game as a Queensland player took offence to Ming’s physical approach. After that, chaos ensued.

After much effort to cool things down, a few words were exchanged and the glowing embers caught fire again. A scuffle broke out and Oggy got hit for trying to diffuse the situation. We never condone such behaviour from any of our players but sometimes such things happen in football. Captain Azhar was understandably unhappy with the referee’s performance, feeling that he could have done more to get the game under control. During the entire commotion, he was just happy to stand by and watch the “show”. A truly sad end to a promising game.

Lesson of the day: Too much STEROIDS kill your brain. Why would a buffed up meathead pick a fight with someone half his size? I thought strong people could take a little physical action…

Team (4-4-2): Oggy, Aidil, Sani, Izat, Azam, Azhar, Jaz, Ming, Yusman, Ayyub, Kai
Subs: Bob, Aziz, An, Hidayat, Raizal, Aki

WTF Part 2

Redbacks: 2
Ventz: 3

Venue: Xinmin Sec Sch
Scorers: Faiz, Mok

A story that is getting too familiar for the Redbacks. We play well and carve out numerous chances. Our opponents not getting a good sniff at the goal. Yet, events transpire and conspire to cosign the Spiders to another defeat in the league. Did we deserve to lose the game? Of course not. Did Ventz deserve the victory? Based on the way they took their chances, they surely did.

We were fortunate to have just enough players for the game. We were lifted when receiving our new Kappa jerseys and hoped that it would spur the team to victory. Unfortunately, a botched attempt to set the offside trap failed miserably and Ventz took the lead. More heartbreak followed when Oggy kicked his clearance against Azhar and Ventz doubled their lead. What did we have to do to get a break? Throughout the first half, we peppered the Ventz’s goal with shots but seldom troubled the goalkeeper. Only Aki came close with a low free kick that the keeper did well to keep out.

The Spiders continued to get caught out early in the second half. Azhar completely missed his clearance and it gave the Ventz striker the opportunity to notch his hat-trick. Three goals up, Ventz took their foot off the pedal and allowed Redbacks to come back into the game. Faiz received the ball outside the box and after some neat footwork, unleashed a stinging shot which the goalkeeper failed to keep out. Faiz then produced a delightful diagonal ball for Mok. The left-foot wonder’s shot rocketed into the bottom of the net.

We tried to get the equalizer and once again Aki came closest, his left-foot shot richocheted off the inside off the post. As players succumbed to fatigue and cramps, the window of opportunity became smaller and in the end, we lost the game. It’s unfair given the quality of our play today, but sometimes, football is a cruel game.

Team (4-4-2): Oggy, Azhar, Kai, Bob, Aziz, Aidil, Faiz, Mok, Aziz’s Elder Son, Ayyub, Aki
Sub: Aziz’s Younger Son