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!