Warmed Up

Redbacks: 5
Yellows: 2

Venue: Boon Lay Sec
Scorers: Kai, Rizal, Irwan, Aiman (2)

The Spiders warmed up for the coming AFL season by beating their opponents convincingly. Without some key players, the team took some time to get their rhythm. Yellows took advantage by scoring the opener through a cross-shot that crept into the near post. The opposing keeper then fumbled Kai’s free kick into the goal for the equalizer. Our opponents restored their lead soon after. Rizal (the new one) took advantage of a goalmouth melee to knock the ball into goal for his first Redbacks goal.

Irwan made a return to the team at half time to partner Aiman up front. Receiving the ball from Imran, Irwan launched a bomb which the elderly keeper had no chance to keep out. He has been reminded to show more respect to senior citizens in future games. From that moment on, Redbacks were in little danger of losing their grip on the game. Aiman popped up to score his customary two goals to flatter the scoreline in the Spiders’ favour.

Improvements need to be made next week though as Redbacks negotiate through another season of the AFL. With players still missing through injuries, we will need more commitment and passion from the current batch of players. Captain Azhar is hopeful that Irwan will hit more “flukes”.

Caring For Your Knees (Part 1)

Recently we have been rocked by knee injuries suffered by two of our key players, Azam and Jaz. Being a survivor of the dreaded injury myself, I felt it is imperative that I share some lessons I learned from my rehabilitation so as to help my teammates. I suffered a horrendous knee injury a little over a year ago. It was the worst injury I ever sustained and it crippled my playing skills tremendously. Hopefully what I share here will be beneficial for everyone.

Knee Strengthening
It is a common misconception that playing soccer makes your knees stronger. The fact is playing soccer weakens your knees due to the impact and strain that you sustain over 90 minutes. When I visited the physiotherapist after sustaining my injury, he informed me that my right knee was weak too and could give way any moment. Chances are every footballer is playing on weak knees and are not aware of it. All it takes is one bad challenge or one moment of poor balance to “do” your knee.

Here are some exercises you can do on a weekly basis to strengthen your knees.
a) Cycling – try using a bike machine, there is less impact.
b) Stepper – or you can just climb up the stairs of your block.
c) Leg Raises – use ankle weights to add resistance.
d) Swimming – Low impact. Great for rehabilitation.

Basically any leg muscle exercise will help because your knee joints will become stronger to support your growing muscles. Therefore, invest in visiting the gym once in a while. For players who are recovering, do not be too eager to hit the weights. I suggest you do leg raises without the ankle weights, cycling and aqua aerobics first. That should help to teach your knees how to move again.

That’s all for this edition. Next week, I will touch on how you carry out the exercises mentioned above. Stay tuned!

AFL Ends

Recreativo: 3
Redbacks: 3

Venue: Kranji Secondary School
Scorer: Aiman x 3

Redbacks ended our AFL campaign with a 3-3 draw against Recreativo. We did well to claw back into the game after going two goals down in the first half. Aiman produced some sizzling finishing to record a hat-trick to give the Spiders a slender lead. Unfortunately it was not meant to be as Recreativo scored an equalizer after some slack defending. Torrential rain played its part as the referee was forced to call off the game with about 15 minutes remaining. In the end, both teams had to settle for a draw.

The result left the Redbacks in second position but that might not last for long. Our closest rivals, Recreativo and Damai will be looking to take advantage of their games in hand to usurp the top three position in the league alongside champions-elect Knights FC. It is up to us now to reflect on our performances in a campaign riddled with too many goals conceded. Hopefully we will look to put that right in the coming months as we continue to develop as a team.

Congratulations to Aiman for netting 18 goals in just 14 games to finish as the team’s top scorer. Whether he is the league’s topscorer remains to be seen. His closest rival, William Ng of Knights FC has 16 goals to his name with still 3 more games left. We wish Aiman all the best and hope he nabs the award. Special mention also goes to 4 players who have been ever-present during the AFL campaign. Azhar, Aiman, Kai and Zaini featured in all 14 games, setting examples for the rest of the team to follow.

Unfortunately, another Spider has succumbed to the latest injury jinx. Jaz suffered a serious knee injury (he is considering retiring) and he joins Azam, Irwan and Sani on the treatment table. We wish all the players a speedy recovery and hope to see all of you kicking once again.

Finally… A Clean Sheet!

Redbacks: 3
Mandai United: 0

Scorers: Aiman x 2, Own goal

In what perhaps was our final match at ADSS, the Spiders gave our hallowed turf a perfect parting gift by convincingly beating our familiar visitors 3-0. Mandai United brought a youthful side to the game, perhaps looking to the future of their team as well. The youngsters performed credibly but in the end, the experienced heads of Redbacks prevailed.

Mokhtar was brought down in the box after successfully beating a defender with a turn. There were huge protests from the Mandai United players. Aiman kept calm to hit the penalty past the goalkeeper. Redbacks continued to pile the pressure, however Mandai was clearly in the hunt too. Sharizan continued to dominate between the sticks, proving that he will be one to watch in the future of Singapore soccer. I expect him to don the national colours one day if he continues working hard and keeping his head on the ground.

Redbacks got our second goal through a corner taken by Zaini. He floated the ball into the penalty area and a defender inexplicably nodded the ball past his own goalkeeper. A fortunate goal that was greatly welcomed by the Spiders!

In the second half, Azhar sprang a surprise by fielding Ajis to partner Aiman up front. Struggling to adapt to his new position early on, Ajis provided an excellent through ball to Aiman to score his second goal of the game and to put the result beyond doubt. Mandai tried hard to get a consolation goal, but Fauzi proved to be the resistor this time around.

A solid performance. Goodbye ADSS, you will never be forgotten.