Agape Cup Match Report #2 [27th April]

With the sun shining torturously, PMC headed out to their 2nd outing in the Agape Cup. Like a fortnight ago, the worship and sharing started late and the players were “treated” to a bake in the sun reminiscent of their army days as they sang and listened to the sharing.

The PMC Soccer Team before the start of the match

At about 3.15pm, the match started right off the blocks but sadly this was only in the case of Cherith Baptist Church (CBC). Once again, PMC suffered the case of early nerves and lack of concentration as CBC took the lead within the first minute. A mazy run on the right flank by one of CBC’s wingers eluded a total of five PMC players before it led to a quick corner. PMC’s marking in the box was lackluster at best and CBC’s corner took full advantage to send a bullet header right into the left corner of the net.

The shock of going down within the first few minutes of the game sent PMC into immediate action but a further blow was waiting in the wings. At the five minute mark, the run of play found the ball in Michael’s hands (who took over as goalkeeper for this match). In a moment of sheer bewilderment, Michael threw the ball onto the ground in front of him thinking he heard the referee’s whistle for a free kick. CBC’s striker raced up and displaced the ball at the back of PMC’s net with no hesitation while the entire PMC team held their heads down in disbelief. The referee blew for kick-off and it was two nil down to PMC within five minutes.

As we have experienced on many occasions, PMC often seems to play better when they’re down. The rest of the first half saw PMC take increasing possession of the game and it was just unlucky that they could not find the back of the net with two real chances from Rusydi and Kee Min. CBC also continued their assault on the PMC goal but Michael’s deft hands kept the goal deficit at bay on more than one occasion.

Halftime score: CBC 2 – 0 PMC

Two changes were introduced at half-time with Uncle Ronnie trying to keep the overall shape of the team intact. Uncle Ronnie came out for Sheldon while Joel took up the lone striker position and Jingzhong moved back to the wing with Damien subbing out.

Straight away, the “new” PMC team seemed to take hold of the game back by the throat. Wave after wave of attack was launched against the CBC goal mouth but the crucial first goal was still elusive. Then came a brilliant counter attack move by PMC with the decisive through ball by Kevin from midfield to Rusydi on the right. Rusydi ran like a man possessed and burst through CBC’s defensive attempts to stop him, cutting in and ending with a stiff shot on goal which the CBC keeper could only parry into the back of his own goal. CBC 2 - 1 PMC.

With the momentum clearly picking up, PMC continued to have more fluid passing and better runs of play. Again, Rusydi proved to be instrumental as PMC’s second goal took shape. Rusydi took the ball on the right flank and somehow managed to find himself on the edge of the penalty box. As he drew the defenders towards him, he unselfishly cut the ball back for Kee Min to curl the ball into the left bottom corner while the CBC keeper stood motionless. CBC 2 - 2 PMC.

Both teams now stepped up their game for that winning goal with end to end plays on both sides. Several through balls were put through by PMC for Joel to chase down with one particularly close chance. Joel sprinted pass the defense for a one-on-one with the keeper only to misjudge the bounce of the ball and missed to allow the ball to drop into the hands of the keeper. Jingzhong was subsequently substituted by Bevan for a fresh pair of legs.

A late injury to Adrian through an accidental collision was PMC’s unfortunate turn in the game with the defense holding up rock solid to that point. Adrian busted his left arm quite severely and had to be substituted by Isaac. Immediately, CBC took advantage of Isaac’s “coldness” to the game with attacks down the left. Finally, CBC hit PMC on the counter attack with Isaac dealing well with the original long lob only to hold the ball too long and unfortunately clear it back to the pressuring CBC striker. The CBC striker made no mistake and drilled a low shot through the legs of Michael at the near post into the PMC goal.

The end of the match was then marred by the 'bust-up' between Bevan and the CBC striker which resulted in the referee showing the yellow card to Bevan without punishing the CBC striker, who was also culpable for the conflict. Bevan was then replaced by Glenn for the final seconds of the match. PMC tried their best to equalize yet again in the dying minutes but to no avail.

Final score: CBC 3 – 2 PMC (Rusydi, Kee Min)

By far, PMC was not the weaker side and a draw would have been a fairer score line. Unfortunately, PMC’s overall lack of match experience let us down again with the early deficit to claw back from. However, PMC displayed tremendous fighting spirit and teamwork to come back from 2-0 down and scored two well executed goals from open play. The team can only get better from here and we look forward to our 1st win of the campaign. Well done team!

Soccer Training Report [26th April]

About 18 people turned up for Soccer Training. The weather was hot and dry and we welcomed a young enthusiast, Amos. Also, we welcomed back Marcus who has been absent from Soccer Fellowship for quite a while. Before the start of play, John led us in a time of devotion, encouraging us not to harden our hearts, but have compassion and mercy on fellow human beings.

With a focus on preparing the Agape Cup team for a match the next day, players started off with a simple 3-man passing drill. Players were then split into offensive and defensive teams to work on free-kicks and corners. Players also worked on taking penalties for a bit.

For the final 15 minutes of the session, teams played against each other using the 7-a-side field to simulate the compactness of the Hiding Place field. The session finished with a score of 1-1, goals coming from Jingzhong and Marcus.

Soccer Training [26th April]

This Saturday (26th April), Ronnie will be taking us for another Soccer Training session. Although there will be a significant emphasis on technique and tactics, especially preparing for set-pieces, a reminder that ALL Soccer Community members are welcomed to join and improve their skills, even if they are not interested in competitive soccer. We shall stick to White and Blue jerseys for this session.

John will be leading us devotion before training. Pray for good weather and see you all there.

Soccer Fellowship Report [19th April]

It was a fine afternoon and a number of players gathered early, looking forward to the afternoon's run-out. After some warm up, the group gathered for devotion led by Bangshi. Soon, more players turned up and a total of 29 attended this edition of Soccer Fellowship. We'd like to welcome back David Sng after a long leave of absence and Jeremy, Choon Heng's friend who joined us for the first time.

The first half started with the Blues' strong defence lining up against the Whites' more proficient midfield and attack. However, the contrary took place with the Blues dominating much of the play and threatening the Whites' goal on more than one occasion. It took much careful intervention from the Whites' defensive pair of Jeremy Sin and David Teong to clear the danger. Whites' keeper Bryan was also having a good game and made the necessary saves. It really took a while for the Whites' midfield trio of Ronnie, Sheldon and Kevin to string some passes together but no clear cut chances materialised with Blues' defensive quartet of Mark, James, Daniel and Damien working well as a unit. It finally came down to the odd goal to settle the first half. A good diagonal ball from midfield found Jingzhong cutting in from the left and as Blues' keeper Michael rushed out to meet the ball, Jingzhong coolly slotted it under the keeper to give the Whites a 1-0 lead.

Some re-organisation of the teams took place before the 2nd half kicked off. This was so as to prepare the team playing in the Agape Cup to get a run-out together. We'd like to thank all the players for their understanding and support in this regard. Both Blues and Whites also had extra players so that everyone could get involved in the game.

It was the Whites led by Sheldon that started the 2nd half very strongly. With Bangshi in partnership with him in the middle of the park and 3 strikers against the Blues' backline, it wasn't long before the Whites took the lead. A good move from the right found a grounded cross finding Isaac completely unmarked to tap the ball into the Blues' net. The Blues really needed time to settle down and string some decent passes together. Many times, the midfield of Ronnie, Kee Min and Kevin found themselves out of position and not stamping the authority in midfield or getting the ball to their strikers Samuel Eyo, David Sng and Jeremy. Blues' play was also predictable most of the time with quick balls being pushed to the flanks where Bevan and Jingzhong tried to operate. When required, goalkeeper Bryan was also on hand to make the necessary saves. It really took quite a long while before some pressure in the Whites' box led to the Blues' equaliser through Kee Min's close-range volley making the 2nd half score 1-1.

It was certainly a good run-out for everyone and we hope to see such good attendance at future Soccer Fellowship sessions. Praise God!

Soccer Fellowship [19th April]

Thanks Kee Min for an excellent match report! I'm sure we'll build on this experience and become an even better team in the next few games.

Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 19th April at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.

Please be reminded that the entrance to the field is next to Block 362. If you are driving, the multi-storey car park you should park at is at Block 359A. If unsure, please check the street directory map.

For team identification this week, please bring / wear a BLUE AND WHITE jersey.

See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!

Agape Cup Match Report #1 [13th April]

After a time of singing and sharing, PMC’s inaugural participation in the Agape Cup kicked off with a match against Trinity Christian Centre. It was a match to look forward to with the good weather holding up.

It was a nervy opening 15 minutes for PMC as TCC settled into the match first. TCC looked the more organized side and it was evident they had been playing together as a team for quite some time and had come with a game plan to execute. PMC initially struggled to cope with TCC’s physical play and route one football but soon came to terms with the match and started stringing some good passes together.

It was against the run of play that TCC scored their first goal. PMC’s failure to deal with their route one approach allowed their striker to get in behind the backline as the defence committed the cardinal sin of allowing the ball to bounce. A composed finish by TCC’s front man put them a goal ahead. This seemed to jolt PMC into action as a flurry of neat passes enabled Rusydi and Jingzhong to cause some problems down the flanks. However, with Glenn increasingly isolated up front, TCC’s backline ably dealt with any threat posed and their all round no-nonsense approach ensured they took their lead into the halftime break.

Halftime score: TCC 1 – 0 PMC.

A number of changes were made at halftime as Uncle Ronnie looked to get a general feel of the squad. TCC’s organized approach saw them threatening a few times as their long ball approach continued to cause PMC problems but some last ditch defending prevented TCC from finding, in the words of Andy Gray, no real joy. It was then TCC’s turn to lose focus as their defence failed to deal with a ball allowing Glenn to get in behind. An exquisite lob from the edge of the box allowed PMC to draw level.

This seemed to revitalize PMC as they started passing the ball around with more confidence. PMC’s backline continued to comfortably deal with balls played on the ground as both teams probed in search of the lead. However, a moment of naivety and inexperience allowed TCC to regain the lead. A quick free kick on the edge of the box, ala Giggs v Lille and Henry v Chelsea, was drilled into the bottom corner of the net catching PMC unawares. This is perfectly legal as it is the attacking team who holds the advantage (having been fouled) and has the prerogative to take it quickly.

Refusing to let their heads drop, PMC pressed for the equalizer and continued to threaten TCC’s goal on occasions. With both sides committed to open and attacking play, it was TCC who took their chances as an angled shot managed to squirm under Jeremy’s arms. Soon after, a poor clearance and momentary lapse in concentration allowed TCC to drill another one into the bottom corner of the net.

Final score: TCC 4 – 1 PMC (Glenn)

While not an entirely fair reflection of the match, TCC was the better side and exposed certain weaknesses in PMC’s match play. TCC’s greater experience enabled them to come out tops in many 50-50 challenges and had a game plan that their team understood and executed. All these are things that PMC can learn from and hopefully improve on as the team plays together more regularly. All this will come in time with the input of both individual and collective efforts. Overall, it was a decent showing from PMC as the team showed that they were no pushovers and could more than take the fight to their more experienced opponents.

A rather smiley team despite losing the first match of the Agape Cup

Agape Cup 2008

Firstly, we'd like to thank John for writing the Soccer Fellowship report from last week and Isaac for posting it on the blog.

This week, PMC Soccer Team's campaign in the Agape Cup 2008 will kick-off on 13th April, Sunday, at The Hiding Place. The players will gather at 230 pm for worship/devotion before the 3 pm kick-off. Supporters are more than welcomed to cheer the team on.

Do pray for good weather and keep the team in prayer for this first competitive outing of the year.

Soccer Fellowship Report [5th April]

The earlier heavy rain which stopped before 3 pm was a great blessing . Weather was cool and ground, soft -just perfect for soccer! 20 players were present with 18 staying till the end.

Kevin led in devotion which was taken from Mathew 5: 16 “ Let your light so shine before men , that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven “ He reminded that we are called to be salt and light in this world and to reflect the glory of God .

Randy (new but experienced veteran player joining us for the first time) captained the Blues while Ronnie, the Whites . Each team had quite a balance number of youths and veterans.

Glenn opened with the 1st goal at close range just at the tight angle of the post.
John went on to score another 2 goals soon after:
1st goal beating the goalkeeper on a 1 on 1 and 2nd goal following a rebound.
So, it was 3 goals for the Whites and 0 for Blues in the 1st half..

Returning back for the 2nd half after briefing by the respective captains , the match proceeded more aggressively with more goals scored . ( 6 more ) .
Here’s how they were scored:
Ronnie did 1 with a long range outside penalty box.
Jingzhong dribbled past Whites to score 1 at close range.
Damien did the same also to score 1 at close range .
Glenn pushed in1 following a rebound at close range .
Kevin forcefully pushed in 2 goals ; 1 toward the extreme left post and another occasion , toward the extreme right post …….touching the inner post then into the net.. With the extreme positioning, even the most experienced goalkeeper would have found it a nightmare! Well done Kevin!

The 2nd half ended with 4 goals for the Whites and 2 goals for the Blues.

Final Score :
Whites - 7
Glenn ( 2) John ( 2) Ronnie (1) Kevin (2)

Blues - 2
JingZhong (1) Damien (1)

The session ended with Adrian leading us in the closing prayer.

Posted by john.