Soccer Fellowship 'Special' [31st May]

Soccer Fellowship takes a 'special' twist this Saturday with activities taking place in church and at the soccer field of Loyang Primary School, just across the road from PMC. As part of the Sports Council's goal of encouraging community bonding and interaction through sports, many school fields are being opened up for free during the weekend. As part of the Pasir Ris community, we will be taking this opportunity to play soccer closer to church and get to know people in this community.

We will start in church at 3pm with some afternoon tea, followed by a time of worship and devotion. After that, when the weather has cooled, we'll kit up and walk across to the field for soccer. Depending on the numbers we have and others present, there will probably be 5-on-5 or 7-on-7 'winner stays' matches. Should be fun!

If you are interested to participate in this 'Special', please leave a comment on this post (so that everyone knows who's coming and how many) and so that there will be enough food and drink on for everyone!

Agape Cup Match Report #4 [25th May]

The weather was great initially- the hot morning was cooled by a cloudy sky and intermittent rain showers. This however was replaced later in the game by a much warmer afternoon as the showers dried up and the sun peeped out.

Due to a variety of reasons, the turn up for this game was not as 'strong' as before. Certainly, have 4 central midfielders out for the day gave Ronnie a challenge in fielding a balanced starting line-up but having said that, everyone present was certainly enthused to start the game, and gave their best for day!

Playing a 4-4-2 formation, FMC's midfield and forwards were pretty much encamped in our half for the first quater of the game. Individually, we defended well, but were unable to string together passes that would have led us out of trouble. With only 1 true central midfielder in the form of Kevin, there was a lack of compactness and cohesion in the middle of the park to take possession of the ball and keep it, allowing FMC to press wave after waves of attack. Passing between the midfield 4 of Kevin, Damien, Justin and Jingzhong was nondescript and up front, Samuel and Joel had few touches. After a succession of corners against us, one in-swinger saw Jeremy unable to hold the ball due to the wet conditions and we were 0-1 down.

Buzzed by the goal, PMC tried hard to counter the offensive but a quick ball through the middle saw their #8 cut through our backline. James tried his best to hold off the #8, who managed to fizzle a stinging shot into our goal. 0-2 down and we were starting to look a little more than rattled.

Having said that, we played better (decent) and kept the game pretty evenly matched for the remainder of the half. Andy and Daniel and fullbacks started to find their feet and wing play was better. A golden opportunity to score from a cross (or was it a corner) was unfortunately headed over the post from 3 yards out by Joel, who was left completely left unmarked by the FMC defence. Another well taken quick free kick by Damien was bound for goal from more than 30 yards out, but the crossbar prevented us from clawing our way back into the match. Like Ronnie mentioned later in the post mortem, perhaps it was not meant to be our day. These 2 opportunities would have clearly turned the match on its head and the momentum in our favour, on another day.

This was made worse in the last minute of the half when the defence was caught ball watching over an apparent off-side player- which saw another opponent make a dash from the midfield to slot coolly into our net from our left side, despite the best intent of James to cover the angle. 0-3 at half time to FMC and another tough job on our hands.

Substitutions were made at half time, with Glenn coming on for Samuel and Maurice coming on for Jingzhong to start the game afresh. The second half was a comedy of errors on our part. 2 yellow cards for James meant that we will miss him in the next game- 1 for a mistimed challenge, and 1 for an apparent 'block' at the half way line. There were another 2 goals from our opponents to add to the misery- One a misplaced pass/shot which slipped through Jeremy's gloves due to a bad bounce and another a super stinger from outside the box which went into the net, due mainly to the shot, and the fact that Jeremy's view could have been obstructed. We didn't have too many chances in the 2nd half. Ronnie's dribbling lent us a bit more control in the middle of the park but some 'squabbling' between our players and theirs due to some overly 'physical' play (use of arms, shirt-pulling and pushing from behind) from FMC players meant that the match was losing its flow. 3 attempted shots and crosses from distance by Glenn which sailed wide and long summed up the the kind of day that PMC was having- wasting possession and lack of teamwork.

In summary, this seemed to be a poor game on our part- defensively lacking cohesion, failure to control the middle and hence hold the ball. It was a pathetic result for us, but definitely a game our opponents deserved to win. Morally defeated, and physically, we could have done more to win the game. But again, being 1st time participants in the Agape Cup, it was a great learning experience on how we need to maintain the right attitude/mentality over the course of 90 minutes and improve from here. The next game against The Hiding Place will be another good challenge for us. Final score:

Faith Methodist Church 5

Pentecost Methodist Church 0

- Reported by: Mark Leong

Upcoming National Team matches...

Here's some information on the upcoming matches that our National Team will be playing...yes, still at the 'supposed to be already torn down' National Stadium. If there's enough interest from the Community, we can organise the purchase of tickets (early bird cheaper!!!) so that we can go together as a group. All matches kick-off at 730pm.

(1) International Friendly
Singapore vs Bahrain
Wednesday 28 May 2008

Grandstand $10.00
Gallery Adult $6.00
Gallery Student $2.00 (applicable to only Secondary / ITE /Junior College)

(2) 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Singapore vs Uzbekistan
Monday 02 June 2008

(3) 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Singapore vs Saudi Arabia
Saturday 14 June 2008

Early bird sale !!!
Gallery Adult $6.00
Gallery Student $2.00 (applicable to only Secondary / ITE /Junior College)

On match day
Gallery Adult $8.00
Gallery Student $3.00 (applicable to only Secondary / ITE /Junior College)

Responses will be collated through comments left on this blog ONLY so that everyone can see how big the interested group is (as I often get asked 'who's going' or 'how many people ah'). So if you are interested, leave a comment on this post with your name to say how many tickets you want for which match and the breakdown of student or adult tickets.

Soccer Fellowship Report [17th May]

Soccer Fellowship for Saturday 17^th May 08 started off with devotion being led by Kevin. The topic was on being courageous to stretch ourselves beyond and also to try new things in order to improve and learn from that experience.

The game which started soon after the devotion saw the 21 players who turned up divided into two teams of 11 for Blues and 10 for Whites. Good inspirational play can be said to be seen this particular day with individual brilliance shown from regulars like Damien, Jing Zhong and Daniel. Not to be outdone, fellow Soccer Community members like Mitchell, Choon Heng, Bang Shi, Raymond and Samuel Eyo made playing on this day of Soccer Fellowship really challenging. With the Champions League finals round the corner, it seems everyone is in into the act.

The match proper started fast and furious with goals on either end culminating in 2 goals for the Blues and 4 goals for the Whites ending the first half. The half-time break brought welcome relief to all the tired legs which has been running non-stop from the word go. Friendly exchanges of how one defender was not able to catch up with an opposing striker, how a brilliant save was made by the keeper and also funnily, how a kick from one end of a goal mouth was scored at the other end (thanks Choon Heng!) provided plenty of laughs and merriment for all.

The second half started much the same as the first with the difference of the scoring now on the Blues side. The Blue’s Damien added four in this half to end up the highest scorer of the day. Slowly, the heat and hard surface of the field took its toll on the players and though many of the players played till the end, a few were sidelined nursing sore feet and leg cramps. Overall, the match provided all the players with a chance to fine-tune their own individual play. And also for those playing at the Agape Cup, to bring this piece of brilliance to be played against their opponent Faith Methodist Church this Sunday. Final Score:

BLUES 8

[Scorers- Damien (5), Mitchell, Kevin & Jeremy (O.G.)]

WHITES 5
[Scorers- Jingzhong (2), Jeremy Sin, Joel & Glenn]

- Reported by: Glenn See Toh

Photos from Sat's Fellowship [17th May]

Hi everyone, here are 2 photos captured last Saturday after Soccer Fellowship. You can see the effects of the well-contested match on the players but everyone had fun! Stay tuned for the match report that will be posted later in the week. God Bless...

Jeremy, Choon Heng, Teck Hui, Justin & Daniel

Michael, Bangshi, 'Calendar Boy' Samuel & Jeremy Sin

Calendar & Links Updated!

The calendar of events for May & June 2008 has been updated, so do take note of the dates for Soccer Fellowship that are coming up. Also, a links list on the Agape Cup 2008 has been created so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest results, scorers and league table for the tournament.

More information on the Soccer Fellowship 'Special' on 31 May 2008 will be posted soon!

Agape Cup Match Report #3 [11th May]

It was Sunday 11th May when the PMC soccer team lined up for their third Agape Cup match against Church of Victory (CoV). With news that they had beaten our previous opponents, Cherith Baptist Church, we knew we were in for a tough fight.

Starting lineup: Jeremy Tan, Andy, James, Mark, Damien, Kevin, Kee Min, Bang Shi, Jing Zhong, Justin Ang and Glenn.

PMC started for the first time with a 4-4-2 formation without a traditional right-winger. In addition to this, PMC were denied the services of Bevan, Adrian and Sheldon due to absence and injury respectively. We welcomed back Bang Shi into the fold for his return from injury.

The match started with PMC seemingly gaining the upper hand due to their pace and youth. We took awhile to settled down and this was extremely evident when CoV rattled Jeremy Tan’s crossbar with a speculative shot that he thought was going to sail harmlessly over. That seemed to shock PMC into life and we started regular raids down our left flank; JZ and Damien combining well to give their fullback lots of trouble.

A breakthrough finally came in about the 30th minute. Nice interplay from JZ, KeeMin and Damien down the left resulted in a cross which the CoV defence failed to deal with. Bang Shi picked up the ball on the opposite flank and lofted it back in. Chaos in ensued in the CoV 6-yard box and Justin was on hand to poke the ball home.. One nil to PMC.

This goal boosted our morale and PMC then had a few more promising plays which however did not result in a goal. CoV did try to pull back but Andy was successful in shackling the advances of their most experienced player.

At half time, PMC made 2 changes; Ronnie on for Damien and Rusdyi on for Justin.

The second half started in the same vein, with CoV intent on getting back on level terms. However, Mark and James were in no mood to allow any of them through as they mounted a superb rearguard resistance which would last throughout the whole game.

Rusdyi’s introduction injected pace into our attack. This created more space and he had a string of promising moves and great chances before our second goal came. A cross from deep by Andy was headed on by Rusdyi. Glenn arrived late at the far post and headed it beyond the CoV ‘keeper and into the net. A deserved second goal for PMC which settled quite a few nerves!

After this goal, we began to play more free-flowing football and found more gaps in the CoV defence to exploit. Rusdyi finally scored with his third shot on target of the game. A JZ through-ball from the left found Rusdyi in the middle. He turned his marker, beat him for pace and finished with aplomb, tucking the ball into the bottom corner of the net. A third goal for PMC in.

The fourth goal came from a rather unexpected source. A CoV defender looked to have handled the ball off a cross from Ronnie and the referee pointed to the spot. Glenn stepped up and coverted it with a cool head.

With the win in the bag, PMC made a few more changes. Daniel Low was sent on for Glenn and Samuel Eyo for Ronnie. Daniel almost bagged a 5th goal for PMC when put clean through by JZ. However, his finish was saved by the CoV GK, who spread himself considerably well.

The final whistle came and PMC walked away with a deserved morale-boosting victory. More importantly, we came off without any further injuries and the game was played overall in good nature.

PMC 4

[Scorers- Justin, Glenn, Rusydi & Glenn (Pen)]

Church of Victory 0

- Reported by: Sheldon

Soccer Fellowship [17th May]

Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 17th May 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!

Soccer Fellowship Report [3rd May]

It was indeed very hot and sunny when everyone started strolling onto the East Spring Secondary School field at about 3pm in the afternoon. What looked like a potential downpour earlier did not materialise and the sun was indeed in 'baking' mode. Maurice started off with devotions, encouraging all of us to choose our words wisely, to encourage one another and build one another up instead of tearing each other down. This is especially so in our Soccer Community, where we want to learn to honour God and one another, both on and off the field.

After devotions, the 16 players were split into Whites and Blues for a 'warm-up' game using small posts until more players arrived. There was much ball movement and running from both teams with some enjoyable passes round the field. Maurice of the Blues tried to play himself into contention for a starting goalkeeping position by making an acrobatic diving save from Bryan. Not to be outdone, Bevan and Tim from the Blues stung the hands of White goalkeeper Kevin on a couple of occasions. No goals were scored despite a few chances for both teams and the game was adjourned to the big field when Jeremy and Joel arrived.

It was clear from the outset that the Blues possessed the skillful playmakers in the form of Ronnie, Bevan, Tim and Sheldon. In contrast, the Whites were dominated by the workhorses like James, Kee Min, Joel and Michael. It was an interesting contrast of styles that provided for an exciting match. On more than 1 occasion in the first half, the Blues created chances to put their team in front. Most of the time, the ball found its way to John on the right flank who put in a number of good crosses which were not converted by the strikers. Isaac also found himself with room on more than one occasion but the Whites defence and some good work by goalkeeper Joel, managed to keep it 0-0. It was only from a corner that the ball ricocheted off a number of players and found its way to an unmarked Isaac, who made no mistake by blasting the ball into the net to put the Blues 1-0 up. Not being daunted, the Whites tried to equalise with some good work on the left by Jingzhong, but no chances were converted. On one mazy run from defence, Kevin and Jingzhong worked the ball into a good position for Bryan to equalise but the awkward bounce of the ball resulted in a screwed shot wide of goal. Again, it was the Blues that seized the initiative. On one of many jinking runs from midfield, Tim drove through the Whites defence and fired in a stiff shot (that appeared to be going wide) which hit fellow team-mate Andrew square in the chest and flew into goal. It was 2-0, but Andrew was winded in the process and took a couple of minutes to recover- a small price to pay for getting oneself on the scoresheet! The Blues took their well-deserved 2-0 lead into the break.

Both teams emerged from the break with 1 less player each, with Isaac and James calling it a day after a half under the hot sun. The remaining players summed up all their stamina and strength to finish the match. It was the Blues that started the 2nd half brightly, with good runs from midfield and the wings although they failed to beat the Whites offside trap on more than one occasion. Not being outdone, the Whites tried to steer their side back into the match with Kee Min rallying the midfield together to string some good passes and to keep possession. On one good move, a crossfield ball from Jingzhong on the left found Justin Luo on the right who slipped the ball through to Samuel Eyo clean on goal. With only the keeper to beat, Samuel drove his shot well wide of the right hand post to keep the score at 2-0. The Whites continued to press hard for a goal and it finally came when the hardworking Joel found some space in the box to fire a stiff shot pass Maurice to bring the score to 2-1. Before long, Joel found himself in another similar position but could not convert. The last 5 minutes of the match swung the result completely in favour of the Blues when the trio of Tim, Bevan and Sheldon used their skills to break the offside trap of the Whites to full effect. The Blues' 3rd goal came when Sheldon was put clean through by Tim who made no mistake by firing pass Bryan in a one-on-one situation. Next, Tim put Bevan through who squared the ball nicely for Sheldon to fire home again. Final Score:

BLUES 4

[Scorers- Isaac, Andrew & Sheldon (2)]

WHITES 1
[Scorer- Joel]

Soccer Fellowship [3rd May]

Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 3rd May 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!