Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 4th April at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.
We will split the teams according to BLUE AND RED jerseys for this session, so please bring BOTH just in case we need to balance the teams out.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
*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.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Soccer Training Report [28th Mar]
Last Saturday, the Soccer Team had another good training session, primarily to prepare for the Agape Cup 2009. This time, attendance was better with 22 team members and 2 young boys (perhaps future team members?). I started with devotion, focusing on the proverb ‘The man who makes no mistakes does not normally make anything’, which encourages us not to fear making mistakes in the process of improving oneself, whether on or off the soccer field. Ronnie started training with some drills such as:
Both teams benefited from the training session, but work still needs to be done in the area of keeping possession and making every set-piece count.
- Dribbling
- Ball control (juggling)
- Passing on the ground (with a midfield pivot)
- Trapping high ball and passing
Both teams benefited from the training session, but work still needs to be done in the area of keeping possession and making every set-piece count.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Soccer Training [28th Mar]
Soccer Training is ON this Saturday, 28th March at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm and will be taken by our resident coach and Ronnie Liew. The first half of the session will be on soccer skills (especially working on the 1st touch) while the second half will feature game play.
Although this session is primarily for the PMC Soccer Team and those playing in this year's Agape Cup, all Community members are welcome to join in to improve their soccer skills and understanding of the game.
For team identification this week, please bring / wear BOTH a RED AND BLUE jersey.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
*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.
Although this session is primarily for the PMC Soccer Team and those playing in this year's Agape Cup, all Community members are welcome to join in to improve their soccer skills and understanding of the game.
For team identification this week, please bring / wear BOTH a RED AND BLUE jersey.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
*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.
Soccer Fellowship Report [21st Mar]
It was apparent that God answered the many prayers that were offered up during the week for fine weather. It was cool and dry and the conditions seemed to be perfect for soccer, with the East Spring field slightly rejuvenated since we were there last. About 22 players had turned up for Soccer Fellowship, with 2 of Choon Heng's friends joining for the 2nd time- Theodore and Yi Jun.
Before the start of the session, Kevin took the opportunity to capture 7 players from last week's Trinity Cup Fiesta team with the silverware they brought back.
Standing: John, Maurice, Damian & Ronnie
Squatting: Damien, David Sng & Darren
Our current trophy collection. Will we be adding more in 2009?
Kevin began with a time of devotion, sharing about the heart of concern a young man had for others, before he died in a tragic car accident. But even through that tragedy, he managed to save lives as he had pledged his organs for donation before his death. The devotion was based on Philippians 2 : 3 - 4, which states "Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
Play started 11 against 11 until just a few minutes into the match, James turned up to make it 12 to 11, before Joel also arrived to even it out at 12 - 12. Both teams looked strong and balanced on paper, with the Darks led by Ronnie and the Brights, Maurice. The Brights started with more control and tried to move the ball around, whereas the Darks used the speed of Damien and Damian on fast counter-attacks to threaten. Good defending by David Teong and Maurice kept the Darks at bay. On the opposite end of the field, Ronnie started off in defence and marshalled the Darks well with Jeremy Sin at his side. The ball moved back and forth up and down the park for considerable minutes until from a Brights corner, the ball was not sufficiently cleared and it fell nicely to Theodore who made no mistake- placing the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Darks' keeper Yuen Wai had no chance. From the re-start the Darks tried to pull one back, but in trying to do so, left gaps in midfield, which the Brights exploited- this time it was Yi Jun's turn to score. Before long, it was 3-0, Kevin crossing for Jingzhong to place the ball pass the keeper. It looked like a Bright tide, until Damien sent one of his left-foot specials into the top corner of the net to make it 3-1. And again, he was in the right place at the right time to pull it back to 3-2. This was before Jingzhong again found the net, afterwhich Ronnie sent a belter from outside the box to make it 4-3 at the half.
In the 2nd half, it seemed like the flood of goals continued. Play was very open and this led to many opportunities for scoring and excitement. Among the notable highlights:
As a true testimony to God's hand in blessing us with fine weather, the skies opened just as we were leaving the field, cooling us down. John closed in prayer, thanking God for his provision of fine weather and injury-free Soccer Fellowship.
--> Reported by Kevin Ang
Before the start of the session, Kevin took the opportunity to capture 7 players from last week's Trinity Cup Fiesta team with the silverware they brought back.
Standing: John, Maurice, Damian & RonnieSquatting: Damien, David Sng & Darren
Our current trophy collection. Will we be adding more in 2009?Kevin began with a time of devotion, sharing about the heart of concern a young man had for others, before he died in a tragic car accident. But even through that tragedy, he managed to save lives as he had pledged his organs for donation before his death. The devotion was based on Philippians 2 : 3 - 4, which states "Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
Play started 11 against 11 until just a few minutes into the match, James turned up to make it 12 to 11, before Joel also arrived to even it out at 12 - 12. Both teams looked strong and balanced on paper, with the Darks led by Ronnie and the Brights, Maurice. The Brights started with more control and tried to move the ball around, whereas the Darks used the speed of Damien and Damian on fast counter-attacks to threaten. Good defending by David Teong and Maurice kept the Darks at bay. On the opposite end of the field, Ronnie started off in defence and marshalled the Darks well with Jeremy Sin at his side. The ball moved back and forth up and down the park for considerable minutes until from a Brights corner, the ball was not sufficiently cleared and it fell nicely to Theodore who made no mistake- placing the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Darks' keeper Yuen Wai had no chance. From the re-start the Darks tried to pull one back, but in trying to do so, left gaps in midfield, which the Brights exploited- this time it was Yi Jun's turn to score. Before long, it was 3-0, Kevin crossing for Jingzhong to place the ball pass the keeper. It looked like a Bright tide, until Damien sent one of his left-foot specials into the top corner of the net to make it 3-1. And again, he was in the right place at the right time to pull it back to 3-2. This was before Jingzhong again found the net, afterwhich Ronnie sent a belter from outside the box to make it 4-3 at the half.
In the 2nd half, it seemed like the flood of goals continued. Play was very open and this led to many opportunities for scoring and excitement. Among the notable highlights:
- Ronnie being denied a hat-trick by a back-paddling save from David Teong
- 2 goals from Justin
- Damien completing his hat-trick
As a true testimony to God's hand in blessing us with fine weather, the skies opened just as we were leaving the field, cooling us down. John closed in prayer, thanking God for his provision of fine weather and injury-free Soccer Fellowship.
--> Reported by Kevin Ang
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Soccer Fellowship [21st Mar]
Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 21st March at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.
We will continue to split the teams according to DARK jerseys (dark grey, black, navy blue and dark green) and BRIGHT jerseys (white, yellow, light blue, red, orange). Please bring / wear BOTH a DARK AND BRIGHT jersey just in case we need to balance the teams out.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
*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.
We will continue to split the teams according to DARK jerseys (dark grey, black, navy blue and dark green) and BRIGHT jerseys (white, yellow, light blue, red, orange). Please bring / wear BOTH a DARK AND BRIGHT jersey just in case we need to balance the teams out.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
*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.
Trinity Cup Fiesta Report [15th Mar]
The PMC Soccer Team's quest to garner an unprecedented 5 trophies in 1 season (sounds familiar?) began on the afternoon of 15th March at the Trinity Cup Fiesta 2009, organised by Trinity Christian Centre.
The 18 players who signed up eagerly anticipated a good run-out, and the debut of our spanking new jerseys, co-sponsored by Comwerks Interactive. However, what seemed like a promising sunny day turned gloomy in the afternoon, with dark clouds all around. As players arrived at The Hiding Place, the rain started pouring and seemed like it would not stop quickly. Waiting gloomily for the rain to stop, some players started kitting up and warming up as the rain let up after an hour or so.
Eager players kitting up to take the field
While getting used to the waterlogged pitch, we found that ground passes were not very effective, with the ball rarely rolling more than 2 meters. It was really something that the team needed to get used to as the unpredictable bounce and movement of the ball was surely going to throw up interesting twists and turns during matches.
Starting the 1st group game of the tournament, PMC looked to win it as our opponents were 'apparently' a weaker side in the group. Both teams shared possession of the ball and the game was largely dominant in the midfield area with many interceptions and tackles flying in. PMC looked strong on the flanks as Trinity Veterans seemed to have a more central style to their play. While defending a corner, the referee stopped play and awarded Trinity Veterans a penalty, and claimed that it was because one of our players was pushing in the box. It was an inconceivable decision! Infuriated by the poor decision, Mike was sent the wrong way by the penalty taker, but the taker sent his grounder wide of the right-hand post and out for a goal kick- Justice was served. That jolted PMC into action, and some nice play allowed Damian Chee to find space on the right but his shot was high and wide. Suddenly, a quick play down Trinity Veteran's right flank saw them take the lead 1-0 win. The long ball was not cleared and allowed to be squared in the box for a simple tap in. With little time to respond, we succumbed to our 1st defeat of the tournament.
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The waterlogged pitch during the 1st game. It was still gloomy!
Our 2nd match was against TCC who were more youthful than the Veterans. The game started with a more solid formation, 4-4-2 with a strong midfield and defence. This game was faster paced and PMC was constantly on the backfoot, defending foraging runs from the TCC players. Our defence was pretty solid with many good tackles and clearances from the back but soon TCC broke the deadlock with a well placed shot. Our response to their 1st goal was good, with more attacking and even getting a few shots on, some hitting the target. TCC were organised in their play and clearly had been playing together alot. They got us on the break and countered for a second goal to cement their win.
Our third and final match in the group stage was against the Language Team consisting of TCC's foreign players who attacked with more flair. They were more adventurous in their play with many tricks up their sleeve. Both teams had long spells of possession and the Language Team had many plays on either flank. They played to their strengths as they had speedy wingers. The defence was again, solid at the back, but were powerless to stop a strong, dipping shot from outside the box, as we lost the third match narrowly 1-0.
Thinking that we were done after losing 3 matches, some of our players left The Hiding Place, leaving only 9 players for the 2 PLATE matches that followed. In true sportsmanship, our opponents graciously fielded 9 players as well for each of these 2 matches.
Our 1st match was against IGNYTE in yellow jerseys – we won 1-0 . A corner kick on the right sent the ball touching a few players very near the goal post before finally reaching David Sng who pushed in the only goal of the match (and our only goal of the tournament for him to be our top scorer!)
The Plate final was a repeat of our 1st group game, Trinity Veterans and again we lost 1 - 0 . A long ball by their defender in the middle of the field found their left winger, who then forcefully hammered in the only goal from 25m out.
Neither disappointed nor discouraged, we take this as another step in our learning journey of competitive soccer. To our surprise, our quest for 5 trophies this season is still alive, as Ronnie went forward to receive the Plate runners-up prize - a Silver Cup. Praise God!
The entire event finished at around 7pm and despite the gloomy weather, waterlogged and muddy pitch the guys played as a team and gave off their best. Gaining much experience from this competition, we will improve and be back at The Hiding Place for the Agape Cup. The Best is Yet to Be!
PMC Team for Trinity Cup Fiesta 2009:
1. Michael Chua 8. Jeremy Sin 12. John Chia 15. Jonathan Goh 18. Raymond Chang 20. Damien Chua 21. Samuel Pang 22. Joel Tan 25. David Lim 26. Maurice Lim 27. Lee Kee Min 28. Ronnie Liew 66. David Sng 79. Damian Chee 98. Darren Tan
The 18 players who signed up eagerly anticipated a good run-out, and the debut of our spanking new jerseys, co-sponsored by Comwerks Interactive. However, what seemed like a promising sunny day turned gloomy in the afternoon, with dark clouds all around. As players arrived at The Hiding Place, the rain started pouring and seemed like it would not stop quickly. Waiting gloomily for the rain to stop, some players started kitting up and warming up as the rain let up after an hour or so.
Eager players kitting up to take the fieldWhile getting used to the waterlogged pitch, we found that ground passes were not very effective, with the ball rarely rolling more than 2 meters. It was really something that the team needed to get used to as the unpredictable bounce and movement of the ball was surely going to throw up interesting twists and turns during matches.
Starting the 1st group game of the tournament, PMC looked to win it as our opponents were 'apparently' a weaker side in the group. Both teams shared possession of the ball and the game was largely dominant in the midfield area with many interceptions and tackles flying in. PMC looked strong on the flanks as Trinity Veterans seemed to have a more central style to their play. While defending a corner, the referee stopped play and awarded Trinity Veterans a penalty, and claimed that it was because one of our players was pushing in the box. It was an inconceivable decision! Infuriated by the poor decision, Mike was sent the wrong way by the penalty taker, but the taker sent his grounder wide of the right-hand post and out for a goal kick- Justice was served. That jolted PMC into action, and some nice play allowed Damian Chee to find space on the right but his shot was high and wide. Suddenly, a quick play down Trinity Veteran's right flank saw them take the lead 1-0 win. The long ball was not cleared and allowed to be squared in the box for a simple tap in. With little time to respond, we succumbed to our 1st defeat of the tournament.
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The waterlogged pitch during the 1st game. It was still gloomy!Our 2nd match was against TCC who were more youthful than the Veterans. The game started with a more solid formation, 4-4-2 with a strong midfield and defence. This game was faster paced and PMC was constantly on the backfoot, defending foraging runs from the TCC players. Our defence was pretty solid with many good tackles and clearances from the back but soon TCC broke the deadlock with a well placed shot. Our response to their 1st goal was good, with more attacking and even getting a few shots on, some hitting the target. TCC were organised in their play and clearly had been playing together alot. They got us on the break and countered for a second goal to cement their win.
Our third and final match in the group stage was against the Language Team consisting of TCC's foreign players who attacked with more flair. They were more adventurous in their play with many tricks up their sleeve. Both teams had long spells of possession and the Language Team had many plays on either flank. They played to their strengths as they had speedy wingers. The defence was again, solid at the back, but were powerless to stop a strong, dipping shot from outside the box, as we lost the third match narrowly 1-0.
Thinking that we were done after losing 3 matches, some of our players left The Hiding Place, leaving only 9 players for the 2 PLATE matches that followed. In true sportsmanship, our opponents graciously fielded 9 players as well for each of these 2 matches.
Our 1st match was against IGNYTE in yellow jerseys – we won 1-0 . A corner kick on the right sent the ball touching a few players very near the goal post before finally reaching David Sng who pushed in the only goal of the match (and our only goal of the tournament for him to be our top scorer!)
The Plate final was a repeat of our 1st group game, Trinity Veterans and again we lost 1 - 0 . A long ball by their defender in the middle of the field found their left winger, who then forcefully hammered in the only goal from 25m out.
Neither disappointed nor discouraged, we take this as another step in our learning journey of competitive soccer. To our surprise, our quest for 5 trophies this season is still alive, as Ronnie went forward to receive the Plate runners-up prize - a Silver Cup. Praise God!
The entire event finished at around 7pm and despite the gloomy weather, waterlogged and muddy pitch the guys played as a team and gave off their best. Gaining much experience from this competition, we will improve and be back at The Hiding Place for the Agape Cup. The Best is Yet to Be!
PMC Team for Trinity Cup Fiesta 2009:
1. Michael Chua 8. Jeremy Sin 12. John Chia 15. Jonathan Goh 18. Raymond Chang 20. Damien Chua 21. Samuel Pang 22. Joel Tan 25. David Lim 26. Maurice Lim 27. Lee Kee Min 28. Ronnie Liew 66. David Sng 79. Damian Chee 98. Darren Tan
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Soccer Fellowship Report [7th Mar]
Soccer Fellowship shifted to Pasir Ris Crest Secondary on this day as all the other school fields in the Tampines/Pasir Ris vicinity were fully booked. The weather looked fine from the morning and many must have eagerly anticipated a good kick-about as a record crowd of 36 players turned up. Out of nowhere, the sky darkened and rain looked imminent. Kevin shared about the need to know Christ, so as to be able to draw strength and nourishment from Him when we are spiritually dry, as no other source can satisfy us spiritually apart from Him.
After the opening prayer, players started taking to the field but even before the ball was kicked, the rain started to fall and lightning was clearly in the vicinity. All the players begrudingly trudged off the field to wait it out, but some decided to call it a day and went home.
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Lots and lots of rain + lightning
All smiles despite the 'rain out'
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Using the 'rain out' to catch up'
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Rusydi gets a chance to parade his new haircut
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"Rain, please stop..."
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"Yes, please stop..."
Keeping occupied during the 'rain out'
After the opening prayer, players started taking to the field but even before the ball was kicked, the rain started to fall and lightning was clearly in the vicinity. All the players begrudingly trudged off the field to wait it out, but some decided to call it a day and went home.
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Lots and lots of rain + lightning
All smiles despite the 'rain out'.jpg)
Using the 'rain out' to catch up'.jpg)
Rusydi gets a chance to parade his new haircut.jpg)
"Rain, please stop...".jpg)
"Yes, please stop..."Keeping occupied during the 'rain out'
Well, the rain finally did stop at about 4pm and all the 30 players took the field for kick off. It was Whites against Colours and everyone found that the field had not logged any water at all. This made it extremely playable even with the ball on the ground. The Colours took control of the match rather quickly with the midfield combo of Damien, Kee Min, Samuel Pang and Ronnie. And it was Ronnie who scored the first goal of the match, taking control of the ball in midfield and letting fly with his left boot. The ball curled and found its way into the top corner of the net, with Whites keeper Bevan unable to do anything about it. The Whites tried to get back into the match immediately, but could not find their way pass the packed defence. Colours keeper Kevin had little to do and soon swapped placed with Yuen Wai to get some outfield action. Before long Damien grabbed 2 quick goals to bring the score to 3 - 0 to the Colours. It was then that the Whites started to claw their way back into the match. First, a counter down the right saw a White player unleash an unstoppable drive into the Colours goal. Then, when the Colours were unable to clear from a corner, a stiff drive deflected off the boot of Kevin into the bottom corner of the net. With the game at 3 - 2 to the Colours, it was still all to play for. Things weren't looking good for the Colours, especially with Ronnie, Adrian and Raymond departing. It was only when Rusydi and Marcus joined the Colours from the Whites (to balance the numbers) that the match went Colours way again. A penalty, a goal from Samuel Pang and a goal from Darren with the final kick of the game sealed the game for the Colours at 6 - 2.
John closed in prayer, thanking God for all His blessings, and allowing us to have a wonderful game of soccer despite looked like a complete washout just an hour earlier. Indeed, we praise Him for His goodness.
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Post-soccer feet. Guess whose?
John closed in prayer, thanking God for all His blessings, and allowing us to have a wonderful game of soccer despite looked like a complete washout just an hour earlier. Indeed, we praise Him for His goodness.
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Post-soccer feet. Guess whose?Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Soccer Fellowship [7th Mar]
Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 7th March at Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.
We are using this school for the 1st time as all the other fields in the East have been booked. The address of the school is 11 Pasir Ris Street 41 and you can view it on the map here. The entrance to the field is actually along Pasir Ris Drive 4, at the bus stop where number 17 and 358 will stop at if you are catching the buses from Pasir Ris bus interchange. If you are driving, there is a multi-storey car park just next to the field at Block 458A. It is just after an SPC petrol station.
We will continue to split the teams according to DARK jerseys (dark grey, black, navy blue and dark green) and BRIGHT jerseys (white, yellow, light blue, red, orange). Please bring / wear BOTH a DARK AND BRIGHT jersey just in case we need to balance the teams out.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
We are using this school for the 1st time as all the other fields in the East have been booked. The address of the school is 11 Pasir Ris Street 41 and you can view it on the map here. The entrance to the field is actually along Pasir Ris Drive 4, at the bus stop where number 17 and 358 will stop at if you are catching the buses from Pasir Ris bus interchange. If you are driving, there is a multi-storey car park just next to the field at Block 458A. It is just after an SPC petrol station.
We will continue to split the teams according to DARK jerseys (dark grey, black, navy blue and dark green) and BRIGHT jerseys (white, yellow, light blue, red, orange). Please bring / wear BOTH a DARK AND BRIGHT jersey just in case we need to balance the teams out.
See you on Saturday and please pray for good weather!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Trinity Cup Fiesta 2009 [15th Mar]
Registration is now open for all Soccer Team members interested to participate in Trinity Christian Centre's Trinity Cup Fiesta 2009. It will be a similar format of play as our annual MWS Tournament (round robin, then knock-out) but involving 11-a-side teams. The details are as follows:
Date: 15 March 2009, Sunday
Time: 230 - 630 pm
Venue: The Hiding Place (Jalan Kayu)
Players per team: 20
All interested Soccer Team members, please register as a comment on this blog post with your name clearly stated. Thank you.
Date: 15 March 2009, Sunday
Time: 230 - 630 pm
Venue: The Hiding Place (Jalan Kayu)
Players per team: 20
All interested Soccer Team members, please register as a comment on this blog post with your name clearly stated. Thank you.
Friendly Match with WMC Report [28th Feb]
More than 22 players signed up for the friendly with Wesley Methodist Church on 28th Feb, obviously eager to get a good run-out and grab the first win for PMC this year. Of incentive to some was definitely the new kit that would be distributed on match day and worn for the 1st time against WMC.
Mark: Wah, new kit & new boots...I'm all ready to go!
Daniel: I'm glad AIG didn't sponsor the PMC jerseys this year...
Samuel: I got new boots too!
The skies opened about half an hour before the friendly and this certainly watered the ground, making it softer but also more slippery. Nonetheless, we thank God for the showers of blessing that made it nice and cool during the match.
Most of the PMC players turned up on time and some were wondering what happened to the opposition when only 4 WMC players turned up even though it was already 315pm. Apparently, there was some miscommunication within the WMC ranks and they had to request for 8 of our players to join their team for the friendly. Being generous (and wanting to allow more playing time for our players), Ronnie managed the player distribution and before long, the match got under way.
It was clear that it would take some time for the WMC team to gel as they inherited a large number of PMC players. PMC decided to take charge of the match by playing aggressively and using the 4-3-3 formation to good effect, with Jingzhong and Damian Chee creating opportunities down the flanks for Maurice up front and Bevan, Derrick and Kevin controlling the middle of the park. Mark marshalled the defence of Daniel, James and Marcus, leaving Michael with relatively little to do during the early exchanges. It wasn't long before PMC scored the 1st goal. A slick move saw Kevin release Jingzhong down the left and his dangerous floated cross bounced off the cross bar and landed in the path of Damian, who made no mistake, smashing the ball into the net to mark his 1st start for PMC with a goal. Before long, it was 2-0. This time, the roles were reversed when Damian sent in a dangerous cross on one of his jinking runs. The WMC keeper could not rush out in time to claim the ball, leaving Jingzhong to lob the ball into an empty net. WMC tried to get back into the match through some industrious play from Kee Min and Samuel Pang, but to no avail. PMC also pressed on for more goals but poor final balls and lack of composure led to no further goals. The 1st half finished 2-0 with PMC dominating the match.
The 2nd half started with a couple more seasoned WMC players arriving. Their presence clearly gave the WMC team a lift as their fresh legs and experience started to probe the PMC defence on a number of occasions. Also, with some positional changes and substitutions, the PMC team was still finding its shape and footing. As WMC pressed forward, PMC started to give away more fouls, and on one such occasion, a direct free-kick was awareded in a dangerous area. As the WMC player struck the ball, the PMC wall broke, allowing the ball to find its way through to goal, and creep into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, with bewildered looks exchanged by the PMC players. A commanding performance in the 1st half gave way to haphazard play from PMC in the 2nd, with little control in midfield and the team split into forwards and defenders. It was no surprise that PMC was caught out again fairly soon. This time, a run down PMC's left flank was not sufficiently halted. Even though PMC's right back Yuen Wai managed to keep up with the WMC winger, resulting in only a seemingly weak cross being delivered into the box, the ball was misjudged by Michael, and he allowed it to roll across the face of the goal for Samuel Pang to tap into the empty net. With the match poised at 2-2, it was anybody's match but the momentum was certainly in favour of WMC. It took another deadball situation to break the deadlock. This time, it was PMC's turn to seize the golden opportunity. Bevan's freekick came off the head of a WMC player and found its way to David Lim, who made no mistake from 2 yards out. Another debutant had made a scoring appearance. PMC's 3rd goal galvanised the team to push forward more and press WMC.
Before long, the 1st controversial incident arose. The referee awarded PMC a freekick when the WMC keeper held on to the ball for more than 6 seconds. The indirect freekick was given in the box, and some quick thinking led to Bevan feeding Joel for the tap in even before WMC was ready. The referee awarded the goal and the ball was brought back to the centre circle for kickoff. All the PMC players assumed that we were ahead 4-2. However, amidst furious protests by the WMC players, the referee decided to rescind the goal and have the freekick re-taken. It was an unbelievable about-turn decision by the referee, which would lead to PMC being denied a victory. From the re-taken freekick, the ball was cleared high and long and the lone WMC forward was able to control the ball, beat Mark and Michael to pass the ball into the net. From what was supposed to be a 4-2 lead to PMC, the score was became 3-3. The 2nd controversial incident soon followed with both teams trying to press for the winning goal. Before a WMC corner was taken, Derrick appeared to have been struck by a stray elbow from a WMC player, who decided to jaunt and taunt the PMC players before being substituted. The referee stopped play to make sure Derrick was fine. When play resumed, there was little time for either team to get the winning goal and the match ended 3-3.
Maurice closed both teams in prayer, thanking God for the opportunity to play the friendly and for the fine weather.
The PMC de-brief focused on the fact that most PMC players put in good effort and gave a good account of themselves. However, certain areas of play still needed to be worked on (e.g. defending as a team and not allowing high balls to bounce). Recollecting Coach Ronnie's words, when PMC players improve as individuals, the team as a whole would also improve. The friendly was thus another opportunity to gain experience and be mindful of the need to protect a 2-goal lead through better tactics and team work.
Mark: Wah, new kit & new boots...I'm all ready to go!Daniel: I'm glad AIG didn't sponsor the PMC jerseys this year...
Samuel: I got new boots too!The skies opened about half an hour before the friendly and this certainly watered the ground, making it softer but also more slippery. Nonetheless, we thank God for the showers of blessing that made it nice and cool during the match.
Most of the PMC players turned up on time and some were wondering what happened to the opposition when only 4 WMC players turned up even though it was already 315pm. Apparently, there was some miscommunication within the WMC ranks and they had to request for 8 of our players to join their team for the friendly. Being generous (and wanting to allow more playing time for our players), Ronnie managed the player distribution and before long, the match got under way.
It was clear that it would take some time for the WMC team to gel as they inherited a large number of PMC players. PMC decided to take charge of the match by playing aggressively and using the 4-3-3 formation to good effect, with Jingzhong and Damian Chee creating opportunities down the flanks for Maurice up front and Bevan, Derrick and Kevin controlling the middle of the park. Mark marshalled the defence of Daniel, James and Marcus, leaving Michael with relatively little to do during the early exchanges. It wasn't long before PMC scored the 1st goal. A slick move saw Kevin release Jingzhong down the left and his dangerous floated cross bounced off the cross bar and landed in the path of Damian, who made no mistake, smashing the ball into the net to mark his 1st start for PMC with a goal. Before long, it was 2-0. This time, the roles were reversed when Damian sent in a dangerous cross on one of his jinking runs. The WMC keeper could not rush out in time to claim the ball, leaving Jingzhong to lob the ball into an empty net. WMC tried to get back into the match through some industrious play from Kee Min and Samuel Pang, but to no avail. PMC also pressed on for more goals but poor final balls and lack of composure led to no further goals. The 1st half finished 2-0 with PMC dominating the match.
The 2nd half started with a couple more seasoned WMC players arriving. Their presence clearly gave the WMC team a lift as their fresh legs and experience started to probe the PMC defence on a number of occasions. Also, with some positional changes and substitutions, the PMC team was still finding its shape and footing. As WMC pressed forward, PMC started to give away more fouls, and on one such occasion, a direct free-kick was awareded in a dangerous area. As the WMC player struck the ball, the PMC wall broke, allowing the ball to find its way through to goal, and creep into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, with bewildered looks exchanged by the PMC players. A commanding performance in the 1st half gave way to haphazard play from PMC in the 2nd, with little control in midfield and the team split into forwards and defenders. It was no surprise that PMC was caught out again fairly soon. This time, a run down PMC's left flank was not sufficiently halted. Even though PMC's right back Yuen Wai managed to keep up with the WMC winger, resulting in only a seemingly weak cross being delivered into the box, the ball was misjudged by Michael, and he allowed it to roll across the face of the goal for Samuel Pang to tap into the empty net. With the match poised at 2-2, it was anybody's match but the momentum was certainly in favour of WMC. It took another deadball situation to break the deadlock. This time, it was PMC's turn to seize the golden opportunity. Bevan's freekick came off the head of a WMC player and found its way to David Lim, who made no mistake from 2 yards out. Another debutant had made a scoring appearance. PMC's 3rd goal galvanised the team to push forward more and press WMC.
Before long, the 1st controversial incident arose. The referee awarded PMC a freekick when the WMC keeper held on to the ball for more than 6 seconds. The indirect freekick was given in the box, and some quick thinking led to Bevan feeding Joel for the tap in even before WMC was ready. The referee awarded the goal and the ball was brought back to the centre circle for kickoff. All the PMC players assumed that we were ahead 4-2. However, amidst furious protests by the WMC players, the referee decided to rescind the goal and have the freekick re-taken. It was an unbelievable about-turn decision by the referee, which would lead to PMC being denied a victory. From the re-taken freekick, the ball was cleared high and long and the lone WMC forward was able to control the ball, beat Mark and Michael to pass the ball into the net. From what was supposed to be a 4-2 lead to PMC, the score was became 3-3. The 2nd controversial incident soon followed with both teams trying to press for the winning goal. Before a WMC corner was taken, Derrick appeared to have been struck by a stray elbow from a WMC player, who decided to jaunt and taunt the PMC players before being substituted. The referee stopped play to make sure Derrick was fine. When play resumed, there was little time for either team to get the winning goal and the match ended 3-3.
Maurice closed both teams in prayer, thanking God for the opportunity to play the friendly and for the fine weather.
The PMC de-brief focused on the fact that most PMC players put in good effort and gave a good account of themselves. However, certain areas of play still needed to be worked on (e.g. defending as a team and not allowing high balls to bounce). Recollecting Coach Ronnie's words, when PMC players improve as individuals, the team as a whole would also improve. The friendly was thus another opportunity to gain experience and be mindful of the need to protect a 2-goal lead through better tactics and team work.
Pentecost Methodist Church 3
(Damian Chee, Choo Jingzhong & David Lim)
Wesley Methodist Church 3
(Damian Chee, Choo Jingzhong & David Lim)
Wesley Methodist Church 3
Reported by: Kevin Ang
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