Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 1st August at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.
We will split the teams according to DARK and BRIGHT 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, July 27, 2009
Agape Cup 2009 - Panthers Match #6 .vs. The Hiding Place [26th July]
The Panthers lined up to take on the home team, The Hiding Place, with small numbers, as been the case the last few games. With only 11 confirmed players, and Mark Leong nursing an injured heal, I had to appeal to Bevan at the last minute to come and play the 1st half (as he had to rush off and be at another match by 5pm) and thankful that he responded.
Arriving a tad bit late, I started off the opening session with singspiration, leading 'This is the Day', 'Celebrate Jesus Celebrate' and 'Jesus We Celebrate Your Victory'. Afterwhich, Panda Samuel Eyo shared his testimony. I was really encouraged by his sharing about how he found God in a real way later in his courtship years, even though prior to that, many Christian friends had talked to him about Jesus. Samuel also testified about God's grace and goodness over the last few years, especially during the time when he was expecting his twins (1 boy and 1 girl) in 2007. He recalled how a scan had shown that the twins would likely be suffering from Down's Syndrome and an abortion was on the cards. However, after much prayer and support from his PMC Life Group, Samuel and his wife Peggy decided to trust God in blessing them with twins and carried the children to full term. They were delivered safely, had no signs (and still don't) of Down's Syndrome and are now happy, cheerful 2-year-olds that you can see running around church every Sunday. We praise God for His faithfulness and grace in the life of the Eyo family and we pray that this will be an encouraging testimony for all who heard it.
The match kicked-off quickly after the opening session. There wasn't much discussion with the starting 11 picking itself. We stuck with our agreed 4-3-3 formation as follows:
The match started off with us on the back foot for much of the 1st 15min. Despite holding out for that period without conceding a goal, play was predominantly in our own half, characterised by The Hiding Place (HP) sending balls down the wings to their pacy wingers to deliver pinpoint crosses to their top scorer #9 and speedy attacker #25 that James and myself tried as best as possible to deal with. High balls were well dealt with, but the wingers cutting in from the sides were much more challenging. We did however, manage to cause a scare to HP when on a rare counter-attack, Timothy dribbled past 2 defenders and only had the GK to beat, but dragged his shot wide. HP started to take us more seriously and pressed on for their 1st goal. This was expected to come when a ball down our left wing saw the HP player turn Jimmy, who he inadvertently tripped in the box. The ref immediately pointed to the spot. However, I was confident that Felipe (still in fine form) would not be beaten! Indeed, the HP penalty taker placed his shot on the post and we kept up our record of not conceding from a penalty (3 out of 3) in this year's Agape Cup.
It was only a matter of time however, that the 1st HP goal arrived. Unfortunately, it was again due to us not keeping possession of the ball or giving it away cheaply. A loose ball on the left was not well-cleared, in fact, sending it towards our goal instead and to an opponent who rifled a stiff shot right into the roof of Felipe's net. It would seem that this would signal the opening of the 'flood gates' but this did not happen. Even a shot rifled high and fast was well saved by Felipe. This galvanised us to play better. With Marc Lim doing a 'Xabi Alonso' in the middle with support from Kee Min and Timothy beside him, we strung a few good plays to give Rusydi and Derrick a couple of half-chances to equalise. It was only from a corner that we conceded another before half-time. Tried as we did, the HP #25 eluded whoever was slated to mark him and his stooping angled-header darted into the left-hand corner of the net. Play was pretty even after that until the ref blew for half-time.
There was slight amounts of frustration at the interval, with some intense discussion on how best to play in the 2nd half and stop conceding 'silly goals'. From the observations of Mark Leong on the sidelines, we needed to be tighter in midfield and defence. The consensus was that we needed more men in midfield to prevent it from being overrun and so we re-positioned into a 4-4-2, with Mark Leong replacing Bevan at LB, Derrick and Rusydi upfront, with Marcus, Marc Lim, Timothy and Kee Min left to right in midfield.
2nd half play by the Panthers drastically improved. It was us who took the game to HP, pressuring them to get an equaliser. There were a number of half-chances again by Timothy and Derrick, with Kee Min active down the right wing. Marcus had some touches on the left, but the final ball was not finding our men in the box. On the defensive end, most of the high balls were repelled and we isolated their front men and wingers, resulting in half-chances. With this being the flow, our goal duly arrived when Derrick was fouled on the left edge of the HP penalty box and Rusydi stepped up to fire us back into the match with a curling, pacy free-kick. With confidence, we continued to surge forward to grab an equaliser. Another few chances fell our way, some saved by the GK while one notable attempt resulted in a goalmouth scramble but it also failed to produce a goal.
It was thus demoralising that it was again a corner that resulted in HP being able to put the match away. A HP player managed to wriggle free from his marker and he delivered a bullet header into the right-hand roof of the net to make it 3-1. We still continued to press for another goal, with more of the action on the right-hand side. In the process, Kee Min felt the full force of a crunching tackle on his shin, and after a cry of frustration, Derrick picked up a yellow card (his 2nd of the tournament leading to a 1-match suspension). It was only in the last few minutes of the match (when we were visibly tiring) that we conceded a soft 4th goal. Possession was lost on the left, allowing the HP winger to cut in and deliver a pinpoint cross to HP #9 to tap into an empty net (ala Dirk Kuyt to Fernando Torres in the Liverpool-Singapore match later that night). Our resistance ended when the ref blew the full-time whistle.
Personally, I thought there were many positives in the match, with the score certainly not being a true reflection of what we accomplished:
1. After 5 - 6 games together, I could see the midfield-forward players (Derrick, Rusydi, Kee Min, Marc Lim, Timothy), who had never played together before this tournament, starting to gel and understand one another better, stringing good passes and creating opportunities.
2. Felipe continues to show us what an excellent GK he is. Needing to be more commanding and quicker off his line aside, he pulled off at least 2 top-draw saves to showcase his reflexes.
3. We continued to give 100% effort despite being 2-0 down at half-time and tried to work together as a unit as much as possible.
Yes, there are aspects of the game that continue to plague us- poor use of the ball, giving it away cheaply and not being tight enough in midfield/defence. My hope is that we will continue to be mindful of these and continue to play hard and positive for our remaining 3 matches.
We will be down 2 players for our next match on 9 August, with both Derrick and Marc Lim suspended for picking up their 2nd yellow cards of the tournament. We will certainly miss them, but hope that those who step up to take their place will embrace the opportunity to benefit from more match practice.
Arriving a tad bit late, I started off the opening session with singspiration, leading 'This is the Day', 'Celebrate Jesus Celebrate' and 'Jesus We Celebrate Your Victory'. Afterwhich, Panda Samuel Eyo shared his testimony. I was really encouraged by his sharing about how he found God in a real way later in his courtship years, even though prior to that, many Christian friends had talked to him about Jesus. Samuel also testified about God's grace and goodness over the last few years, especially during the time when he was expecting his twins (1 boy and 1 girl) in 2007. He recalled how a scan had shown that the twins would likely be suffering from Down's Syndrome and an abortion was on the cards. However, after much prayer and support from his PMC Life Group, Samuel and his wife Peggy decided to trust God in blessing them with twins and carried the children to full term. They were delivered safely, had no signs (and still don't) of Down's Syndrome and are now happy, cheerful 2-year-olds that you can see running around church every Sunday. We praise God for His faithfulness and grace in the life of the Eyo family and we pray that this will be an encouraging testimony for all who heard it.
The match kicked-off quickly after the opening session. There wasn't much discussion with the starting 11 picking itself. We stuck with our agreed 4-3-3 formation as follows:
The match started off with us on the back foot for much of the 1st 15min. Despite holding out for that period without conceding a goal, play was predominantly in our own half, characterised by The Hiding Place (HP) sending balls down the wings to their pacy wingers to deliver pinpoint crosses to their top scorer #9 and speedy attacker #25 that James and myself tried as best as possible to deal with. High balls were well dealt with, but the wingers cutting in from the sides were much more challenging. We did however, manage to cause a scare to HP when on a rare counter-attack, Timothy dribbled past 2 defenders and only had the GK to beat, but dragged his shot wide. HP started to take us more seriously and pressed on for their 1st goal. This was expected to come when a ball down our left wing saw the HP player turn Jimmy, who he inadvertently tripped in the box. The ref immediately pointed to the spot. However, I was confident that Felipe (still in fine form) would not be beaten! Indeed, the HP penalty taker placed his shot on the post and we kept up our record of not conceding from a penalty (3 out of 3) in this year's Agape Cup.
It was only a matter of time however, that the 1st HP goal arrived. Unfortunately, it was again due to us not keeping possession of the ball or giving it away cheaply. A loose ball on the left was not well-cleared, in fact, sending it towards our goal instead and to an opponent who rifled a stiff shot right into the roof of Felipe's net. It would seem that this would signal the opening of the 'flood gates' but this did not happen. Even a shot rifled high and fast was well saved by Felipe. This galvanised us to play better. With Marc Lim doing a 'Xabi Alonso' in the middle with support from Kee Min and Timothy beside him, we strung a few good plays to give Rusydi and Derrick a couple of half-chances to equalise. It was only from a corner that we conceded another before half-time. Tried as we did, the HP #25 eluded whoever was slated to mark him and his stooping angled-header darted into the left-hand corner of the net. Play was pretty even after that until the ref blew for half-time.
There was slight amounts of frustration at the interval, with some intense discussion on how best to play in the 2nd half and stop conceding 'silly goals'. From the observations of Mark Leong on the sidelines, we needed to be tighter in midfield and defence. The consensus was that we needed more men in midfield to prevent it from being overrun and so we re-positioned into a 4-4-2, with Mark Leong replacing Bevan at LB, Derrick and Rusydi upfront, with Marcus, Marc Lim, Timothy and Kee Min left to right in midfield.
2nd half play by the Panthers drastically improved. It was us who took the game to HP, pressuring them to get an equaliser. There were a number of half-chances again by Timothy and Derrick, with Kee Min active down the right wing. Marcus had some touches on the left, but the final ball was not finding our men in the box. On the defensive end, most of the high balls were repelled and we isolated their front men and wingers, resulting in half-chances. With this being the flow, our goal duly arrived when Derrick was fouled on the left edge of the HP penalty box and Rusydi stepped up to fire us back into the match with a curling, pacy free-kick. With confidence, we continued to surge forward to grab an equaliser. Another few chances fell our way, some saved by the GK while one notable attempt resulted in a goalmouth scramble but it also failed to produce a goal.
It was thus demoralising that it was again a corner that resulted in HP being able to put the match away. A HP player managed to wriggle free from his marker and he delivered a bullet header into the right-hand roof of the net to make it 3-1. We still continued to press for another goal, with more of the action on the right-hand side. In the process, Kee Min felt the full force of a crunching tackle on his shin, and after a cry of frustration, Derrick picked up a yellow card (his 2nd of the tournament leading to a 1-match suspension). It was only in the last few minutes of the match (when we were visibly tiring) that we conceded a soft 4th goal. Possession was lost on the left, allowing the HP winger to cut in and deliver a pinpoint cross to HP #9 to tap into an empty net (ala Dirk Kuyt to Fernando Torres in the Liverpool-Singapore match later that night). Our resistance ended when the ref blew the full-time whistle.
Personally, I thought there were many positives in the match, with the score certainly not being a true reflection of what we accomplished:
1. After 5 - 6 games together, I could see the midfield-forward players (Derrick, Rusydi, Kee Min, Marc Lim, Timothy), who had never played together before this tournament, starting to gel and understand one another better, stringing good passes and creating opportunities.
2. Felipe continues to show us what an excellent GK he is. Needing to be more commanding and quicker off his line aside, he pulled off at least 2 top-draw saves to showcase his reflexes.
3. We continued to give 100% effort despite being 2-0 down at half-time and tried to work together as a unit as much as possible.
Yes, there are aspects of the game that continue to plague us- poor use of the ball, giving it away cheaply and not being tight enough in midfield/defence. My hope is that we will continue to be mindful of these and continue to play hard and positive for our remaining 3 matches.
We will be down 2 players for our next match on 9 August, with both Derrick and Marc Lim suspended for picking up their 2nd yellow cards of the tournament. We will certainly miss them, but hope that those who step up to take their place will embrace the opportunity to benefit from more match practice.
Soccer Fellowship Report [18th July]
The weather was fair and cool. We started later than usual because we had to wait for the arrival of....drum roll...... a soccer ball. Maurice began the fellowship session with a sharing on the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control), dwelling on the importance of cultivating the these qualities within us, with God working inside us. That was followed by an opening word of prayer for an enjoyable soccer fellowship. A total of about 12 of us turned up for this session, which included Timothy and Amos Boon. We played on a size about a third of the field with 2 benches as our goal targets (without goalkeepers) pitting the players in blues against other colours. Both sides played an enjoyable, albeit a little high-tempo, game. The other colours won 9-6 over the blues, with players like Jingzhong, Choon Heng, Timothy, Maurice and more scoring the goals for both sides.
Reported by Michael Chua with inputs from Maurice.
Reported by Michael Chua with inputs from Maurice.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Soccer Fellowship [18th July]
Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 18th July at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.
We will split the teams according to DARK and BRIGHT 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.
We will split the teams according to DARK and BRIGHT 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, July 13, 2009
Agape Cup 2009 - Pandas Match #6 .vs. HMC [12th July]
Pandas arrive at Hiding place with, once again, excatly 11 bamboo sticks to fight on the pitch. Weather could not be any better and the referee in the centre was once again a familiar face, especially to *cough*.. Our opponents HMC, at first glance looks more or less the same as the Pandas physically, lead the singspiration followed by a short testimony.
HMC kicked off the first half but loose passes gave the Pandas easy possesion. The opening 10 minutes saw the Pandas pegging HMC in their own half. A cross from the right by Daniel was knocked to Jingzhong and he scissored it beautifully into the top right corner. HMC, clearly woken up by that goal, start to play better and send their attack through the wings, but Pandas defence were able to limit them to just long shots outside the box. As the game goes on, poor control and passing by HMC forwards brought about their own internal conflict and shouting at 1 another can be heard. Towards the end of first half Pandas had afew more shots: a snapshot straight at the keeper from Sam and a header wide from Darren while HMC continue sending 'ballon crosses' from the right, threatening more on the left with their speedy winger against Daniel. No further goals came and referee called it halftime.
Score at HT: Pandas 1 HMC 0
Pandas kick off the 2nd half, playing the same as the first half while HMC brought on another fast centre-mid. Intensity was high the opening 10 minutes as HMC went in search for their equaliser. Play was quick, physical pushing everywhere and lunging tackles were flying at every 2nd ball as the referee was kept mouthed busy with all the blowing. In the space of 5 minutes Pandas saw 3 freekicks given to them at the edge of HMC penalty box, 1 of which Denial beautifully smashed it into the net. HMC were clearly frustrated being 2 goals down, and started to try and play down Pandas high morale with aggitating words and hard challenges. A scuffel involving Daniel and HMC left winger in which punches were involved, left the referee no chioce but to send both of them down the tunnel with 2 red cards. Play only resumed around 10 minutes later as both sides cooled down and reorganised. Striker Sam Eyo then covered Daniel's position at RB with only David alone upfront pressing. HMC clearly spotted the new weakness and send their attacks down Pandas right and 1 cross from HMC left saw HMC glanced a header into Michael's bottom right goal. With around 5 minutes or more still to play for, John was brought down as right back, and Sam into centre back along David and Maurice. Frustrations were still in HMC as they are being restricted to wild long shots. Finally referee blew the whistle and Pandas managed to cling on their precious 3 points.
FT: Pandas 2 HMC 1
Starting 11: Michael(GK), Daniel(RB), Maurice(CB), David(CB), Nigel(LB), Jeremy(DM), David(CM), Darren(CM), Jingzhong(LM), John(RM), Sam Eyo(ST)
HMC kicked off the first half but loose passes gave the Pandas easy possesion. The opening 10 minutes saw the Pandas pegging HMC in their own half. A cross from the right by Daniel was knocked to Jingzhong and he scissored it beautifully into the top right corner. HMC, clearly woken up by that goal, start to play better and send their attack through the wings, but Pandas defence were able to limit them to just long shots outside the box. As the game goes on, poor control and passing by HMC forwards brought about their own internal conflict and shouting at 1 another can be heard. Towards the end of first half Pandas had afew more shots: a snapshot straight at the keeper from Sam and a header wide from Darren while HMC continue sending 'ballon crosses' from the right, threatening more on the left with their speedy winger against Daniel. No further goals came and referee called it halftime.
Score at HT: Pandas 1 HMC 0
Pandas kick off the 2nd half, playing the same as the first half while HMC brought on another fast centre-mid. Intensity was high the opening 10 minutes as HMC went in search for their equaliser. Play was quick, physical pushing everywhere and lunging tackles were flying at every 2nd ball as the referee was kept mouthed busy with all the blowing. In the space of 5 minutes Pandas saw 3 freekicks given to them at the edge of HMC penalty box, 1 of which Denial beautifully smashed it into the net. HMC were clearly frustrated being 2 goals down, and started to try and play down Pandas high morale with aggitating words and hard challenges. A scuffel involving Daniel and HMC left winger in which punches were involved, left the referee no chioce but to send both of them down the tunnel with 2 red cards. Play only resumed around 10 minutes later as both sides cooled down and reorganised. Striker Sam Eyo then covered Daniel's position at RB with only David alone upfront pressing. HMC clearly spotted the new weakness and send their attacks down Pandas right and 1 cross from HMC left saw HMC glanced a header into Michael's bottom right goal. With around 5 minutes or more still to play for, John was brought down as right back, and Sam into centre back along David and Maurice. Frustrations were still in HMC as they are being restricted to wild long shots. Finally referee blew the whistle and Pandas managed to cling on their precious 3 points.
FT: Pandas 2 HMC 1
Starting 11: Michael(GK), Daniel(RB), Maurice(CB), David(CB), Nigel(LB), Jeremy(DM), David(CM), Darren(CM), Jingzhong(LM), John(RM), Sam Eyo(ST)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friendly Match (Panthers .vs. KKMC) Report [11th July]
It was a wonderful day for soccer. The usual 3pm heat was non-existent. Instead, it was cool and breezy. It was a tough task getting enough players for this friendly match. Originally intended to keep the Panthers on their toes during their 'off week' from the Agape Cup, insufficient participation and last minute withdrawals meant that the match had to be opened to the Pandas, as well as players from our 'original' opponents FIOFAFI. On match day, the mixed team comprised 8 Panthers, 2 Pandas (David Lim & John Chia) and 2 FIOFAFI players (John S & Tim C), making a total of 12.
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Players from the '3-in-1' team: John S (FIOFAFI), Mark (Panthers), John C & David (Pandas)
Joel & Jeremy joined us for the 1st time since enlistment
After a brief welcome to the players from Kampong Kapor Methodist Church (KKMC) and opening prayer by Kevin, Coach Ronnie briefed us on the formation and line-up for the match. With newcomers and the need to play in unfamiliar positions (e.g. John Chia and Joel in centre midfield), we lined up like this:
The 1st 15 mins of the game was entirely KKMC's. With much speed in their midfield and forward line, every ball played forward meant that we were chasing back to clear and protect the goal. It was fortunate that Felipe was not too troubled with whatever came his way and we managed to survive unscathed. The defensive quartet held firm and as best as possible, tried to play the ball to the midfield for them to build on offensively. Unfortunately, possession was not always well kept and the ball was usually lost after 2 to 3 passes. Marcus, Tim C and Rusydi were working hard up front to create chances but they were few and far between. A direct free-kick from Rusydi and an attempt by Tim C both found their way above the crossbar. On KKMC's part, their speedy attacks were either broken down on the wing, or ended by a stray pass. The half-time break was welcomed by both teams.
Coach Ronnie gave simple instructions to improve the team's performance in the 2nd half- #1: communicate more & #2: make better use of the ball. David Lim came on for John Chia and started on the right wing, with Rusydi dropping to right centre midfield in an attempt to control play better. The team started the 2nd half positively, mounting wave after wave of attack. Both Marcus and David had many touches of the ball on the wings, but support was lacking. Kee Min was running box-to-box in order to break up KKMC's play and support our attack. On our best chance to score from the right wing, a cross found its way to Kee Min but his effort was blocked by a defender. The rebound found its way to David who let fly a screamer but it cannoned off the right-hand post of the goal. The 2nd rebound fell to Marcus on the left but his effort from 6 yards out was too high.
KKMC kept their shape a bit better at this point and again used their speed to break into the Panthers' half. On 2 occasions, we came close to conceding. 1st, a stray backpass from John S to Kevin went straight to a KKMC player who only had Felipe to beat. Felipe again showed his quick flexes by denying KKMC their goal. On the next attack down our left, a KKMC player let fly from just inside the penalty box but his effort hit the right-hand post and back into play. It was clearly a case of missed chances by both teams. With fatigue starting to kick in, both teams focused on defending and holding out until the final whistle, which finally arrived.
The players trudged off the field, shaking hands in the process. There were no goals, but the match was played in good spirits. Benjamin from KKMC closed us in prayer and thanked us for hosting the friendly.
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Players from the '3-in-1' team: John S (FIOFAFI), Mark (Panthers), John C & David (Pandas)
Joel & Jeremy joined us for the 1st time since enlistmentAfter a brief welcome to the players from Kampong Kapor Methodist Church (KKMC) and opening prayer by Kevin, Coach Ronnie briefed us on the formation and line-up for the match. With newcomers and the need to play in unfamiliar positions (e.g. John Chia and Joel in centre midfield), we lined up like this:
The 1st 15 mins of the game was entirely KKMC's. With much speed in their midfield and forward line, every ball played forward meant that we were chasing back to clear and protect the goal. It was fortunate that Felipe was not too troubled with whatever came his way and we managed to survive unscathed. The defensive quartet held firm and as best as possible, tried to play the ball to the midfield for them to build on offensively. Unfortunately, possession was not always well kept and the ball was usually lost after 2 to 3 passes. Marcus, Tim C and Rusydi were working hard up front to create chances but they were few and far between. A direct free-kick from Rusydi and an attempt by Tim C both found their way above the crossbar. On KKMC's part, their speedy attacks were either broken down on the wing, or ended by a stray pass. The half-time break was welcomed by both teams.
Coach Ronnie gave simple instructions to improve the team's performance in the 2nd half- #1: communicate more & #2: make better use of the ball. David Lim came on for John Chia and started on the right wing, with Rusydi dropping to right centre midfield in an attempt to control play better. The team started the 2nd half positively, mounting wave after wave of attack. Both Marcus and David had many touches of the ball on the wings, but support was lacking. Kee Min was running box-to-box in order to break up KKMC's play and support our attack. On our best chance to score from the right wing, a cross found its way to Kee Min but his effort was blocked by a defender. The rebound found its way to David who let fly a screamer but it cannoned off the right-hand post of the goal. The 2nd rebound fell to Marcus on the left but his effort from 6 yards out was too high.
KKMC kept their shape a bit better at this point and again used their speed to break into the Panthers' half. On 2 occasions, we came close to conceding. 1st, a stray backpass from John S to Kevin went straight to a KKMC player who only had Felipe to beat. Felipe again showed his quick flexes by denying KKMC their goal. On the next attack down our left, a KKMC player let fly from just inside the penalty box but his effort hit the right-hand post and back into play. It was clearly a case of missed chances by both teams. With fatigue starting to kick in, both teams focused on defending and holding out until the final whistle, which finally arrived.
The players trudged off the field, shaking hands in the process. There were no goals, but the match was played in good spirits. Benjamin from KKMC closed us in prayer and thanked us for hosting the friendly.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Soccer Fellowship Report [4th July]
It was raining quite a fair bit just before 3pm and I'm sure many Soccer Community members were wondering if the session was going to be cancelled. However, God proved faithful once again as the rain stopped the moment the clock came to 3pm and the sun came out to greet us as we gathered at East Spring Secondary School. About 16 were there from the start, with Bevan joining us about 15 minutes into the session.
Choon Heng and Joel, who was joining us for his 1st session since enlistment
Kevin started off Soccer Fellowship with a devotion based on the story of Job. He related how God's conversation with Satan revealed the righteousness of Job, and God's confidence in Job not succumbing to sin, despite the many 'losses' he faced around him. Kevin shared how many of us could be proud of people around us or behave in a way that make others proud, but the most important person that we should hope to be proud of us would be God. He encouraged all to lead a life that would make God proud of.
The game started off with the Whites against the Colours in gung-ho fashion with the 16 players opting to play 'full-field' with 8-a-side. Of course, we played without goalies and scoring allowed only in the 6-yard box. There was much running and enthusiasm and the scores started to favour the Whites. It was only after a while that the Colours pulled a goal back. The 1st half ended with the Whites down 4 - 1 and everyone lapped up the match needed break.
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Kee Min, Darren & Samuel taking a much needed rest
Choon Heng and Joel, who was joining us for his 1st session since enlistmentKevin started off Soccer Fellowship with a devotion based on the story of Job. He related how God's conversation with Satan revealed the righteousness of Job, and God's confidence in Job not succumbing to sin, despite the many 'losses' he faced around him. Kevin shared how many of us could be proud of people around us or behave in a way that make others proud, but the most important person that we should hope to be proud of us would be God. He encouraged all to lead a life that would make God proud of.
The game started off with the Whites against the Colours in gung-ho fashion with the 16 players opting to play 'full-field' with 8-a-side. Of course, we played without goalies and scoring allowed only in the 6-yard box. There was much running and enthusiasm and the scores started to favour the Whites. It was only after a while that the Colours pulled a goal back. The 1st half ended with the Whites down 4 - 1 and everyone lapped up the match needed break.
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Kee Min, Darren & Samuel taking a much needed restThe 2nd half started with much wiser heads. The players opted to shorten the field by placing goals marked by cones on the edge of the 2 penalty boxes. The Colours organised themselves well and ran riot in the 2nd half, pulling away with numerous goals and going up 7 - 4. The Whites tried not to give up and mounted their own comeback, equalising the game at 7 - 7. With time ticking down, it was 'last goal wins', to which the Whites scored to take the enjoyable game 8 - 7. The players gathered for Bangshi to close in prayer and thank God for his wonderful blessings and provision!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Soccer Fellowship [4th July]
Soccer Fellowship is ON this Saturday, 4th July at East Spring Secondary School. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm. This session will be purely fellowship-based to give a break to all players from the stress of Agape Cup competition and to just re-emphasise fun & fellowship around soccer.
We will split the teams according to DARK and BRIGHT 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.
We will split the teams according to DARK and BRIGHT 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.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Agape Cup 2009 - Panthers Match #5 .vs. RiverLife Church [28th June]
As the H1N1 situation continued to develop in Singapore, days preceding the match were filled with trying to get a squad to play the match, especially with concerns surrounding our opponents' church as a local cluster and the implementation of new measures to keep all players safe.
We started the match positively, trying our best to string good passes and move the ball as quickly as possible to the forward line. However, one of our glaring weaknesses continued to haunt us within the first couple of minutes. We needlessly conceded a very soft goal. A long ball down our right flank saw Felipe delay his run to meet the ball. This allowed the opposition forward to tap it into an open goal. Kevin's attempt to clear the ball off the line failed as another forward followed through. Not being dismayed and keeping our heads up, we pressed on for an equaliser. Many good moves were strung involving Ronnie, Rusydi, Derrick and Marc. Bevan as well, had a long shot on goal, but it went wide.
It was starting to get frustrating, especially with the referee needlessly brandishing the yellow card to Bevan when he asked for the wall to move back the correct distance on one of our free kicks. As we pressed and kept possession, our opponents were left to do counter-attacking. On one such move down the middle, Kevin tackled the ball to safety, but was judged by the referee to have followed through on the RLC forward with his trailing leg. A free kick was awarded just outside the box and from it, an RLC player stepped up to fire a stiff shot into the roof of the net, with James on the line trying his best to head it out. With almost 65% of possession, it was ludicrous that we were 2-0 down. We continued to press for a goal and it finally arrived when Marc took a pass in the middle, swiveled and sent a through ball to Derrick on the right, who chested it down and volleyed it first time into the far corner of our opponent's goal. It was a goal worth waiting for! Half time soon followed.
The 2nd half resumed with Ronnie sending a simple message to us - don't concede silly goals and challenge for the ball. We did this and continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession but a goal from open play was not arriving. Soon, another through ball from Marc found Ronnie in space. He controlled the ball well and was heading towards goal from the left wing when an RLC stopped him unfairly. The referee awarded us a direct free kick, from which Rusydi stepped up to send a curling shot into the top left hand corner. It was another 'goal of the season' contender.
With the score at 2-2, it was all to play for and we gave everything to win the game. RLC also tried to win the tie, but we had a safe pair of hands in Felipe, who saved numerous shots. Unfortunately, and not the first time this season, indecision with the ball at our feet saw possession given away cheaply and in a dangerous position on the left. Mark tried to stop the winger, but he too quick. James stepped up next with Kevin just behind to cover but the winger jinxed his way into enough space to fire an unstoppable shot past Felipe and into the near post. We were deflated after mounting a good comeback, but still pressed out. In the final minutes of the game, Derrick was felled by the opposition defender. We give credit to our opponents for getting water and 'magic spray' for Derrick as he stood up to recover. To our surprise (and our opponent's) the referee blew for full time almost immediately after this incident, apparently shaving off at least 5 minutes from the match!
We learnt another painful lesson in tournament play on this day. This time, even scoring was not enough. We need to continue to protect the ball when we have it and not give it away cheaply. On the positive side, we starting to gel as a team, with numerous good moves made during the match.
We praise God that on match day, we had 12 players who turned up to compete. Before the 5pm fixtures, Kee Min and Jonathan led the teams in a time of singspiration with 'Pass it On' and 'In His Time'. A player from Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church then shared on the need to know Christ, especially if we don't know when we are going to 'expire'. He used the sudden deaths of soccer players and famous personalities such as Michael Jackson to illustrate this.
As we walked onto the pitch and prepared to huddle, a rude cry by the referee jarred us. It would be the start of a very unhappy experience with a referee who managed the game in a rather biased and unreasonable fashion. With only 12 to choose from, the Panthers lined up as follows, with the lone substitute Jonathan cheering us on.
We started the match positively, trying our best to string good passes and move the ball as quickly as possible to the forward line. However, one of our glaring weaknesses continued to haunt us within the first couple of minutes. We needlessly conceded a very soft goal. A long ball down our right flank saw Felipe delay his run to meet the ball. This allowed the opposition forward to tap it into an open goal. Kevin's attempt to clear the ball off the line failed as another forward followed through. Not being dismayed and keeping our heads up, we pressed on for an equaliser. Many good moves were strung involving Ronnie, Rusydi, Derrick and Marc. Bevan as well, had a long shot on goal, but it went wide.
It was starting to get frustrating, especially with the referee needlessly brandishing the yellow card to Bevan when he asked for the wall to move back the correct distance on one of our free kicks. As we pressed and kept possession, our opponents were left to do counter-attacking. On one such move down the middle, Kevin tackled the ball to safety, but was judged by the referee to have followed through on the RLC forward with his trailing leg. A free kick was awarded just outside the box and from it, an RLC player stepped up to fire a stiff shot into the roof of the net, with James on the line trying his best to head it out. With almost 65% of possession, it was ludicrous that we were 2-0 down. We continued to press for a goal and it finally arrived when Marc took a pass in the middle, swiveled and sent a through ball to Derrick on the right, who chested it down and volleyed it first time into the far corner of our opponent's goal. It was a goal worth waiting for! Half time soon followed.
The 2nd half resumed with Ronnie sending a simple message to us - don't concede silly goals and challenge for the ball. We did this and continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession but a goal from open play was not arriving. Soon, another through ball from Marc found Ronnie in space. He controlled the ball well and was heading towards goal from the left wing when an RLC stopped him unfairly. The referee awarded us a direct free kick, from which Rusydi stepped up to send a curling shot into the top left hand corner. It was another 'goal of the season' contender.
With the score at 2-2, it was all to play for and we gave everything to win the game. RLC also tried to win the tie, but we had a safe pair of hands in Felipe, who saved numerous shots. Unfortunately, and not the first time this season, indecision with the ball at our feet saw possession given away cheaply and in a dangerous position on the left. Mark tried to stop the winger, but he too quick. James stepped up next with Kevin just behind to cover but the winger jinxed his way into enough space to fire an unstoppable shot past Felipe and into the near post. We were deflated after mounting a good comeback, but still pressed out. In the final minutes of the game, Derrick was felled by the opposition defender. We give credit to our opponents for getting water and 'magic spray' for Derrick as he stood up to recover. To our surprise (and our opponent's) the referee blew for full time almost immediately after this incident, apparently shaving off at least 5 minutes from the match!
We learnt another painful lesson in tournament play on this day. This time, even scoring was not enough. We need to continue to protect the ball when we have it and not give it away cheaply. On the positive side, we starting to gel as a team, with numerous good moves made during the match.
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