CRC2014 Match Report #3: PMC vs CBC (20th April)

The PMC team was full of confidence as it made its way to Anderson Secondary for the 'must-win' game against CBC. Even missing 6 first-teamers did not rob PMC from knowing that it could end the match with its first victory of the year. An almost full team of 17 players turned up, with 'injured' supporters Weijie and Daniel Low on hand to cheer the team on. Samuel from CBC led both teams in the Easter Sunday S&S before team shots were taken and the match ready to kick off.

PMC lined up in the following manner for kick-off:

David Sng

Isaac - Jingzhong - Rusydi

Kevin - Sheldon

Eddie - Jacob - Jeremy Sin - Andy

David Lim

PMC started the match brightly, obviously the hungrier of the 2 teams. Some crisp passing was seen down the flanks for Isaac and Rusydi to have quite a number of touches. The first chance of the match fell to Jingzhong with a low cross from the right, but his stiff shot was off target. It was clear that CBC's method to counter PMC's swift play was to opt for Route 1 football, constantly pumping balls high and deep into PMC's half, allowing their lone forward to chase. These long balls were easily cleared by Jacob and Jeremy, until a speculative high ball was left by both Eddie and Isaac on the left, allowing the CBC winger to find his way down the flank to deliver a speculative cross-shot which spun in the air to deceive David in goal, putting CBC 1-0 up against the run of play. As fluky as it seemed, it wasn't the first time this season that PMC had been caught out by such a goal, and clearly the message to clear the ball quickly and decisively from their own half had not sunk in. PMC's response was positive, continuing with its focus on getting the balls to the wings quickly to create chances. On one such attack, a 50-50 ball played into the box was met by Jingzhong faster than the onrushing CBC GK, who took Jingzhong down quite robustly. This was just one of the many physical challenges that CBC players made in the first half. The referee pointed to the penalty spot immediately and Rusydi calmly stroked the ball into the bottom corner of the net to bring the match to 1-1. For the rest of the half, it was all PMC, trying to take the lead, but to no avail. With 15min of the half remaining, David Sng left the field for Lincoln to come in at RM and Rusydi pushing up to CF, but that change only brought a few chances which were not put away.

The second half began with one change- Daniel Chen coming on for Eddie at LB. Daniel's ability to play long balls certainly contributed to PMC's constant pressing of the CBC goal, but there was little breakthrough. Yi Jun came on 10min after the restart as CF, and although there were a number of good exchanges with Rusydi and Jingzhong, his one chance saw him blast the ball high from just inside the box. Frustration was beginning to set in as the final ball was just not there for PMC to put away. On CBC's part, their long ball game was producing a chance or two, but fortunately for PMC, even when its defence hesitated, the CBC forward was not sharp enough to score. A couple more changes took place, with Joel replacing Andy at RB and Maurice coming on for Kevin with some slight re-shuffling. Whatever PMC threw at CBC was not enough at the end of the day, and it certainly felt like it was 2 points lost rather than 1 point gained after the draw. Nonetheless, the team had not played badly and will live to win another day. Jacob closed in prayer after the post-match de-brief.

Thank God It's Good Friday...

Good Friday this year, comes in the midst of a number of tragedies that continue to show us the uncertainty of world around us. From the mysterious disappearance of MH370 to the South Korea ferry disaster, unpredictable tragic events shock us and leave us saddened at the loss of life, even if do not grieve in a personal capacity.

Good Friday is a reminder that amidst the uncertainty we see around us, there is hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, who promises to us that "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This may be hard to see or feel when we look around us at what is going on in the world, but hope in Jesus Christ is born out of taking a step of faith. In the Bible, Jesus reminds us that if we place our hope in Him, He is preparing a home for us in heaven (John 14:2-3) and that He will never leave us or forsake us. The only way to gain access to a life of hope in Jesus is to:

A ccept that we are sinners in need of forgiveness

B elieve in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins

C ommit our lives to Him

(John 3:16)

The prayer of the Soccer Community leaders is that today, all of us will look to Jesus for hope and new life and know that Good Friday is only good, because Jesus died on the cross for our sins. May we all recognise that He is the only one who can give true hope in the world, and can be our cornerstone through all of life. 

Soccer Fellowship Report (12th April)

It was a good-weathered Saturday afternoon as we gathered at Hai Sing Catholic School for Soccer Fellowship. However at 310pm, the eager players were greeted by a locked school, and needed to wait another 20min before the field warden arrived to open the entrance to the field. This did not dampen everyone's spirits, and Sheldon took the opportunity to share devotions based on the topic of 'Home', first asking us trivia questions about the Home and Away form of BPL teams, and then reminding us that we have a Home waiting for us in heaven, if we believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. 

After the field was open, players split themselves into 2 teams, the Reds and Whites (RW) versus the Other Colours (OC). Play was brisk, with RW pressing during the early exchanges, more players joined us through the game, with a total of 14 players present for Soccer Fellowship, which was a good number. Players enjoyed themselves by varying their positions and although no one kept score, it just went to show the fun that everyone was having, and also with the CRC2014 in mind for the Soccer Team players. We praise God for another wonderful Soccer Fellowship session.  

CRC2014 Match Report #2: PMC vs ABC (6th April)

PMC had their 2^nd match of the CRC2014 season against a very familiar ABC side who we had already met two times within a short span of a month. Having narrowly lost to ABC1 last week for the cup fixture, PMC were indeed very determined to bounce back and looking for our first victory of the season. The commitment of the team has been apparent as 23 players had registered their availability for the game but sadly only 18 players can be fielded for each match. We were surprised to see ABC in bright orange were in the midst of their team warm-up at 2.30pm. Hai Sing Catholic Secondary is indeed our ‘home’ ground as we had had our Soccer Fellowship many times at this convenient venue during the first quarter of the year. Hence, ‘rightfully’ we were the home team for this fixture and we were not short of supporters in both Daniels who were unavailable to play, family members of Issac, Sheldon’s friend as well as some church youth.

Maurice did the sharing on the topic of ‘almost’ which can turn out to be the most disappointing word in life. He referenced the painful disappointment in Bayern Munich’s loss to Man United in the 1999 Champions League final where Bayern almost won the game only with 3 extra minutes left, and he mirrored it to the even more painful disappointment of those who almost made it to heaven after rejecting Christ persistently. Maurice challenged all to Accept that we are sinners in need of forgiveness, Believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and Commit our lives to Him. 

PMC team photo before kick-off

We also welcomed back Sheldon from Japan, as well as Maurice, Issac, both Davids and Justin, who were absent from the last match. As we played very well against the same opponent last week, we had decided to keep the same starting line-up and the only 2 changes were Sheldon in for Kee Min David Lim back in goal for Joel.

PMC line-up:

David Lim

Andy - Weijie - Jacob - Eddie

Jem - Tim

Rusydi - Sheldon - JZ

Lincoln

Andy and Jeremy Sin defending in the first half

All eyes closed?

The game started with a long shot from ABC from kickoff which went wide. PMC had set their foot in defence for the first 15 minutes and the the defensive quartet held firm to clear any danger from ABC. As the game proceeded, PMC gained better possession in midfield with both Tim and Jem winning the ball hard and fair. Sheldon had constantly looked for both wings with his ranged crosses. The first chance came when ABC failed to clear a corner from Tim and it flew all the way to the other side of the post with Eddie waiting, but his timed shot was off target. David Sng came in at 30mins mark for Lincoln, who was feeling some slight discomfort from a hard challenge from our opponents. David Sng came in and pressured the opposing defense strongly with a couple of balls being won back. Rusydi had a few long shots but were cleared by ABC. The rest of the first half continued with PMC being the more dominant side, leaving David Lim with nothing much to do in goal. The first half ended with 0-0.

Team talk was focused on the need to stop the ABC wings from running past our full-backs and the need to take our chances. Changes were made at half-time with both Issac and Sam in for Sheldon and Jem in midfield, and Damien in for Eddie at LB.

PMC 2^nd half line-up:

David Lim

Andy - Weijie - Jacob - Damien

Sam - Tim

Rusydi - JZ - Issac

David Sng

Tim attempts to win the ball back in the 2nd half

ABC player has no where to go with PMC players holding the defensive line well

The 2^nd half again started with PMC pressing for the first goal but to no avail. ABC hit us back on a counter-attack where the PMC defence could only clear the cross-in not far away from the penalty box. With none of midfielders in sight, the on-rushing ABC #3 powered it into the net by deflecting the left-hand post with David Lim being fully stretched. It was indeed a wake-up call for PMC who had not taken our chances well despite being the more dominant side. Changes were made with Yijun in for David Sng and Justin in for the hardworking Andy, and Sam dropped back to RB. The change had immediately given PMC a new dimension in attack with Yijun holding the ball well and distributed timely to both wings. Weijie was yellow-carded for a late challenge but he kept a calm head despite several ABC players had reacted to the challenge. Weijie had to come off as he felt some discomfort with his back, Maurice was the replacement. With a goal down, PMC fought even harder with both Rusydi and Issac sending in many crosses from both flanks. Our effort finally paid off when JZ received a great cross-in from Rusydi, he calmly had his first touch on the ball and finished with a clinical drive into the net. PMC players came in to congratulate JZ with great excitement. Knowing we were on level terms, PMC pressured the opponents even harder during the last 8 minutes. It was again JZ receiving a ball from Rusydi and he evaded 3 ABC defenders but his scuffed shot was well saved by the goalie, with Justin almost tapped it in before the save was made. ABC also attempted some long balls in from deep but were easily cleared by Maurice and Jacob. PMC had their last chance when Rusydi’s cross from the right evaded the entire ABC defence but our 3 running-in attackers did not manage to provide a tap in. Eventually, the game ended with a 1-1 draw. But certainly the players had put in their best effort and we fully deserved our 1^st point of the season. The team will be playing against CBC in 2 weeks’ time. Sam closed us in prayer.

Photos courtesy of Ivena Chew.

SCS Cup 2014 Round 1: PMC vs ABC1 (30th March)

SCS cup 2014, unlike past seasons, was played in the midst of the league season instead of after the league games had concluded. This cup round brought PMC to Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School, a first for many of PMC's Easties. Rain drizzled around Yishun in the afternoon, and as the gate to the field was inaccessible to all till about 310, the team geared up at the voiddeck across the field.

Players getting ready at the void deck while waiting for the school field to be opened

Thank God that when the field was eventually accessible, the rain had stopped and weather was almost perfect for a good game of soccer. Kevin led singspiration, followed with a devotion on the Beattitudes (Matthew 5: 3-12), with the key sharing on verse 5: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.

PMC line-up:

Joel

Andy - Weijie - Jacob - Eddie

Jem - Tim

JZ - Kee Min - Rusydi

Lincoln



ABC kicked off the game, spreading the ball to the left and attacking down PMC left flank. A loose ball around the left corner flag was not cleared and ABC managed to whip in a wicked cross that swerved past everyone in the penalty box, hitting straight at PMC far post before going into the net. A very fortunate start for ABC, as they lead 1-0 at the first minute. PMC fought hard to get themselves back into the game, as they kept ABC many times in their own half. JZ, Rusdyi and Lincoln all had chances and shots at goal but fortunately for ABC, attempts were not converted. Just before half-time, ABC earned a free-kick in PMC half and they pushed many players into PMC penalty box. The cross came in and ABC's strong Uncle Tan was able to win the first aerial header across goal to his unmarked team-mate at the far post who shot straight at Joel, who could only parry it to another ABC player with no problem in placing the ball into the net.

 Getting ready for kick-off

 Eddie takes the throw-in

 PMC defends against the ABC1 throw

2nd half changes: Sam came on for Jem, YJ for Lincoln and Kevin for Eddie.

PMC started the second half with the same dominance in possession of the ball, keeping ABC in their half as was in the first half. Jem Tan came in for YJ in the last 15mins as PMC continued to push aggressively for goals. Rus saw plenty of the ball down the right, and using his pace all so often to beat ABC leftback that ABC devoted a fast player to man-mark Rus. So it came to no surprise that this battle caused PMC the first injury as Rus went down with cramps from his many sprints, and was substituted by Felix, with Andy now pushing up to RM, and Felix to RB. PMC's goal came when a through ball was collected by JZ (offside or not was subjective), and given his pace, ABC could not catch him and JZ finished in style. PMC continued to push and fight hard, however another injury befall them. Jacob over-exerted in a tackle and was next in line to go down with cramps,  subsequently replaced by Michael, who shift to LB, Kevin to LM, Sam slotting in next to WJ. Injuries to both key PMC players impacted the play as the shape of the team got messy and ABC were able to counter attack on numerous occasion, but Joel showed top class saves and urgency to keep PMC in the game.

Referee soon called the cup game to a close and Jacob closed in prayer.

FT: PMC 1 ABC 2.

Team photo after the match. To emphasise that we lost, Daniel Low points to the Man U crest.