Soccer Fellowship Report [30th April]

Given that it was a long weekend and that many would be involved in the Soccer-for-Bibles in 2 days time, the turn-out for this Soccer Fellowship session was 14. Nonetheless, the 7-a-side game gave everyone a chance to have more touches of the ball and practice close control.

Before the session started, Kevin led everyone in a time of devotion, reflecting on the General Election and that many people were wondering who to vote for. Amongst the 14 who turned up, quite a number were from the hotly contested constituencies of Aljunied, Hougang and Holland-Bukit Timah. Kevin shared that in moments like these, it is all the more important to trust in God to guide us, referencing Proverbs 3:5-6.

The contest between the Whites and Others was keen and only a few goals were scored. There was an instance when a fellow team-mate even prevented his team-mate from scoring (identities protected to prevent embarrassment). Here are some photos from the session.

Nigel first to the ball before Damien

Action from the middle of the park

All eyes on the ball

At the end of the session, Kevin closed in prayer and specially lifted up Weijie and Jacob, who would be enlisting for National Service later that week.

Soccer Fellowship [30th April]

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 30th April at East View Secondary School*.
The session will be from 3 - 5 pm. Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of East View Secondary Secondary School is 3 Tampines Street 42. The entrance to the field however, is along Street 41 (directly across the street from block 428). If you are driving, you should turn into Street 41 from Tampines Avenue 7. I would suggest parking at the open-air car park around blocks 425, 428 & 429. The map of the area around the school can be viewed HERE.

Soccer Fellowship Report [24th April]

It was a sweltering Easter Sunday, with the sun making its presence very clearly known to Singapore. However, that didn't stop the dedicated members of the PMC fellowship. 22 players matched the sun's enthusiasm yard for yard as two evenly matched teams served up a 4-2 thriller.

The blues, which comprised of players from the agape team, had a youthful feel to the team while the reds featured mostly experience veterans. The game started at a breakneck pace, with both sides trying to seize the initiative. The reds preferred to soak up the pressure as the blues probed the reds' defence for the opener, but to no avail. Finally, the breakthrough came when Daniel smashed the ball home from 25 yards out with a brilliant curling effort. 1-o to the blues.

However, Jeremy pulled one back for the reds in emphatic fashion, guiding a header into the far corner. The blues regained the lead soon after, Daniel latched on to a through ball and slotted it past Joel calmly.

The second half started at a slower pace, with the sun taking its toll on everyone. However, the quality of play was still impressive as both teams preferring to play the ball on the ground and build up patiently. The blues got rewarded for their constant probing as Jingzhong released Dominic with a brilliant crossfield ball and he guided the ball past the onrushing Mike from 10 yards out. 3-1 to the reds. However, the red never gave the game up as Jeremy pulled them back with a thumping strike from a narrow angle, which was more laudable given that Marcus was hassling him.

The game was on the edge even right till the end. Sean and Michael pulled off several good saves to keep the scoreline intact until the last play of the game, when Dominic tapped in the ball after playing a 1-2 with daniel in the penalty box. It was a throughly good work out for everyone and a great way to mark Easter Sunday.

'Easter Special' Soccer Fellowship [24th April]

Soccer Fellowship is on this Easter Sunday, 24th April at East View Secondary School*.
The session will be from 3 - 5 pm. Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of East View Secondary Secondary School is 3 Tampines Street 42. The entrance to the field however, is along Street 41 (directly across the street from block 428). If you are driving, you should turn into Street 41 from Tampines Avenue 7. I would suggest parking at the open-air car park around blocks 425, 428 & 429. The map of the area around the school can be viewed HERE.

Agape Cup Match Report #4 - PMC .vs. TCPC [17th April]

It was a hot Sunday afternoon. So hot that it felt scorching even as the 5pm fixture approached. The team gathered early to warm-up and we took the opportunity to have a team talk even before S&S started. Again, this match saw some last minute changes as Maurice came down a virus on Sunday and couldn't make the matchday squad. Some tweaks were made, but essentially, the team lined up in a more offensive 4-1-3-2 formation. The objectives were to win and not pick up any yellow cards.

Sean

Daniel - Weijie - Mark - Marcus

Jacob

Lincoln - Dominic - Jingzhong

Steve - Martin

Arriving early to kit up

Adrian (got to book-out from camp) catching up with Martin & Steve

Someone's spanking new Nike Tiempo Legend

S&S was led by Hinghwa Methodist Church and after that, it was straight to the game. Kevin, who was managing the team (in the absence of Maurice) reminded everyone to be confident, but not complacent. The team started the match very positively, attacking from all areas of the pitch. Chances were arriving by the bucket load but none were taken. Lincoln shot straight to the GK, while both Steve and Martin fired wide. On the rare counter-attack, TCPC's attack was halted by PMC's rearguard. The breakthrough finally came when Martin skilfully controlled a pass from Steve in the box and fired a shot into the corner of the net. Thinking that the floodgates had opened, PMC continued to press for more. However, an unexpected twist sent the PMC players reeling. When a long ball into the PMC box was not cleared sufficiently, a TCPC player on the edge of the area expertly fired a first time volley high and wide into Sean's net. It was 1-1 and the PMC players had to compose themselves. To their credit, PMC continued to string good passes and probe the TCPC backline. It also required some genius from Jingzhong to make the score 2-1 when he cut in from the left and unleashed an unstoppable right foot shot high into the net. Soon, it was 3-1 when Martin passed to Steve for him to fire home low into the net. With the final 'head' of the game from a corner, Weijie brought the score to 4-1, allowing PMC to breathe easy for the 2nd half.

The subs lending their support in the 1st half

Time for kick-off

#1 fan

Daniel takes a throw-in

During the half-time team talk, the emphasis was on keeping up the pressure and to go for more goals if possible. 4 changes were made for the team to shape up like this:

Michael

Daniel - Dominic - Weijie - Marcus

Kevin

Yi Jun - Rusydi - Jingzhong

Steve - Martin

The 2nd half started as planned, with good control from the PMC team, but no goal was forthcoming. TCPC displayed more steely determination to defend and on the off-chance, attack down the flanks, which were largely ineffective. They did win a few corners, which didn't trouble Michael. It took 2 strokes of genius from Rusydi to add to the goals in the 2nd half. The 1st was a long range effort which swerved and deceived the GK, who could only palm it and then watch it bounce into the net. The 2nd was from another long range shot, but this time the GK saved better, only to have Rusydi follow his shot in with a header into the bottom corner. There were no further goals and John Simpson and Nigel came in for the remaining 15min. During the post-match de-brief, Kevin commended everyone on a job well done, and signalled the improving communication as a positive to take into future matches. He also closed in prayer.

Soccer Fellowship Report [9th April]

It looked to be another scorching afternoon. Being the first time we were using the East View Secondary field, only a handful of players had arrived by 3.20pm. However, within the next 10 minutes, this number doubled to about 18.

Samuel Eyo led the devotion and shared on how to flee temptation, resist the devil and stand firm in the faith. We welcomed Karnex and Jacob's friends (sorry, didn't get their names) who joined us for the kickabout. The match started 11 a-side and to prepare for Sunday's Agape match, the teams were organised around the Agape players (Blue/White) and the rest (Red).

The first 10 minutes were tightly contested as each team was sizing up the other. The breakthrough came for the Blue/Whites with a cross from the left which met with a sweet first-time volley from Lincoln and nestled itself in the back of the net (1-0). Not to be outdone, the Reds responded splendidly with Damian providing an inch-perfect cross to Jeremy to head home (1-1). This was a wake-up call for the Blue/Whites who then regained their composure to put another 4 goals in the net, all courtesy of JZ. The Halftime time score stood at 5-1 to the Blue/Whites. By now the weather was getting a little cloudy.

The Reds started the second half in attacking fashion and put the Blue/Whites on the backheel. However, the Blue/Whites nicked a goal against the run of play with a Steve header. The Reds mounted a counterattack and the pressure paid off as the bounce of an inviting cross was misjudged by Michael and floated agonisingly into goal (6-2). It was all Blue/Whites from there as Steve scored another three while Lincoln scored a second to end the game 10-2.

Just as play ended, the heavens gave way and it started to rain cats and dogs. We thank God for the fine weather to play in and we hope this game has prepared the Agape team to take their second win of the tournament this Sunday.

Soccer Fellowship [9th April]

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 9th April at East View Secondary School*.
The session will be from 3 - 5 pm. Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of East View Secondary Secondary School is 3 Tampines Street 42. The entrance to the field however, is along Street 41 (directly across the street from block 428). If you are driving, you should turn into Street 41 from Tampines Avenue 7. I would suggest parking at the open-air car park around blocks 425, 428 & 429. The map of the area around the school can be viewed HERE.

Agape Cup Match Report #3 - PMC .vs. HFC [3rd April]

Rain again threatened this Agape Cup fixture, but good weather prevailed and we managed to play as planned. Having already had to change his plans due to Daniel's ankle injury (sustained during futsal on Friday), Adrian's tweaked game-play was further challenged by Kee Min, who arrived late and could only start on the bench. As such, Kevin was brought into the starting line-up instead of being on the bench as originally planned. A 'shuffled' PMC 11 started in a 4-1-4-1 formation:

Kelvin

Marcus - Weijie - Mark - Damien

Dominic

Jacob - Kevin - Martin - Jingzhong

Steve

Players being inspected before kick-off

It was clear from the whistle that the match was going to be tough, with opponents challenging every ball and being quite physical, yet fair. In the middle of the park, there was lack of positional discipline to win the ball and control it if won, leading to much of the possession being at the feet of HFC, or the All Blacks as they are called. HFC's set pieces also threatened, and on one such occasion in the 10th minute, they scored their first goal. A throw-in to the feet of HFC's resident Frenchman on the edge of the box saw him leave Kevin in his wake, evade Mark, and then send a cross into the box which was not dealt with decisively. The striker had the simplest of tasks to place it into the corner of the net. It was an early setback which PMC could not recover from.

Martin doing his best to keep the ball

Steve fights for everything despite being isolated for most of the match

Marcus tries to help PMC gain ground via a throw-in

Soon, HFC's 2nd goal arrived. Again, due to too much space being given to HFC, their right winger was able to deliver a pinpoint cross to their giant striker Sasi, who made no mistake from close range. With the team being 2-0 down within 20min, Adrian had to take action immediately and took off Kevin and Jacob, who were replaced by Kee Min and Rusydi. The line-up was also slightly tweaked with Kee Min going into the DM role and Marcus moving to LB, while Damien moved to RB. The shape was better and this allowed PMC to gain some possession and make breaks on goal. However, chances were few and far between. The halftime score read 2-0.

Adrian making sure the team keep their heads up for the 2nd half

All eyes on the 1st Team Coach

The 2nd half of the match started with PMC going for goal. Possession had clearly swung in our favour with forays down the wing, and Steve fighting for every ball. However, the HFC defence was hard to break down and there were few clear-cut chances. It was thus unfortunate that our own defensive lapses cost us another 2 goals quite late in the match. The set-plays were identical. Corners floated in to the box, with an unmarked man having the simplest tasks of nodding the ball into goal to the bewilderment of GK Sean and the defenders. The 4-0 scoreline was tough to bear. With Marcus going down injured, Wei En had a decent run-out and then so did Yi Jun and David, who also tried their best to pull a goal back, but to no avail. Hopefully, this would be the heaviest defeat this Agape Cup season for the PMC team.

To read a summary of the match from our opponent's perspective, click HERE.

Soccer Fellowship Report [26th March]

Really fine weather greeted the 18 players that arrived on time for kick-off. Before that, we welcomed Jacob's colleague Auric, who was joining us for the 1st time. Yuen Wai (safely back from Japan!) led us in a time of devotion, focusing on why God allows suffering in our world, using the current Japan disaster and Jimmy's fight with Leukemia as examples. After closing his devotion in prayer, the players grouped up for kick-off.

Trying to push down the wall helps us to warm-up

Yuen Wai sharing devotion

The players grouped themselves into 2 teams of 9 - Reds .vs. Blue/Whites (BW). It was evident from the start that the teams were evenly matched in all areas of the field and the first half played out that fact. Even though ball movement was good and there were many probing moves into each other's penalty areas, both GKs had a solid game, along with their defenders. Sean, Jeremy Sin and Marcus for the BW and Kelvin, Weijie and Yuen Wai held their ground well through the whole half. Even when Dominic (Red) did put the ball in the back of the BW net, it was a result of a prior offside decision, and waived. When more players arrived to bolster each team to 12 players, space became a premium on the field on this decreased the chances of any free-flowing moves and the ball ending up in any net. The half ended at 0-0, possibly the 1st time a goal-less half was experienced at Soccer Fellowship.

After some brief team-talks led by David (BW) and Ronnie (Red), the teams trudged on the field to resume battle. Clearly both teams were out to find goals as there was much ball movement and attacking intent. Ronnie was the 1st to have a few chances fall to him, then Weijie and Daniel for the Reds, but all were not capitalised upon. For the BW, Marcus and Jingzhong drove deep into Red territory numerous times, and newcomer Benny seemed to have the ball stick at his feet when he waltzed through the defence. All these produced no goals. The breakthrough finally came when a good move between Jeremy Tan and Ronnie allowed Ronnie to find space on the left of the box and fire the ball into the bottom corner of the net. 1-0 to the Reds! As play resumed, an unfortunate incident took place when Viji (back after a 2-year break as a result of a knee problem) challenged for the ball with Jacob and injured his knee again. After a short break to attend to Viji, the BW searched for their equaliser and this came when the Red defence couldn't clear their lines, allowing Jingzhong to send a low cross into the box for Benny to stab home. It was 1-1 and game on. With the Red a man down, the BW proceeded to apply tons of pressure and were rewarded when Jacob slalomed through the defence to curl a low shot into goal. Not long after, a loose pass from Yuen Wai was pounced upon by Marcus, who had the simplest of tasks to score. With the score at 3-1, the Red tried to comeback and even things, and were able to do so, again with Ronnie and Jeremy Tan involved. It was Ronnie the provider this time as he laid on a sweet low cross for Jeremy to fire into the net. As much as the Red tried to press for the equalizer, it did not come and things finished 3-2 to BW. It was indeed a good workout for everyone.

In closing, Kevin reminded everyone to remember Viji and Jimmy in prayer. Yuen Wai closed the session with a word of prayer.

Soccer Fellowship [26th March]

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 26th March at Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School* (yes, the one in Pasir Ris!). The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.

Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School is 11 Pasir Ris Street 41. The entrance to the field is next to the bus-stop along Pasir Ris Drive 4. If you are driving, the car park nearest to the school field is the Multi-Storey Car Park at Block 458A. The map of the area around the school can be viewed HERE.