SOCCER FELLOWSHIP REPORT (3RD AUGUST)

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" from Luke 9:23. This was the verse mentioned in the devotion that day before we start the soccer fellowship. I was sharing with everyone about Miserable Success from the Daily Bread topic on June 28. Most people, including Christians like myself, tends to forget that we need to let go of our own desires in order to be true God followers. Hence the sharing to remind ourselves that we will fail or even succeed miserably when we lose focus on God and try to achieve something without truly having Him involved in our daily lives.

After the devotion, the players were grouped as either white or other colours to begin the fellowship game. In this session, we welcomed Edwin and Danial (brought by 'Uncle Danial') for joining us. We also have players like Jing Zhong (back from his Taiwan trip) and Isaac back to join us for a good-work. The weather was good but the field is not in ideal conditions due to the different type of soil that is present in the ground compared to other schools like Greenview Sec Sch. Nevertheless, our 11 players took to the field gamely and really enjoyed themselves in a soccer game. The score was already like...5-3?...to the non-white team by the end of the first half of the session. Imagine the goal-scoring opportunities which both sides have had. In the second half of the session, both teams started in very similar fashion as they did in the first half. I left by 4.30pm so I would not have known the final score but that does not really matter. I am quite sure all of them enjoyed the session very much. I attached some photos of our players in actions so hope you enjoy them!

Bye for now......and God bless all!

Soccer Fellowship (3rd August)

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 3rd August at Hai Sing Catholic School* (yes, the one in Pasir Ris). We are at this new venue as our regular fields are all unavailable. The location is still rather convenient with many buses plying between Pasir Ris MRT Station and the 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 Hai Sing Catholic School is 9 Pasir Ris Drive 6. The entrance to the field however, is along Pasir Ris Drive 3, just across the road from E-Hub. There is a bus-stop just next to the field entrance. The nearest car park is the open air car park along blocks 406/407 Pasir Ris Drive 6.

You can view the map of the area HERE. 

CRC2013 Match #8 Report: PMC vs BENS (28th July)

It didn't seem so long ago that the PMC Soccer Team started their season at Anderson Secondary School. On that day, a tough match against NCC ended in a 1-0 defeat and started PMC's worst run of win-less matches. 15 players arrived at Anderson Secondary to ensure that streak did not enter into its 8th match, determined to finish the league season on a winning note. 

As the home team, PMC started off the session with 2 songs and a message by Jeremy Sin, sharing about how faith in God can change our lives.

 Jeremy Sin sharing the Christian message to both teams

The PMC team united in purpose before kick-off

The PMC team stuck to its tried and tested formula of 4-2-3-1 in the following line-up:

Jeremy Tan

Kevin - Steve - Yi Jun

Kee Min - Jacob

Damien - Jeremy Sin - Daniel Low

Weijie

David Lim

For the first 20min of the 1st half, PMC clearly was the better side, having almost all of the possession and keeping the ball in BENS' half for the 1st goal. However, most attempts to threaten BENS did not even result in a shot on target. Many balls were pumped forward to Jeremy Tan to chase, but these were either cleared by the defence or Jeremy Tan fouled the defender while trying to win the ball. There were half chances here and there, but largely the final ball in the box was disappointed, leaving nothing much for the forward players to latch onto. The most positive move was a long throw in the box to Jacob, who pulled the defence apart and laid off a back heel to Kee Min which was just slightly too long for him to make a serious attempt on goal. PMC was thus, almost sucker-punched, not once, not twice, but 3 times when BENS allowed 3 golden opportunities to pass them by. First, a BENS corner found its way straight to the head of their on-rushing CB, but he headed the ball way over the bar without anyone challenging him for the ball. The next 2 were in some ways courtesy of the referees decision to play advantage to the attacking player. 2 long balls found BENS forwards beating PMC's offside line, and with the defence completely rooted, it was David Lim who saved the team twice in one-on-one situations with reflex saves. It was thus quite a relief when the referee blew for half-time at 0-0. PMC knew that they had not converted their possession into goals and were fortunate to not be 2 goals down at the half.

The half-time team talk focused the team on playing the game, and to the call of the referee, instead of being frustrated by inaccurate decisions and stopping play unnecessarily. With that in mind, and encouragement to put more balls into the box, the PMC team went back onto the field with only 1 change - Jeremy Tan coming off, with Steve moving to CF, Kee Min to AM and Samuel coming on as DM. Kevin and Damien also swapped roles to keep things fresh on the left flank.

The changes seem to work in PMC's favour as from the kick-off, it was PMC that threatened again, with most of the possession. It took a corner kick to threaten BENS firmly and another one to finally break the deadlock in PMC's favour. Damien's first in-swinging curler beat the entire BENS defence and landed right on Steve's head, only for him to head it high above the bar, just as the BENS player did in the 1st half. Damien's 2nd corner finally did it, when Yi Jun guided the ball expertly into the top of the net with his head, to put PMC up 1-0 and looking good for the win. Of course, BENS did not sit back, but continued to threaten. PMC continued to change things up, with Jeremy Sin and Jacob swapping roles, and Kevin/Damien inter-changing on the left flank. PMC also brought on Daniel Chen for Steve, with Yi Jun moving to CF. With his first touch of the ball, Daniel Chen showed his technique by delivering an accurate cross into the box for Yi Jun to almost latch on to. PMC's 3rd substitution was Joel coming on for Yi Jun, who had a good game. Joel and Kee Min continued to press for the 2nd goal to put the match away. This finally came when Daniel Low delivered a nice cross on the right. With only the GK to beat, both Kee Min and Joel got initial shots saved before Joel got the decisive touch to send the ball into the net. With the score at 2-0, PMC was breathing slightly easier, allowing Michael to come on for Damien, and head between the sticks, giving David Lim some time at LM. PMC tried to keep-ball for the rest of the match, and was also stout in defending as BENS threw everything they had at the PMC goal. It was a rewarding feeling when the referee blew for full-time, giving victory to PMC. 

It was congratulations all around during the post-match team talk and Samuel closed in prayer.

Soccer Fellowship Report (20 July 2013)

It was again a scorching Saturday afternoon as players gathered outside the field entrance to Greenview Secondary School but only to find the gate still being locked at around 3pm. David Lim assisted to call the field coordinator and was informed that the field warden was mixed up with his schedule and would be 30mins late. Hence, we did our devotion outside the field after we welcome 4-5 new friends.

Jacob shared on the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. He encouraged all to show the true knowledge by exercising what we know/understand, but not like the law expert in the story who knows the Law very well but fails to treat everybody as his "neighbour".

We had around 20 players at start, so we began the play with the Whites against Other Colours. The Other Colours started the game brightly as they looked to threaten the opponent with both flanks. It was no surprise for the Other Colours to take the lead when Sheldon received the ball at the centre and gave a powerful volley into the net. Soon after, Cheng Qian also added a goal from the right. Clearly, Sheldon wanted to prove to us the reason he chose to wear the David Villa No.7 Barca jersey by completing his hat-trick! The Whites started the fightback by pouring more players forward. Andrew grabbed a goal back for the Whites after rounding the goalkeeper on an 1-on-1 occasion and Kevin also added his name to the scoresheet. Just before the break, our PMC soccer prodigy Issac also scored for the Other Colours after receiving a comfortable cross from the right. The first half ended with the Other Colours 5 : 2 the Whites.

As 6 players left during the break, we changed to using half field with 7 vs 7. As the play was restricted by space, both teams played with more short passing. Cheng Qian started the scoring  for the Other Colours and Kee Min also found the net with a clinical finish from a quick counter-attack. Keith also added to the scoreline by scoring a brace. However, the Whites fought back brilliantly again with a goal from Andrew and David Lim scored a brace, with Kevin being the architect providing the through passes to their pacy forward. The 2nd half ended soon after Jacob scored another goal for the Other Colours, and the 2nd half scoreline was the Other Colours 5 : 3 the Whites.

John closed us in prayer.

Soccer Fellowship (20th July)

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 20th July at Greenview 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 Greenview Secondary School is 15 Pasir Ris Street 21.

CRC2013 Match #7 Report: PMC vs COA (14th July)

The PMC Soccer Team returned to Bendemeer Secondary for their 7th match of the season, still looking for their first win, especially without any pressure of having to qualify for the knock-out stage of the tournament. The weather was perfect, overcast with a slight drizzle. The team had been depleted due to a few last minute withdrawals, but by-and-large had enough players to put up a good fight regardless of opponents. COA got the proceedings underway with S&S. Afterwhich, the team had their team talk and lined up in the following manner:

Yi Jun

Jingzhong - Rusydi - Justin

Isaiah - Jacob

Samuel - Mark - Daniel Low

Jeremy Sin

David Lim

The action was fast and furious in the first half, with both sides playing an open passing game. PMC moved the ball quickly on the ground, with the pace of Jingzhong, Yi Jun and Rusydi threatening up front. COA matched that and had the added touch of class with some diagonal balls finding their left winger on more than one occasion. The first clear chance of the match actually fell to PMC, when a series of passes fell to Jingzhong. With only the GK to beat, Jingzhong was unable to squeeze his shot past the GK, who saved with his feet. COA immediately countered and scored their first goal, with a deflected shot finding their winger running from deep, with our defence flat-footed. He gave David no chance and make it 1-0 to COA. However, from a move at the re-start, PMC found itself on level terms. Rusydi and Jingzhong worked together to craft an opening which Jingzhong put away clinically.  The 2 goals set the tone for the rest of the 1st half, as it was end to end stuff. COA continued to exploit Samuel's inexperience, with most of their attacks coming from their right wing. COA's 2nd goal came with the PMC defence flat-footed again. From a long ball to the left wing, COA's winger ran from deep to meet the ball ahead of the onrushing David to prod it into the empty net. Again, PMC responded emphatically, this time through a move from the middle. Jacob took the ball past the COA defence and his shot was saved by the GK, only to have the alert Yi Jun stab it back into goal. With still 20min to play in the first half, 4 goals had already been scored in the match. The final goal of the half however, came from COA. Again, a long ball from deep found a COA player with acres of space, Samuel again having backed off to much. With a body feint and quick feet, the COA player was able to take the ball into the box and fire it past David to make it 3-2 to COA. Tried as PMC did, they were not able to equalise before the half-time whistle. 

 Mark keeping close watch on COA's Jeric

 Rusydi giving Samuel some on-field advice

 Jingzhong helps out on defence against COA's dangerous right winger

The half-time team talk focused on keeping all players in the game mentality, as there was still all to play for with only 1 goal separating the teams. 2 substitutions were made to keep things fresh, with Steve replacing Yi Jun up front and Weijie replacing Justin, with Rusydi moving to RM. These changes allowed the PMC team to continue to press for an equaliser in the early minutes of the 2nd half, but Weijie's over-enthusiasm earned him a booking when he tried to take out a COA player off-the-ball. The equaliser did come within 10min of the 2nd half. Isaiah's accurate ball from deep (ala Xabi Alonso) found Steve in acres of space on the right. Steve's low cross eluded the defence and GK, and gave Jingzhong an easy tap-in to make it 3-3. At the 55th minute, Lincoln came on for Rusydi, who had put on an excellent shift despite being on fast. The intention was to continue to press for the winner, but instead, it was COA who took the lead again at about the 60th minute. The COA forward was able to break the offside trap and find himself in a one-on-one situation with David and made no mistake to bring the score to 4-3. With 20 or so minutes left, Kevin came on to replace Samuel, with Isaiah moving to Stopper and Jeremy Sin to LB. There were some good moves to press for the goal, most notably with Jingzhong finding himself in space but his attempted cross to Weijie was blocked by a defender. Again, COA struck through a counter-attack which caused Daniel no choice but to throw himself at the ball. Unfortunately, the ball came off his arm, awarding COA a direct free-kick which was taken rather quickly and the ball found its way into the PMC net for the 5th time. With only minutes remaining, PMC's valiant effort to find the goals was unproductive and the match ended at 5-3. Despite some frustration, there was still a deeper sense of togetherness amongst most of the team and Jacob closed the session in prayer.

 Master dribbler Rusydi taking the ball forward in the 2nd half

Jacob giving 100% in the challenge

Soccer Fellowship Report (6 July 2013)

It was a scorching Saturday afternoon at Greenview Secondary. At 3.25pm, we could count the number present with the fingers on one hand. But thank God more trickled in and by the hour mark, there were about 20 of us. [Please do come on time so we can maximise the playing time.]

Maurice shared a devotion from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 on the advantages of cooperating and collaborating as a team. Maurice stressed the importance of good friendships, committed teamwork and Jesus, the Perfect Friend.

It was the Red & Blues vs the Whites on half a soccer field and it was a good time of soccer and bonding, ending with the Red & Blues winning by a margin of 10-2. We also saw the return of Dominic and Andrew, together with Cuthbert and Clement and the impact could be felt almost immediately as Dominic scored a hat-trick and Andrew added at least 1 goal. We definitely missed their contributions in our Crossroad Cup campaign this season.  As the game wore on, the sun became kinder and everyone was clearly enjoying a good game. But alas, we had to reluctantly trudge off the field as we were reminded that it was 5pm already.

Soccer Fellowship (6th July)

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 6th July at Greenview 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 Greenview Secondary School is 15 Pasir Ris Street 21.

CRC2013 Match #6 Report: PMC vs AMC (30th June)

With clear skies and fresh air, the PMC team made their way to St Gabriel's Secondary School for their 6th match of the CRC2013 season. However, the match was designated for Bendemeer Secondary School instead, and through some quick communications, the players were able to hurry to the correct venue to take on AMC, the perennial champions/finalists. Maurice led a song of preparation and Kevin shared about the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20), with an emphasis on the fact that it was never too late to accept Christ, and that we can all inherit Christ's love equally. 

With recent matches showing good effort and some stability, the PMC team was positive lining up for the match, even though there were still changes in the team and a new set of defenders playing together for the first time this season:

Jeremy Tan

Jingzhong - Jacob - Yi Jun

Isaiah - Kee Min

Damien - Kevin - Daniel Low

Jeremy Sin

David Lim

PMC started the 1st 5min of the match really well, probing the AMC defence and winning the 1st corner. The team kept the ball well and also cleared their defensive lines without much trouble. However, after the 5th minute, AMC seemed to 'wake' up and settled into their high tempo passing game which left the PMC defence bewildered time and time again. It was only the offside trap and some last minute defending that preserved the 0-0 scoreline until the 10th minute. However, from that point onwards, the PMC defence was thrust into complete disarray by AMC's probing diagonal balls, speedy wingers and elusive forwards. In a span of 15min, PMC found itself 5 goals down with goals being conceded from the left, right and centre. Even when it seemed that the PMC defenders were going to be first to the ball, they were not able to clear their lines sufficiently, allowing 2 goals to be simple tap-ins from close range. It took lots of communication and composure for the PMC defence to re-group and the midfielders and forwards to keep the ball better, which led to AMC being unable to add to their 5 goals for the rest of the half. 

Jacob and Isaiah double-team to help PMC keep the ball 

Rusydi made a positive return to the team, but this free-kick would have only made the All Blacks proud 

Justin defends tightly against AMC's speedy left winger 

Michael punts the ball high and long 

Maurice makes a cameo as CF, but did not show his 'hunger' on the field 

Samuel soars high to head a ball clear

In keeping with the revised policy for earlier/more substitutions, 4 changes were made at half-time to keep the team fresh and battling. Justin came on for Yi Jun, Rusydi for Jeremy Tan, Samuel for Daniel Low and Joel for Damien. The fresher legs certainly helped to stave off AMC's speedy attacks in the early part of the 2nd half, with both Samuel and Joel getting to the ball first and clearing the danger before the AMC wingers could do any damage. Up front, PMC was keeping the ball better with Rusydi and Jingzhong in tandem, although they conjured up half chances at best. After 20min, the next set of substitutions took place, with Michael coming on for Jingzhong, allowing David Lim to play as CF. Maurice also came on for Isaiah and David Sng for Kevin. The team had to re-organise but was able to keep its share and take on AMC quite positively. For its effort, David Lim was able to capitalise on a mix-up in AMC's defensive ranks and score for PMC. With the score at 5-1, PMC was encouraged to press forward to make the scoreline more respectable, but to no avail. Defensively, PMC did well to hold the AMC forwards at bay and to conclude the match at 5-1, a better scoreline than previous meetings against AMC.

Clearly, there was better team spirit, communication and effort, perhaps owing from the stability from the previous few matches, and also more players being involved in the game earlier. This augurs well for the remaining matches in CRC2013, regardless of results. 

CRC2013 Match #5 Report: PMC vs CMC (23rd June)

PMC's 5th match of the season was only confirmed late in the morning of 23rd June, due to very hazy conditions earlier in the week. However, as the haze levels went below 100 PSI, and both teams felt comfortable proceeding with the match, it went ahead as planned. The PMC continued to play in a 'depleted' state, with Daniel serving his 2nd match suspension and other players unavailable. However, a full team turned up to try and produce a positive result. This was also bolstered by the return of Jacob from his 2-week trip to China.

PMC led the Sharing and Singspiration before the start of the match and a combined team photo was taken. PMC's pre-match talk focused on going for goals, with a new 4-3-3 formation allowing more players to get forward:

Jingzhong - Martin - Jeremy Tan

Isaiah - Kee Min - Jeremy Sin

Damien - Jacob - Samuel

Weijie

David Lim

The combined team photo before kick-off

The match started quite gradually, with both teams careful not to over-exert themselves due to still slightly hazy conditions. It slowly built up with CMC taking the play down the flanks, a common tactic that PMC had to face the entire season. PMC defended well initially, and also attacked with intent, but the earlier chances were mostly half chances that well to Jeremy Tan and Isaiah, which hardly troubled the CMC GK. CMC's initial attacks were also blunt and there was a significant amount of time that the ball spent being won in the middle of the park. It took a little bit of brilliance to break the deadlock and this came from the boot of a CMC player on the wing, who cut into the middle and curled a beautiful shot past David Lim and into the corner of the PMC net. It was 1-0 to CMC with about 20min to play in the 1st half. The PMC team spent much of this time working their way back into the match, but were left to rue half-chances and long shots, most notably by Jeremy Sin. The defence held firm and the break came with the score at 1-0 to PMC.

The half-time team talk focused on getting back into the match, naturally, and to do that even more players were given license to pour forward in a 3-5-2 formation:

Jingzhong - Lincoln

Damien - Kee Min - Martin - Jeremy Sin - Samuel

Isaiah - Weijie - Jacob

David Lim

Although the intent of the formation was sound on paper, in practice, the PMC team struggled to keep the shape and could not breach the CMC defence in the early minutes of the 2nd half. Still waiting to register a shot on target, the PMC team laboured for any offensive spark. On the part of CMC, they also did not carve out many chances although they had 1 or 2 attempts on goal. The 1st change of the 2nd half came when Steve came on to replace Martin. This brought some urgency into the attack, with a number of his headers and knock-ons finding their way to the forwards, who were unable to finish. The substitutes continued to roll on with Kevin replacing Damien, Justin replacing Jeremy Sin, Joel replacing Samuel, David Sng replacing Isaiah and Yi Jun replacing Jingzhong. The changes did not do much to help PMC's cause although they kept pressing for the equaliser. Unfortunately, during a CMC counter-attack late in the match, PMC was not able to clear the ball from the penalty box sufficiently, leaving a CMC open for a stiff strike that eluded David Lim in goal. The match ended with CMC victorious by 2 goals to 0.