Alpha Cup Match Report #1: PMC vs CMC (14th September)

Due to the September holidays, PMC was only able to rally a 11-men team to face off against CMC in their home ground at St Patrick's secondary school. This was also thanks to the last min availability of Joel. CMC started with a time of singing and sharing led by Mark before the kick-off.

The PMC starting line-up was as follows:

David Sng

Joel - Kevin - Daniel Low

Samuel - Kee Min

Damien - Maurice - Eddie

Jeremy Sin

Michael

PMC's focus was on conserving energy of the players and played well in the first half, giving CMC who had younger players and more depth in the squad a hard time getting near the PMC goal. All of CMC's attempts on goal were from outside the box which were either off-target or fell into the safe hands of Michael who had an excellent game the whole match. PMC also managed to have CMC play into their pace of the game and looked threatening through a few counter attacks and sending balls into the box, although there was no clear chances at goal. The first of PMC's woes came when Maurice pulled his calf muscle right before the half time whistle. But it was already an extremely commendable effort to hold CMC to 0-0 for an entire half on its home ground. 

PMC started the second half with only 9 men as Daniel had to leave and Maurice was out for the rest of the match. The line-up was as such:

Kevin - Joel

Samuel - Kee Min

Damien - David Sng - Eddie

Jeremy Sin

Michael

PMC conceded the first goal when a CMC winger dribbled in from the left and a late tackle by Eddie in the box gave away a penalty. CMC player followed to place the ball in the bottom right corner of the net, out of the reach of Michael even though he dived in the right direction. Even though a goal down, PMC continued to play in a disciplined manner, marking zonally. The defence continued to remain robust and kept out many aerial balls into the box by CMC. PMC even managed to frustrate CMC several times by playing on the break through Kevin and Joel. 

However, the lack of manpower proved too much when the CMC used their 7 substitutions to full effect and scored their first goal in open-play via a hard driven cross from the left followed by a strong header giving Mike no chance to react. The last goal was scored when a CMC player took on the tiring PMC defence and although Mike saved well in a one-on-one situation, the ball fell nicely to the CMC player's feet for an easy tap-in. 

After the final whistle, both teams gathered and Kevin closed in prayer, praying for Maurice's recovery from injury and another CMC player who was absent as he was down with Dengue.

Despite losing the game, the individual effort of everyone in the team to play their roles and cover one another is extremely commendable. And this is definitely one game that PMC could lose with their heads held high.

Soccer Clinic for kids from Tampines Family Service Centre (10th Semptember)

Let's pose for a photo!

A bright and sunny morning greeted the kids from Tampines Family Service Centre as they gathered at Tampines SAFRA for their 3rd soccer clinic session this year. Ronnie, Graham and Jacob were present to conduct the programme. 24 children had signed up for this programme as part of their September school vacation activities. After a round of introductions, Ronnie began the warm-up by leading the kids for a run around the futsal pitch and Jacob took over with the stretching. The kids were first lined up in 2 rows to get a taste of dribbling drills around the colourful cones after Graham had done a demo. After which, the kids were formed in 4 teams, along with the adults to do some simple passing and shooting drills. After a short water break, a series of round-robin matches finally took place. When all matches came to an end, Ronnie and Alvin did the debrief by emphasizing values such as sportsmanship and caring for others. The programme ended with a lunch over Nasi Lemak!

Soccertron 2014 (6th September)

The annual Soccertron marks the end of the Cross Road Cup Season for 2014, for which PMC finished 7th in the Alpha group. As non finalists, all CRC teams come together on the last day of the tournament to take part in a 7-a-side Soccertron that was held in a new futsal place in the east, Offside - 8 Mattar Road for the first time.

PMC was represented by Jacob, Luke, WeiJie, JingZhong, Daniel, YiJun, Rusydi, Adrien and myself. All Soccertron teams play 6 games in this 1 day tournament: 4 games in the 5-teams group stage, and teams were then broken into Vase, Shield, Bowl, Plate, Cup games according to the group stage placing. Concurrently, there is also a soccertron challenge whereby players can participate by going through a series of drills in the shortest possible time, and stand a chance to win CapitaLand Vouchers.



 



In the group stage, PMC was drafted in group A, along with WRPF, FMC, TCPC and GIB1. Group stage games were largely played with:

 

Luke

WJ - Daniel/Jem

Jacob - Adrien/Jem - JZ

YJ

 

Group A and B games were played on half an 11-a-side pitch with the usual 11-a-side goalposts, so one can imagine the ease in scoring for a 7-a-side game. The other groups C and D games were played on a smaller 6-a-side pitch with a smaller goal post so space is more limited there. Each game was only 10 minutes long so chances that come along have to be taken quickly. As the field is halved, long balls were constantly over-hit, hence teams that play more of short quick tiki-taka passing tend to perform better in such competition. PMC was fortunate to have a French exchange student Adrien with us, who has good touches and quick feet playmake some of the good moves in the tournament.

 

PMC finished 2nd in Group A with the following results:

TCPC 2 PMC 1

FMC 0 PMC 1

PMC 1 WRPF 0

PMC 1 GIB1 2

 

After group stage games concluded, Adrien and Jacob went to take part in the Soccertron Challenge, and amongst the many other participants, Adrien manage to complete all the drills in the 2nd fastest time, winning himself some extra purchasing power for a foreign exchange student.

 

S&S soon take place before the semifinals of soccertron.

 

PMC played ABC1 in the smaller 6-a-side pitch and space was clearly more limited there. ABC1 has players with quick feet and PMC did well to stand up to them and not fall for their constant taunting. The short game concluded in a draw and the match went on to sudden death penalty kick.

ABC1 came out victorious and PMC will now play for 3rd in the last game against EBC.

EBC game was played in a more friendly manner and PMC dominate the game, storming to 2 quick goals. More could have come had we been more clinical.

 

PMC KO-games:

YJ/Jacob

WJ - Daniel

Rus - Jacob/Jem -JZ

Adrien/YJ

 

Hence, PMC concluded Soccertron 2014, coming in 3rd in the Plate category.

 

Friendly Match Report: PMC vs COS (31st August)

PMC's run of matches continued with a friendly against COS. Having made it to the CRC finals the week after this, COS had chosen PMC to help prepare it for the final match of their CRC season. It was a very wet Sunday leading up to the match, and upon arrival, it was clear that everyone would be enjoying a mud-bath. The PMC welcomed a couple more newcomers for this match, Winston (TM of COA), Jacob's friend Li Da and Malcolm, who played for the PMC Veterans in 2013. The team lined up as follows:

Joel

Jeremy Tan - Kevin -  Jacob

Kee Min - Samuel

Damien - Jeremy Sin - Daniel Low

Felix

Winston

COS started brighter of the 2 teams, putting together some slick moves and switching the ball from flank to flank with ease, showcasing the reason why it had overcome all teams to make it to the CRC finals in 2014. PMC had to rely most on the counter attack and the impetus to send quick balls into the box proved useful, with Kevin having 2 early chances which the COS GK was able to save. On PMC's end, Winston was also handling the ball well and making saves look routine. It was still 0-0 midway through the first half, with good combative football in the middle of the park and some nice passing moves from both teams. It took a thunderbolt of a shot from the COS player to put COS 1-0 at half-time, which was a fair scoreline leading into the break.

In the 2nd half, Maurice, Li Da and Yi Jun came on for their run-out and was putting in a decent shift to keep the score at 1-0. Again, it was only midway through the half that COS made their 2nd break through, a peach of a cross headed into the net by a COS midfielder running from deep. With that, more substitutions were made for the final push, however, the floodgates seemed to be opening as a 3rd goal was conceded shortly after, following some unnecessary exchange of words and emotions from players on both sides. Bringing the PMC players together before kickoff, the PMC team focused on getting back into the match, and started a commendable comeback. In the final 10 minutes of the half, PMC first got 1 back when a PMC free kick found its way to Yi Jun who made no mistake in a one-on-one situation with the GK. Following that, Yi Jun got his 2nd goal after a quick free kick from Joel. It was almost 3-3 when another good pass by Joel found Kevin's run on goal, but his left foot shot was well blocked by the recovering defender. The PMC tried as they could to level the match, but it ended 3-2 in favour of COS.

Friendly Match Report: PMC vs GIBC (17th August)

Immediately after ending its CRC campaign the previous week, PMC was back on the field to take on Grace Independent Baptist Church (GIBC) in a friendly match at Hai Sing Catholic School. The weather was good and the PMC team turned up in good spirits to take on their opponents, welcoming back Cheng Qian and Daniel Chen from their absence, as well as Ernest of TCPC who was joining us for the first time, and Pastor Alvin Chan of TMC, who played with the Veterans last year. 

The team lined up as follows:

David Sng

Jeremy Tan - Kevin - Ernest

Kee Min - Cheng Qian

Samuel - Jeremy Sin - Alvin

Daniel Chen

Joel 

The early proceedings were fairly even, although PMC players were quicker to the ball and made good use of possession, putting in early balls in the box and causing GIBC some early problems. All of the front players had shots on goal and most of the play was in the GIBC half. GIBC was relying mostly on counter attacks through their speedy winger, but most of their efforts were fruitless. Halfway through the 1st half, Jingzhong and Wei En arrived to bolster the numbers, and Jingzhong immediately came on in place of Ernest, at LM, with Jeremy moving to RM. It took a marauding run from Samuel at LB to open the scoring. Taking the ball close to the halfway line, Samuel took on the GIBC defence and as they gave him space to run at them, his stiff right foot shot was too much for the GIBC GK to handle, giving PMC the 1-0 lead. 

The PMC team was playing well and carried on doing so in the 2nd half, with some changes in formation as follows:

David Sng

Jingzhong - Jeremy Tan - Joel

Cheng Qian - Kee Min 

Wei En - Jeremy Sin - Luke

Daniel Chen

Ernest

Having been on the back foot for most of the 1st half, GIBC started the 2nd half in a more robust fashion, many of their challenges ended in free kicks awarded to PMC. PMC continued to have the lion's share of possession and had a number of good chances to score, from David Sng and Jeremy Tan, but none were converted. Midway through the 2nd half, Samuel, Alvin and Kevin returned to the pitch in place of David Sng, Cheng Qian and Luke. The fresh legs was apparent in helping PMC drive closer to their 2nd goal. This came again through the right boot of Samuel, who again drove through the middle of the GIBC half and blasted a long range shot into the back of the net. Clearly Samuel's shooting was on form! The match ended 2-0 in favour of PMC and everyone enjoyed the run-out.

CRC2014 Match Report #8: PMC vs TSA (10th August)

PMC gathered at Bendemer Sec to take on The Salvation Army (TSA) in its final CRC league match of the season. Although already eliminated from the knock-out phase of the tournament, PMC was intent on putting up a good performance and end the season on a positive note.

PMC and TSA pose for a combined photo before kick-off

Following singspiration and sharing led by the TSA, the teams huddled for their respective team-talks before kick-off. PMC had a fair number of players to draw from in its final match, although some notable absentees were noticed. Nonetheless, in the spirit of team work and commitment that has been the bedrock of PMC's matches this season, the following line-up was fielded:

David Sng

Jingzhong - Rusydi - Lincoln

Jeremy Sin - Kee Min

Damien - Jacob - Weijie - Daniel Low

David Lim

The match started brightly for both teams, especially TSA, as they knew a win would allow them to qualify in 2nd position instead of 3rd in the league table. It was evident that their #32 was going to be their main go-to guy with his deft touches and dribbling skills. PMC relied on its direct style of play and both sides had some decent chances in the first half to take the lead. Passages of play were fairly even for both teams, and the first critical moment of the match came when in one move, TSA's #32 took out Damien, and had the whole right wing to roam until Weijie intervened with a jersey tug which led to a yellow card from the ref. Although the ensuing free kick was sent high and wide by #32, it set the tone for his next move when he controlled the ball in front of Jacob, turned the PMC player and fired an unstoppable shot past David to give TSA the 1-0 lead. Undaunted, PMC continued to press with most of the good work done by Rusydi and Jingzhong in the attacking midfield positions. The TSA GK was called into 1 or 2 decent saves to keep the score 1-0 in TSA's favour at half-time. In the moments before half-time, Jacob also received a yellow card following some desperation defending to prevent TSA from taking a 2-goal lead into the half.

A few changes were made before the start of the 2nd half, with Kevin coming on in place of Jeremy Sin and Samuel coming in for Lincoln. This meant some changes with Sheldon in DM, Kevin in AM, Daniel Low in RM and Samuel at RB. These changes did not deter PMC at all, and in fact, allowed some fluidity in attacking play, with 1 or 2 chances falling PMC's way early in the first half. There were some passages of play with excellent 4 to 5 touch moves and one of these ended with Daniel Low swinging a wicked cross into TSA's penalty box which the defender only half cleared, allowing Kevin to fire the ball into the goal with his left foot for his first goal of the season. With the score at 1-1 and all to play for, Isaac came on to add more attacking verve to the PMC attack. It was PMC all the way, with TSA relying on the counter and their #32 to either play the killer pass or take the PMC team on by himself. However, a lack of restraint saw Weijie retaliate against a TSA player who had kicked him. With the referee only witnessing what Weijie, and not the TSA player, had done, he had no choice but to award Weijie his 2nd yellow card and a sending off. Depleted, PMC was then on the back foot and a brilliant move on the left of the goal saw TSA's #32 beat 2 to 3 PMC players before firing a stiff shot past David to make it 2-1 to TSA. It was a cruel blow to PMC who until then, had matched and even exceeded TSA in most departments of the match. As the final whistle blew to signal the end of PMC's season, the team knew that they had not lost to a better team, but a better player. Indeed, analysis of the season will show that PMC only lost by 1-goal to all the teams above it, barring COS. Certainly an improvement from the previous season.

Soccer Fellowship Report (2nd August)

Soccer Fellowship returned with our usual pitch in Haising Catholic Schoool but at an unusual timing from 5-7pm. A total of 12 players came for a kickabout, these include members of the organizing committee for Mini World Cup event. Jacob shared on 'the Good Dilemma'. As the Barclay Premier League is going to kick-start soon, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be facing a dilemma over the person in goal, with rising star Thibaut Courtois challenging the club's longtime servant Petre Cech for the starting berth. Similarly, the disciples in Luke 9:10-17 also faced a dilemma over whether to send the 5000 hungry people away or to trust in God's provision to feed them. The end result of trusting in Jesus was astonishing- Jesus multiplied the 5 loaves of bread & 2 fish to feed the 5000 and there were 12 baskets of food left. It will not be just enough but even more!

The play began with Whites against Other Colours using half the field. Both sides worked on short passes and it was difficult to break through. The score at half-time was 1-1. Second half started with 5 V 5, both teams were able to exploit more spaces and the final score remained tied at 3-3. Luke closed us in prayer.

CRC2014 Match Report #7: PMC vs EBC (20th July)

The PMC team gathered at the very large St Wilfred field on a scorching afternoon to take on EBC in its 7th CRC match of the season. Reeling from a number of defeats and battling suspensions and players being unavailable, the PMC team was down to its bare bones with the fewest number of players available for a game this season. Nonetheless, the players who turned up were upbeat and intent on not finishing the league bottom of the table.

Pre-match team photo on the balcony

There were considerable changes to the starting line-up for this match as follows:

David Sng

Eddie - Timothy - Rusydi

Kevin - Kee Min

Damien - Sheldon - Samuel

Felix

Maurice

The big field certainly unsettled the team, even though the 2 previous friendlies had been played on the equally large St Patrick's field. Still, it took some getting used to, with lots of space in between players and balls not reaching their intended target with passes too light and mis-directed. For the first 20min of the match, PMC was soaking and sitting back, without being able to control possession. Felix and Sheldon were marshalling the defence well, with Kee Min and Timothy doing well in the middle to hold the ball, leaving EBC with few good chances. When they did threaten, Maurice was there to sweep up. PMC's first chance signalled the intended route to goal, with an early ball played to Rusydi on the right, who cut in and passed to Kevin in the box, whose shot was blocked by the defender. Other attempts on goal included Damien's left foot free kick which the EBC GK dealt with comfortably. After 15min into the match, the heat had got to Eddie, who had to be replaced with Jeremy Tan. His insertion into the match brought some neat exchanges on the left side of the field, and an instant chance which the EBC GK dealt comfortably with again. It took a route one move to put PMC up in the match. Samuel played an early ball to Rusydi, who looked up, spotted David on the run and played a beautiful cross which David controlled with his thigh, then fire a shot wide into the net with his laces. It was a typical CF goal, which the team celebrated. PMC held on to the lead heading into the break.

The half-time team talk focused on keeping the lead (naturally) through control and not making silly mistakes, as in previous matches. The instruction was to keep play in EBC's half, away from the danger zone close to PMC's goal. The only change made was David coming off, with Isaac replacing him, which meant Jeremy Tan moving upfront with Isaac on the left wing. The shape of the team was good going into the second half, and the early exchanges saw PMC playing to plan. Only a few fouls here and there gave EBC the opportunity to threaten through free kicks, but all these were not on target. PMC tried to soak-and-strike with Jeremy, and then Timothy coming really close. Mid-way through the second half, Joel and Lincoln came on to replace Damien and Felix, with some re-org in the team to see the match through. Both Joel and Lincoln did have good touches and exchanges, but no clear cut opportunities were created. The important part of the job was holding EBC, and this was done, with PMC leaving the field 1-0 winners, and another 3 points in the bag for the season. It was a hard fought match under hot conditions, but certainly well-deserved after the hard work on the field.

'World Cup Special' Soccer Fellowship (12th July)

The PMC Soccer Community gathered on 12th July to commemorate its 8th year of existence, having been set up during the World Cup of 2006. This 'World Cup Special' Soccer Fellowship was enthusiastically attended with a number of players turning up in their National Team jerseys.

Before the start of play, Kevin showed the above VISA commercial about the attraction of the World Cup to all types of people. Using this as an analogy to describe how Jesus was also someone who attracted attention and met the needs of many people during His time on earth, e.g. being a healer, someone who fed people and cared for them. Kevin encouraged all the players to be open to find out who Jesus is, so that He can meet all our needs.

Of course we had to use a Brazuca to play 

 Representatives from Singapore, Portugal, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy and Netherlands

The World Cup final we all wanted to see

Play got underway with the Reds and Whites (RW) taking on the other colours (OC) but no one really kept track of score as everyone was more concerned with having fun and enjoying a good run-out. This has certainly been the cornerstone of Soccer Fellowship all these years and we're glad that many of the players who started with us in 2006, are still with us today.

Friendly Match Report: PMC vs TCC Veterans (6th July)

The PMC Soccer Team continued to keep up with their match fitness and tactical training by taking on the TCC Veterans on a weekend where most of the team were away. As such, it was another opportunity for some friends and potential additions to the team to join in at St Patrick's School. 

Although the TCC Veterans team was named as such, it was clear that they had a number of younger legs in key positions where their skill and speed would trouble us. Nonetheless, the focus was again on getting ready for the next CRC match and less on the final outcome of this match. 

PMC started off the match quite well, with Kee Min and Timothy controlling the midfield by holding the ball well. TCC looked like they had no inhibition using their bodies and experience to win the ball, but more often than not, these resulted in fouls against them, winning us vital free kicks that Rusydi took. Interestingly, the first couple of chances fell to Kevin, who although was playing as Stopper, pushed up during free kicks and corners. The TCC team focused their attacks through the middle, allowing Samuel and Wei En more space to push up on the wings. Overall, both teams were playing controlled, physical football, with chances being few and far-between. At about the 20min mark, some changes were made to rotate the team. It was shortly after these changes that TCC was able to beat the PMC offside trap, allowing their forward to score from a one-on-one situation with GK Joel. Not to be dismayed being a goal down, the PMC pushed forward for the rest of the half, but the chances were not forthcoming. 

The half-time team talk focused on keeping the ball, playing it to feet, and create more chances with better final balls in the box. This did happen for a good portion of the second half, but none of these turned into goals. This was until a free kick was won just outside the TCC box for Samuel to step up and curl a beautiful right footer into the right corner of the TCC net to bring things level at 1-1. PMC continued to push forward to win the match, with TCC unable to keep up, sitting deep to defend and trying to hit on the break to no avail. It took a somewhat bewildering decision by the referee to turn the game in TCC's favour when he decided to award TCC a penalty following a corner when a TCC player tumbled in the box under no apparent challenge by a PMC player. The TCC penalty-taker made no mistake with his effort, although David Lim (now back in goal) almost got his hand to the ball. PMC pushed hard to find the equaliser in the final 5min of the match, but it ended 2-1 in TCC's favour. 

Overall, the team played well despite having many regulars away, and this was encouraging in preparation for the next CRC match when many regulars would either be suspended or still away.