CRC2012 Match #10 3rd/4th Playoff: PMC vs PPCC (16th September)

It had been a long season and the final match of this year's CRC2012 campaign would be PMC's 21st, a record number of matches played by the PMC team in a calendar year. The weariness and injuries certainly had taken its told, with only 16 players available and even amongst those, there were some not fully fit. Still, the team arrived at Turf City in good spirits, and looking to end CRC2012 on a positive note. As usual, we had a good number of supporters, which we later found out, would contribute to us clinching the 'Best Supported Team' awarded for the season.

Kenneth (one of our ever-present supporters this year) with Maurice

Isaiah & Jingzhong catch-up before the match

 Warm-up time!

 Rusydi having a good stretch before the match

A good warm-up leads to a good game for Michael

Singspiration & Sharing on the day was an affair with all 4 teams involved in the final - FGA, AMC, PPCC and PMC. Worship was led by Kevin (PMC) and Benedict (AMC), with Kevin sharing on the supremacy of Christ in washing away all our sins. After S&S, the teams proceeded for their team talks and took to the field for the final games of the CRC2012 season.

The PMC team lined up in a slightly altered manner, due in most part to missing first teamers. Both full backs for the day were midfielders but were ready to do their best for the team. The starting 11 were:

David

Jingzhong - Timothy - Rusydi

Kevin - Isaiah

Kee Min - Jeremy Sin - Jacob

Mark 

Michael

PMC started the match the brighter of the 2 sides, surprisingly. Remembering the 4-0 defeat earlier in the season, PMC was determined to win the first half and really were quick off the blocks, with some good attacking play by Rusydi, Jingzhong and Timothy. The PPCC GK was tested early with some crosses and the general level of play was good. PPCC did their part by counter-attacking flawlessly, due much to the prowess of their #11, whose footwork, ball skills and speed proved a handful for the PMC defence, and it took last minute challenges from Mark, Jeremy and Jacob to deny him a clear route to goal on many occasions. On the right, Jacob also did an excellent job defending PPCC's #3, whose pace would trouble the team for the entire match. With possession quite even, and both sides threatening with some neat passing, the match was general quite open and pleasing to the eye for the spectators. For the players however, it was rather tiring under the hot sun and also frustrating as most of the attacking play did not produce clear cut chances on goal, with most shots high/wide or crosses easily kept out by the GKs. In the 30th min, PMC brought on Jeremy Tan to replace David, for fresh legs up front. The first half ended with the best chance of the match for PMC. A corner by Timothy was floated to the far post but both Jeremys decided to challenge for the ball, ending with neither getting good contact to challenge the GK. It was a scoreless first half with all to play for in the second.

 Michael does his part to keep it scoreless at half-time.

 Mark distributes from the back

 Michael punches the ball clear to safety

The half-time team talk was a robust affair, with many players quick to air their views on how to improve play in the 2nd half. Most importantly, everyone stressed the need to communicate more, and let the ball do the work, with players clearly fatigued. It didn't help that the half-time break was 25min long due to the SoccerTron and the rhythm of both teams was certainly lost by the time the match resumed.

With Jeremy Sin being able to soldier on, the same team that ended the 1st half started the 2nd, but with Timothy taking the DM position and Kevin pushing up to AM. The start of the half again proved to be PMC's, with some nice interchange between Jingzhong, Kevin and Rusydi, but again, only half chances were created. Again, PPCC would threaten on the break, with #11 involved again. It took some robust challenges from Timothy and Isaiah to stop him on more that one occasion. In the 65th min, one of these challenges finally took its toll on Timothy, as he cramped up after winning the ball and was unable to continue. Daniel Chen came on as his replacement at LB, with Kee Min moving to the DM position. With the score at 0-0, it was still all to play for, but within minutes, PMC's weakness of defending corners poorly would again rear its ugly head. A corner swung to the near post was met by Mark, with no attackers close by, but his touch was only enough to send the ball straight into the net, with all the players stunned, and PPCC celebrating. It was a bitter blow for PMC, but clearly not the first time that it had happened this season. Needing to press for the equalizer, Kevin was replaced by Lincoln for the final 20 min of the match. PMC continued to try to attack through the wing play of Rusydi and Jingzhong, but even when they did have the ball, the PPCC defence stood firm and did not allow for many chances. Yi Jun was also brought on for Jeremy Tan for the final 10 min of the game. It took more last minute defending to stop PPCC's attack and one very aggressive sliding tackle by Isaiah was not taken lightly by PPCC's #11 and his parents on the sideline. However, the referee had full view of the incident and deemed it as an 'all ball' challenge. Still, due to the incessant talking by players on both sides, the referee had to call both captains to him for a talking to. The match resumed with possession very much even for both teams. It was only in the dying minutes of the game that PPCC scored their 2nd goal, with PPCC's #11 having the last laugh, curling home a beauty with his left foot from the right edge of the box. With only minutes left to play, PPCC did well to keep the ball, preventing PMC from having any chance to get back into the match. Tough as the game was played, it ended in good spirits, with handshakes all around.

 Timothy gave his all, and needed the help of medic Jacob to deal with cramp

 Jeremy soars high to clear the ball from the box

The post-match team talk saw Kevin encouraging everyone on a job well done for the entire season. He pointed out the strengths and areas for improvement moving forward, and areas that the players could improve on individually, as well as a team. Jacob closed the session in prayer and thanked God for his provision and protection during CRC2012.

The players who stayed behind witnessed the closing minutes of the final between AMC and FGA, which was in extra time with FGA leading 4-3. However, with the last kick of the game, AMC equalized, sending the match into extra time which FGA won on sudden death penalties. It was high drama as FGA had come back from 3-0 down after the 1st half.

Following the final, CRC2012 ended with the prize-giving ceremony, with PMC bagging the 'Best Supported Team' award and receiving its 4th placed trophy.

 Maurice receiving the 4th place trophy

Feeling like champions!

CRC2012 Match #9 SF: PMC vs FGA (9th September)

CRC2012 Semi-final day was gloomy and the thunderstorm threatened to have the match postponed. It was still raining as the players gathered at Turf City and the 'fog' made it all feel slightly surreal.  On the positive side, the players missing in action from the previous match had mostly returned and everyone was confident as kickoff approached. Singspiration and sharing was led by Herbert from FGA and it was always good to acknowledge God's presence before any soccer gets played.

Team PMC - CRC2012 Semi-finalists

Unable to take the field as a result of injury sustained during the Quarter-finals, Kevin focused on managing the team and encouraged all players to remember the good work done the previous week and to stay focused throughout the match. The starting line-up was also tweaked to factor in the return of Jacob and giving Martin and Rusydi some bench-time to observe proceedings before taking to the field for a more impactful introduction. The team lined up as follows:

David

Jingzhong - Timothy - Jacob

Isaiah - Jeremy Sin

Damien - Dominic - Daniel Low

Mark

Maurice

The early proceedings of the match was quite even with both teams sharing possession and probing each other's defence to find gaps. Tim, Jingzhong and Jacob were all seeing some of the ball and made some attempts to play David through as well, but to no avail. On the part of FGA, they had a number of long shots off target. It was about at the 15min mark that PMC conceded the first goal, strangely when it was taking a throw-in. The ball was short, allowing the FGA midfielders to play a long pass to their unmarked winger who made no mistake in a one-on-one situation with Maurice. Being an early goal down was something that PMC had faced before, and so with composure remaining, PMC pressed forward for the equalizer. One of the best chances fell to Jacob with Tim's through ball almost put him through but the FGA GK was quick off his line to clear the danger. However, within minutes PMC did equalizer from a corner. Tim swung in a low cross which was deftly flicked on by David into the far corner of the net, bringing PMC level at the 25min mark. With 20min to play before half time, PMC was confident of going into the break on a positive note. David was also subbed off for Rusydi, with Jacob taking the 'false 9' position. PMC did manage a couple more attacks, but the FGA defence stood firm. However, on the defensive end, PMC lost concentration at key moments to concede 2 goals before half time. Firstly, an FGA free kick was only parried my Maurice into the path of the FGA forward for him to complete the easiest of tap-ins. Within minutes of that, FGA got their 3rd when a corner was swung in for a completely un-marked FGA player to head easily into the net. Defensive frailties clearly caused PMC to go down 3-1 at half time, and things were made worse when Dominic pulled his hamstring and was unable to continue after half time.

 It takes 4 players & 1 supporter to stop Tim

 David shields the ball from his defenders

 Tim shoots for goal

 Jingzhong takes on the whole FGA defence

 Rusydi our first line of defence

 Tim is very well defended

The half time team talked focused on keeping composure and not letting the mistakes bother the team into playing worse. With some re-shuffling, Martin came on for Jacob and Kee Min slotted into midfield with Jeremy Sin heading into defence. The 2nd half started with PMC determined to get back into the match, but somehow, the determination from the Quarter-final win was not matched. Also, the few chances that did come PMC's way, was not taken and thus, it was down to more defensive errors that put the match beyond PMC's reach. FGA's 4th goal was a PMC own goal. Again, a corner was not cleared and through some ding-dong in the penalty box, the ball ricocheted off 2 PMC players before trickling into the net to make it 4-1 to FGA. FGA's 5th goal came from another easy header by an FGA player who was completely un-marked during a corner again. Their 6th goal was courtesy of another own goal, by Daniel Low, who in attempting to clear a long ball, planted it beyond Maurice's reach and into the corner of the net. FGA's final and 7th goal arrived when Maurice had already punched the ball clear, but when a looping shot was sent back in, he could not recover in time to stop it from sailing into the net. It was certainly an exhibition of 'how not to defend long balls and corners' by PMC and it was certainly not its day.

 Daniel takes a goal kick in the 2nd half

 Tim sends the free kick in hope of bringing us back into the match

 Jeremy defends from midfield

Jingzhong challenges for the ball

Chilling out after the hard work

PMC learned a harsh lesson in knock-out soccer at the Semi-final stage. Certainly the lack of experience and composure had taken its toll on the team, and harsh as the scoreline was, it was a good lesson for all players to learn and improve the team in future seasons. Regardless of this result, PMC's entrance into the top 4 places has been a commendable achievement and with another match to play, everyone left the pitch giving thanks to God and looking forward to better days ahead.

Support for PMC Soccer Team (CRC2012 Semi-finals)

The PMC Soccer Team will be competing in the Semi-finals of CrossRoad Cup 2012 on Sunday 9th September 2012, 3pm at The Cage Sports Park, Turf City. This will be the first time that PMC has progressed so far in the annual Christian tournament. All supporters are welcomed.

The address of the venue is 220 Turf Club Road, Singapore 288001. The GPS coordinates are Latitude 1.341347, Longtitude 103.794993. Please refer to this map to have an idea of the match venue.

The PMC Soccer Team would like to thank the PMC Soccer Community for their prayers and support throughout the season and looking forward to seeing you at The Cage Sports Park this Sunday! 

CRC2012 Match #8 QF: PMC vs BESS (2nd September)

It was a terribly hot early afternoon as the PMC players trudged to The Cage Sports Park Turf City to take on the Senior Squad of Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church in the Quarter-finals of CRC2012. Having already made history by qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Christian league for the first time since starting to participate in 2008, the PMC Team knew that the former Agape Cup finalists and top team in Omega Group would be tough to beat. Things were not helped by the fact that the PMC team was missing 6 regulars, but it appeared that BESS was also short of key players, so things looked even before kick-off. No one could anticipate that the match would turn out to be THE match in the history of the PMC Soccer Team.

Before play got underway, the BESS team led us in a time of Singspiration and Sharing, with the old favourite of Amazing Grace sung, and also a testimony by one of their players. Following S&S, the teams had a couple of minutes for team talk and then the pre-match checks by the referee. The PMC team lined up like this:

Martin

Jingzhong - Timothy - Rusydi

Isaiah - Dominic

Damien - Kevin - Daniel Low

Weijie

Maurice

 The PMC team during Singspiration

 The history-making PMC team

The match started with BESS pretty much in the driver's seat, boasting fast, young players intent on moving the ball quickly to their lone forward, a nimble chap who pulled the PMC defence apart everytime he had the ball. There was little time for PMC to settle into the match as wave after wave of attacks ensued, needing some last ditch clearances from all of PMC's back four. When PMC had the ball, they resorted to some fruitless long punts up the field for Martin and Timothy to chase, but possession turned over quite quickly. With PMC on the back foot, it didn't take long for BESS to score the first goal of the game. BESS' forward outpaced the PMC defence and made no mistake, placing the ball neatly past the onrushing Maurice when he was put through with a nice pass. With BESS being up 1-0 so early in the match, things didn't look good for PMC. Contrary to expectations however, BESS chose to sit on its slim lead and took their foot off the pedal. Furthermore, BESS' forward picked up a yellow card for not backing off the full 10 yards when Daniel took a quick free-kick. This triggered reduced movement and incisiveness from him, giving PMC time to use the ball better and string a number of neat passes to bring the ball up the field. Seeing more of the ball, a number of free kicks, throw-ins and corners were won and the BESS GK was called upon to make a couple of clearances and saves. However, from a direct free kick just outside the 18-yard box, the BESS GK could do nothing as Daniel curled a beauty above the wall and into the top of the net, pulling PMC back into the match. With spirits raised, the momentum swung in favour of PMC, with more craft and intent but no goals to show for as the 45-minute half ended.

The PMC half-time team talk focused the players on wanting the win more and understanding better the need to play a higher line in order to reduce the space between defence and midfield. The only change made was Jeremy Sin coming on in place of Kevin, who injured his ankle mid-way through the 1st half. Jeremy slotted into midfield next to Isaiah with Dominic taking the stopper's role.

The 2nd half begun where the 1st ended, with PMC pressing for the goal. BESS somehow, seemed bereft of ideas to penetrate PMC's defence and seemed very mindful that they only had 2 substitutes for the entire match. It was thus PMC that took the early lead in the 55th minute, again from a set piece. Daniel's throw into the box was flicked on by Martin to the far post where Isaiah was lurking to head home his 2nd goal of CRC2012. With the lead in the match, PMC attempted to control the pace of the game and keep possession of the ball to the best of their ability. Perhaps the mantra of a certain Luis Felipe Scolari had finally sunk in: "when we have the ball, our opponents cannot score". PMC tried to hold true to this by making its 2nd substitution in the 65th minute, with Kee Min coming on for Timothy, with instructions to win the ball from high up the pitch. Within 5 minutes, Lincoln came on for Rusydi and Daniel Chen on for Damien. With the 3 substitutions, the PMC took a while to solidify its shape again. BESS attempted to take advantage of any gaps by now launching long balls to pressure the defence, and these were mostly cleared by the defenders, or Maurice. However, as the match approached its 80th minute, PMC was sucker punched. A BESS corner started a chain of events which saw the ball cleared to almost the halfway line. From there, a BESS midfielder lofted a high looping cross which deceived everyone, including Maurice (with the sun in his face) and ended up in the back of the net. The momentum of the match had again changed hands and was now in favour of BESS, who pressed for the winner with 10 minutes of regulation time remaining. PMC defended bravely, even though players were visibly tiring. With 5 minutes of the match to go, an innocuous incident led to Weijie being shown a red card by the referee as he was about to take a goal kick. Even the BESS players were surprised with the referee's decision as PMC was reduced to 10 men, and Jeremy dropping deeper to take on defensive duties. [The referee explained later that it was because Weijie had directed a verbal vulgarity and gesture at a BESS player as he was about to take the goal kick.] PMC defended for its life as almost all of possession was at BESS' feet for the remainder of the match. The PMC players were slightly relieved when the referee blew for full-time at 2-2, but knew that 30 minutes of extra time would bring a new set of challenges, including a possible penalty shoot-out.

 2nd half match action

 Daniel taking one of his many throw-ins

The pre-extra time team talk focused on 3 things - playing tactically, letting the ball do the work and believing that the team could still pull this off despite being 1 man short on the field. Some tactical changes were also made, with the tiring Isaiah retreating as stopper, thereby releasing Dominic into midfield. There was hardly any time to breathe as the referee signaled for players to return to the pitch. Within minutes of re-start, Martin and Jingzhong both appeared to need substitutions but were encouraged to press on. The soak-and-strike philosophy was clearly in force and this worked to good effect. Mid-way through the 1st period of extra time, Jingzhong cramped up and was replaced by Yi Jun, with instructions to run at the tiring BESS defence as much as he could at every opportunity.  However, his most telling contribution was to stop the ball on the goal line during a BESS attack and this was surely worth more than all his previous 3 goals. With the score still at 2-2 after 15 minutes, the referee blew for half-time and players changed sides with only a minute break.

The 2nd half of extra time was more even, with BESS players clearly fatigued and not able to push too much. PMC players were content to hold back as well, with only the fresh legs of Yi Jun, Lincoln and amazingly Dominic, carrying the ball forward when opportunities arose. In the final 5 minutes, PMC gave a push to prevent a penalty shoot-out, but a couple of corners and free kicks in good positions were to no avail, with either the BESS defence clearing or the GK punching the ball out to safety. As the referee blew for the end of extra time, the PMC team knew that they had fought hard to stay alive in the match after playing 35 minutes with 10 men. 

Isaiah taking a free-kick deep into extra time

All players gathered in the centre circle as the Team Managers trudged onto the pitch to relay the order of penalty takers to the team. For PMC, it was going to be Isaiah, Martin, Dominic, Daniel Chen and Daniel Low who would have the heavy responsibility of carrying PMC's Semi-final hopes. As the kickers and Maurice psyched themselves up, the referee brought the action to the penalty box.

PMC won the toss and Isaiah stepped up to the penalty spot first. Having not missed a penalty all season, Isaiah somehow skied his shot above the bar (ala Roberto Baggio in 1994), allowing BESS to hold the early advantage in the shoot-out. This was confirmed when BESS' first kicker gave Maurice no chance to put BESS 1-0 up. Next up for PMC was Martin, who at 48-years-old had already bellied his years by soldiering on for the full 120 minutes. With years of experience behind him, Martin coolly placed the ball beyond the reach of the BESS GK to make it 1-1. Maurice stepped between the posts knowing that he needed to make a save in order for PMC to win it and indeed, his left-hand post came to PMC's rescue when the BESS' kicker planted his kick firmly against it. It was all square at 1-1 with 3 kicks remaining for each team. PMC's 3rd kicker Dominic stepped up to the spot and made no mistake with a firm shot in the corner. The BESS GK had guessed correctly but could do nothing to keep the shot out. Maurice stepped up between the posts again and this time, pulled off a save with his feet when the BESS' kicker's shot was firm but not wide enough. The PMC players seemed energised knowing that they were now 2-1 up with only 2 more kicks to go for each team. PMC's 4th kicker was the elder statesman of the team, 50-year-old Daniel Chen. He clearly showed his experience when he tricked the BESS GK into diving one way, as he calmly placed the ball in the other direction. PMC was 3-1 up and could wrap the match up with either a save by Maurice or a conversion by Daniel Low. It was all tension as BESS' 4th kicker stepped up to take his shot. His intent was to beat Maurice with pace but as his bullet of a kick came back off the bar, all PMC players rejoiced as they won the shoot-out 3-1 and progressed to the Semi-finals of CRC2012.

It was hugs and handshakes all around the PMC bench as players of both teams congregated at the centre circle for the show of sportsmanship. It would have been tough for either team to lose such a close match, and credit has to be given to BESS for their graciousness in defeat.

It was almost 6pm as the PMC team gathered for their team talk to close the match. Everyone was full of praise for the tremendous effort, spirit and team work that was witnessed. The experience gave everyone belief that PMC could even take the next important step towards an appearance in the Finals. Kevin closed in prayer, thanking God for the victory and seeking his healing for those who had picked up injuries.

Soccer Fellowship Report (25th August)

It's been awhile since the last fellowship session, due to the hectic CRC matches that have been going on the past few weeks. So it was nice that PMC community could come together for some light kickabout. Many familiar faces were seen again, who may not have been with the CRC team, but still equally passionate soccer players. We welcomed back Darren and also a few new friends that Yi Jun brought later in session. The session started pretty late as only about 10 players were on the field at 330pm. Weather was cloudy, perfect for a Saturday afternoon workout. Jem opened the session with a prayer, and then teams were split white against the dark. 

Daniel, Jingzhong & Weijie kit up

Darren & John getting ready for the game

Play was in one half of the breadth of the field, with the young NS boys in white, and the older veterans in dark. Playing in smaller space trains touches and movement, so it was a good warmup. It wasn't long before the remaining guys appeared- Yijun and friends. After splitting into both light colours against dark, we shifted to the full field, with about 9 aside. Play was then resumed, with scoring only permitted in the 6-yard box. When Dom arrived, play was changed to using goalkeeper and a friendly game ensued, about 10 aside. The whites had the core of the CRC players, all averaging teens - JZ, Dan Low, Weijie, Dom, Yijun, while the dark have the older veterans like Ronnie, Daniel Chen, Kee Min, Jem etc. Goals were plenty, but the important element was trying to play more as a team and stringing passes across the field. The younger whites were able to string quite abit of passes, while the veterans were good at soaking up the pressure and simply focused on counter attacks.  Midway through the game, our longest serving ball decide to retire as a hole appeared on the side of its skin. After changing the ball, the clouds began to clear up, and the field started to scorch up. Players then went for a break at around 430pm.

After the break, it was all about fitness, as even the whites could be seen to lose their rhythm of play. As there were no matches beyond 5, the game carried on until a few of them had to leave, making it impossible to play with a goalkeeper, so play revert back to scoring within the 6-yard box. This carried on for about another 15min before all of us were exhausted and decide to call it a day. It was indeed an awesome fellowship session, where there wasn't much pressure to play competitively and everyone had an enjoyable time. Of course, come this weekend, the core CRC team will have to turn up at their best on the pitch as they take on BESS. 

Lets continue to give the PMC team the support regardless if we are playing or not, as we are all 1 big family! Supporters are welcome!

 

Yi Jun & friends having fun after Soccer Fellowship

Guys having a laught at Yi Jun's antics

Soccer Fellowship (25th August)

Soccer Fellowship is back this Saturday, 25th August at Greenview Secondary School* (yes, the one in Pasir Ris). The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.

The long break has been due to the Soccer Team's participation in this year's CrossRoad Cup. As the season started late, the fixtures had to be packed within 2.5 months from July to September. However, PMC will continue to have Soccer Fellowship at least once a month during this time.

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.

CRC2012 Match #7: PMC vs AMC (19th August)

The final group stage game for PMC took place at Junyuan Secondary, with AMC turning up inhuge numbers, relative to PMC's tight small squad of 14 players. With qualification virtually guaranteed, some members of the PMC team chose to rest their wearied bodies (especially those doing their National Service), while others were injured or unavailable due to work/personal commitments. Still, the 14 that turned up were committed to give their best, as there was still the slim chance that PMC could finish top of the group with a victory over PMC, and BENS defeating CAG.

Singspiration and Sharing was lead by PMC, with Maurice leading 2 songs, followed by Steve’s sharing on being part of a team. Maurice then closed with a word of prayer. To confirm the strong ties between PMC and AMC, the team leaders also facilitated a good show of  sportsmanship, with Derek and Weijie shaking hands to bury any unhappiness from the previous game between the 2 sides on 13th May 2012. This was a good testimony that should mark the footballing exchanges between Christians and certainly there was already a victory (in this sense) even before kick-off.

With quite a number of regulars absent, the starting 11 for PMC saw players taking unfamiliar positions in the following manner:

Martin

Daniel Chen - Steve - Rusydi

Isaiah - Dominic

 Andrew - Jeremy Sin - Kee Min

Weijie

Maurice

AMC, on the other hand, appeared to field a very strong young team, clearly intent on securing top spot in the group, so that they would meet the weakest team in the other group in the Quarter-finals. AMC kicked off the match with a high tempo, pressing high to force PMC into early errors. AMC players were quick and earned the first corner early in the game, from which they scored their first goal of the game. It was not the first time in a PMC-AMC match that PMC stood rooted after only minutes in the game. Before long, PMC conceded their 2nd goal, when  possession was lost on the left wing and a random shot caught Maurice off guard. Having conceded only 2 goals in his previous 3 games, it was a tough start for Maurice, as AMC constantly sent long balls and attacks via their flanks, causing the PMC defence to be in disarray. Being unable to keep possession or threaten AMC, PMC conceded their 3rd goal when AMC's winger was able to advance down the left flank and sent a cross in. Unfortunately for Weijie, his attempt to intercept the ball sent it past Maurice instead. With the 1st half moving at great pace, and PMC unable to keep up, another goal was conceded late in the half, signalling the end of PMC's attempt to finish top of the group. 

The half-time team talked focused on finding a way to get back into the match, however unlikely that would seem, and to stop conceding goals at the rate they did in the 1st half. The decision was made to adopt a 4-4-2 formation in search of goals. Changes were also made at half-time for fresh legs to come, using all 3 substitutes that PMC had, with Michael coming on for Maurice in goal, Yi Jun up front for Steve, and Lincoln on the left of midfield for Daniel Chen, who completed his first action of the CRC2012 season, having sat out the first 6 matches due to injury and work. The AMC team appeared to change about half their team as well, clearly showing the confidence that they would hold on to their 4-goal lead. 

Despite the changes in formation and having fresher legs in the team, PMC continued to struggle to make any head-way in the match, conceding 2 early goals in the 2nd half. The notable goal from the 2 was one of those cross-shots from deep (almost half-way line), which sailed over Michale and dipped just under the bar, leaving Michael helpless. A positive takeaway from PMC was that despite the odds, PMC tried their best to play stronger, going in harder for all the 50-50 balls. Its cause was not helped when at the 60th minute, Weijie went down with a knee injury after a challenge on an AMC forward. PMC thus had to soldier on with 10 man for the final 20 minutes, doing some re-shuffling to its formation again. AMC's final goal came from a counter-attack, outpacing Isaiah (who was covering at CB) and squaring the ball just beyond Kee Min’s reach for a forward to score. The final whistle could not come soon enough to signal PMC's biggest defeat of the season. On the larger scheme of things, it did not dampen the fact that PMC had qualified for the Quarter-finals for the 1st time in 5 years of Christian league football.

Despite the loss, it was a great effort by PMC to combat a strong AMC team. The match was played in good spirits. There were very few fouls made throughout the game and no yellow cards shown. PMC certainly learnt a couple of footballing lessons from their stronger and more experienced opponents, who showed why they were the perennial champions of the tournament. After the full-time team talk, Maurice closed off the session with a prayer, especially seeking recovery for those who sustained knocks as well as for players who called in sick.

CRC2012 Match #6: PMC vs BENS (12th August)

PMC's CrossRoad Cup journey continued at Hai Sing Catholic School, where a very young BENS team of 12 players showed up to deter PMC from reaching the knock-out stage of the tournament. Similar to the last match, PMC knew that only a win would do to ensure that they did their part to make the top 4 in Alpha Group. Already before kick-off, PMC had 2 players robbed from the team, with Andrew's flight delayed from Penang, and Damien succumbing to the 'Z monster' at home. Nonetheless, there were still enough for a full team of players as Kevin was already the 19th man, and Lincoln was ready to play, even though he had come only to support the team.

PMC players kitting up for the crucial match

Isaiah & Maurice ready to go!

Bob from BENS led both teams in Singspiration before Titus shared about his A Division football journey and how through it, he learnt more about what it meant for Jesus to 'wipe our slate clean at 0-0' so that we could recover from our mistakes.

Bob leading both teams in Singspiration

After the pre-match proceedings, PMC proceeded to huddle for the all important team talk, focusing on playing with heart, and wanting the victory. The PMC team lined up as follows:

Martin

Jingzhong - Jacob - Rusydi

Isaiah - Dominic

Kee Min - Mark - Daniel Low

Maurice

Shah blowing for 1st half kick-off at Hai Sing Catholic School

Immediately from kick-off, PMC tried to impose themselves on the match. The long grass did not help matters, as it slowed down the pace of the ball, leading to some changes of possession for both sides. The 1st 5min of the match was quite even with the ball spending much time in the middle of the park, with no shots on goal. It was only after the 1st 5min that the PMC team was able to control the game a little better, with Jingzhong and Jacob heavily involved. Jingzhong was put through on goal, but his shot was weak, choosing to use his right foot instead of his left to shoot. Jacob provided a number of good crosses from the right, but there was no one in the box to meet them. Isaiah and Dominic were having a good game marshalling the middle of the park, and in defence, the back 4 was able to clear dangerous balls without Maurice having to make a significant save. On the odd occasion that the ball found its way into a dangerous position in the PMC box, Maurice was on hand to catch, or the BENS player made little out of it. As the 1st half reached the halfway mark, the only 2 significant attempts on goal had come from Dominic and Martin, both firing over the bar. It took a deadball situation to break the deadlock. Rusydi crossed the ball low from the corner and it evaded the BENS defence before Dominic fired it first time into the net with his right foot. With the 1st goal scored, the early jitters left PMC, who spent the rest of the 1st half pressing for the 2nd goal, which never came. As the referee blew for half-time, PMC knew that the match was theirs to lose. The half-time team talk focused on maintaining its dominance of the match, and to go for more goals in order to assure the victory.

The 2nd half kicked off with only 1 change in the PMC side, Kevin coming on for Kee Min at LB. It also began where the 1st half ended, with PMC dominating the match, mostly through midfield. BENS also signaled their intent for an equaliser, by playing up to 3 forwards at the beginning of the half. With extra men committed upfront by BENS, PMC found it easier to move the ball around but clear-cut chances were still few. PMC made its 2nd change of the match when Jacob left the field for Jeremy Sin (back from Korea!), with Dominic pushing up at AM and Jeremy sitting at DM. This move immediately brought dividends as Dominic found space up front on the right and crossed for Martin to take the ball in his stride and fire the ball into the net at close range. At 2-0 up, PMC continued to play with confidence and pressured BENS through a few corners. After 1 of them, BENS was unable to clear its lines and Isaiah was able to knock the ball back into the box for Jingzhong to place into the corner from just outside the 6-yard-box. Immediately from the kick-off after conceding the 3rd goal, BENS scored one of 'those' seemingly impossible goals. Firing the ball towards goal from kickoff, the soft, lofted ball appeared to have been left by Weijie for Maurice to collect (without any form of verbal communication). However, in what can only be described as a 'Robert Green moment', Maurice was slow to pick the ball (perhaps because he had expected Weijie to clear it), allowing it to roll through his hands and legs, and into goal. The BENS players reacted in disbelief, and so did the PMC players, at the 3-1 scoreline. Still ahead by 2 goals, PMC focused on the task of putting the match to bed, bringing on Steve for Martin and Neil for Jingzhong. PMC still had the lion's share of possession even though BENS tried to force an equalizer and brought on their only substitute and manager, Bob, to achieve this. However, tried as they could, the PMC back 4 held firm and when a BENS player handled in his own box, Isaiah stepped up to the penalty spot to put PMC 4-1, with a firmly struck penalty into the corner of the net. PMC brought on their final substitutes in Jeremy Tan (for Rusydi) and Lincoln (for Dominic) so as to keep the pressure on BENS. PMC did this well for the remaining 15min of the match and held on for the 4-1 victory.

During the post-match team talk, Kevin commended the team for a job well done, even though some of the ghetto-style defending was unnecessary with PMC being 3 goals up. As the results of the other matches filtered in, PMC moved up to 4th place in the table, as CMC lost to CAG 4-1. This virtually confirmed PMC's place in the knock-out stages even though mathematically, there was still a chance for PMC to drop back to 5th place if it collected too many yellow cards in its final match against AMC. Maurice closed the session in prayer, thanking God for the victory and keeping the team injury-free.

CRC2012 Match #5: PMC vs CBC (5th August)

It was another scorching Sunday afternoon as the PMC team gathered at Coral Secondary School for the crucial match of its CRC2012 campaign. Knowing that only a win would do to keep its hope of qualifying for the knock-out stages, the players turned up at the school early, even before the field wardens arrived to open the gate. Players from both sides arrived ahead of time, and warmed up on the nice Coral Secondary synthetic turf. When it was time for Singspiration and Sharing, Kevin led players in 2 songs and shared about how the example of Olympic athletes could help us reflect on what we value in life, based on how much time/effort we spend on these things.

PMC players warming up on the very nice Coral Secondary turf

Rusydi kitting up on the nice soft turf

The teams took a couple of minutes for their team talks. The PMC team was urged to focus on their game and go for the goals, despite having 5 players missing from the previous week's team. Still, the team was strong enough to compete and do well. The starting 11 for the match was:

Martin

Jingzhong - Timothy - Rusydi

Isaiah - Jacob

Kevin - Mark - Daniel Low

Weijie 

Sean

After the pre-match proceedings, referee Ruslee got the starting 11s for the kit checks and blew his whistle, with PMC kicking off in the 1st half. PMC's desire to win was evident from kickoff, with Timothy almost scoring from the first wave of attack. Taking the ball slightly to the left edge of the 18-yard-box, Timothy swiveled and curled a left foot shot, only to see it come back against the bar. Not discouraged, Timothy continued to be an attacking threat, taking the ball strong into the box in his next move, only to be brought down hard and winning PMC a penalty. Martin stepped up to the spot, but fired his shot wide of the GK's right-hand post, when everyone expected PMC to be 1-0. With nothing to show for wave after wave of attack in CBC's half, PMC players continued to encourage one another to not let their heads drop. The breakthrough finally came around the 15th minute when a long ball from Isaiah found Martin in the box. Holding off his defender well, he controlled the ball and placed it beyond the onrushing GK to put PMC 1-0 up. Not sitting on its lead, PMC continued to press on for more and the 2nd goal arrived via classic direct football. From the goalkick, Weijie played the ball to Kevin at LB, who found Jingzhong. Looking up, Jingzhong spotted Rusydi's run into the box and his right foot cross found Rusydi, who calmly controlled the ball and placed it into the corner of the goal. Being 2-0 down early in the game, CBC used a number of long balls and forays down the wing to threaten the PMC goal, but these were well cut out by Mark and Weijie. A scare did take place when Sean was about to meet a long grounder from CBC, but suddenly pulled up, clutching his ankle, as the ball rolled wide of the goal. Michael came on for Sean, who was unable to carry on. For most of the 1st half, PMC continued to threaten, but could not find the back of the net again, despite 2 clear-cut chances created by Timothy. Playing reverse passes to Jingzhong (now on the right flank), he was unable to finish with only the GK to beat on both occasions. As the referee blew the whistle for half-time, PMC knew that they should have been at least 5 goals up, but were content to be leading in the crucial match.

The half-time team talked focus on keeping composure in the 2nd half and to hold or extend the lead if possible. Kevin encouraged the team not to be discouraged even if they missed 'easy' goals but learn from the example of veterans like Martin, who continued to press for a goal, despite missing the penalty. The only change at half-time was Marcus coming on for Timothy. The players took the field with confidence, even though they knew that CBC would be pressing for the equalizer from the whistle. This expectation was realized as CBC took the game directly to PMC in the 2nd half, using the direct style of long balls and incursions down both flanks. For most part of the half, the PMC defensive foursome did well enough to hold the CBC attackers. Weijie in particular, was confident in his instructions and reading of the game. When Michael was called to be the final line of defense, he was up to the task. On offense, PMC did not offer much and was also not holding the ball well, prompting changes to be made, with Jacob leaving the pitch for Kee Min, then David coming on for Jingzhong. Match proceedings remained much the same, with CBC pressing hard for a goal, but to no avail. Rusydi then left the pitch for Lincoln, followed by Martin for Yi Jun, then Nigel for Kevin. With all changes made, PMC continued to defend stoutly and conceded only in the 75th minute of play. The CBC attacker on their right flank took the ball to the touchline and crossed it for a free man on the edge of the box, whose shot took a wicked deflection off Daniel and wrong-footed Michael. With less than 5min left of the game, CBC fought hard for the equalizer, with throw-ins and corners to pressure the PMC defence. It was a great relief to the PMC team when the referee blew for full-time, ensuring that PMC took home all 3 points.

During the post-match team talk, Kevin emphasized the good work done and that mission had been accomplished, despite the nervy final minutes of the match. Players then shared their views on how to improve 2nd half performances while balancing the introduction of bench players. Mark closed the session with prayer.

 

Rusydi sharing his thoughts during the post-match debrief

As results filtered in after the match, PMC still found itself in 5th place despite closing the gap to 1 point. With 2 more match days remaining, it appears that the top 5 teams have all to play for in order to secure the 4 spots available for the knock-out stages. 

CRC2012 Alpha Group League Standings (after Match Day #6)

Not so good news also came later that evening when Sean was diagnosed to have torn his Achilles Tendon, ruling him out for the rest of the season. The thoughts and prayers of the entire PMC Soccer Community will be with him as he recovers.

CRC2012 Match #4: PMC vs CMC (29th July)

Having notched only 1 win in the first 3 games of the season, PMC knew that their backs were against the wall as they took the long hike to The Cage Sports Park at Turf City for the match against old foes Christ Methodist Church (CMC). Furthermore, CMC was top of the Alpha Group table and had not lost all season. With all to play for, the PMC team had 23 men committing to the match, and 5 had to stand down. Still, 4 turned up to cheer their team mates on match day, a great testimony to the unity and camaraderie that has developed. It took awhile before all the players turned up, with some getting lost inside of Turf City.

Combined team photo a sign of the long-standing but respectful rivalry between the teams

  Isaiah shares about overcoming the giants in our lives

With the teams arrived and ready, Kevin led both sides in 'Lord I Lift Your Name on High' and Isaiah shared about boldness and courage to take on the giants in our lives, referencing the lives of Joshua and Caleb as they scouted the Promised Land (Numbers Chapter 13). Once done, teams had some time to talk through their tactics. Kevin emphasized the need to focus on playing playing the 'PMC way', keeping/using the ball well, and to be aware of the abundance of space the synthetic field offered. Mostly importantly, all players were encouraged to play with heart, for the team and one another. The starting line-up comprised of:

Martin

Jingzhong - Timothy - Rusydi

Isaiah - Dominic

Damien - Andrew - Daniel Low

Weijie

Maurice

Referee Shah started match proceedings and gathered the starting 11 for attire checks and blew for kick-off. Immediately from the get go, the players realised how much space they had, with both teams have time on the ball and using the space well. Rusydi in particular, seemed up for the challenge, taking the ball down the wings early and causing some havoc down that flank. Within 5min, the first goal came with both Jingzhong and Rusydi instrumental in the build-up. With space down the left, Jingzhong squared the ball, which Rusydi narrowly missed in the box. Recovering well, he returned the favour by crossing low in-between the CMC defence and GK. Jingzhong had the simplest of tap-ins to put PMC 1-0 up early in the match. Not content with their early lead, PMC continued to press for the 2nd goal, which arrived quite quickly. Martin's flick-on from the throw-in was met by a CMC defender, but Dominic was quick to rob him and face the CMC GK one-on-one. Dominic made no mistake by placing the ball into the corner of the net to notch his first goal of the season. Credit to CMC that they tried to climb out of the hole they found themselves in so early in the match. With Jansen orchestrating moves in midfield and winning balls, CMC started to foray into PMC's half, with some chances coming their way when Andrew took too much time on the ball, and the PMC players caught out on a swift counter-attack. On the latter occasion, it took a flying save by Maurice in a one-on-one situation to deny CMC a goal which would surely have changed the complexion of the match. PMC continued to use its direct approach via the wings to grab its 3rd goal. Rusydi again being key, he dribbled deep into the CMC half before releasing the overlapping Daniel on the right, whose stiff shot could not be handled by the CMC GK. The goal looked like a carbon copy of the 2nd goal from the MHC match. The front 4 of PMC was working well, just as they did against MHC, with Martin and Timothy being key pivots, allowing the wingers to find space and take on defenders. At 30min, Rusydi signaled the end of his run-out, fatigued from the running and fasting during Ramadan. On came Jacob to take his place and within 8min, made an immediate impact when Jingzhong again found space on the left, crossed the ball low for Jacob to place the ball into the back of the net after his late run into the box. At 4-0 up, it looked like it would be PMC's match to lose at half-time.

Rusydi in full flight on his way to assisting for the 3rd goal

 Jansen slides in on Isaiah to try to win the ball

Martin tries to hold off Joshua to win the high ball

Rusydi poised to take a free kick from just outside the box

The half-time team talk focused on keeping composure and making sure the substitutions would not disrupt the shape of the team. With CMC having nothing to lose, PMC knew that they would need to put in a stout defensive performance in the 2nd half. Timothy came off, replaced by Yi Jun and Damien off for Mark. It was CMC who started much brighter in the 2nd period, trying their best to get a goal back early. It took some good defending by Mark at CB and Andrew at LB to clear dangerous balls. The defensive midfield duo of Isaiah and Dominic were also putting in the extra defensive shift, with Yi Jun up top chasing the long balls. After 10min, Steve came on for Martin to be the link man between midfield and attack, but with the ball mostly in PMC's half, he was left with a tough task for the match. On the odd occasion that he found space, there were few options for him to utilise, with Yi Jun isolated. With fresh legs needed for defensive duties, Kee Min came on for Isaiah and did well by winning balls. Next to come off was Jingzhong, for Jeremy Tan, whose clear instruction was to chase long balls and put some pressure on CMC's defence. Both he and Yi Jun did that a bit too zealously, picking up 2 yellow cards in quick succession and incurring the wrath of the CMC players in the process. To prevent any unnecessary incidents, Jeremy Tan himself was taken off for Wenbin in the final stages of the match. Certainly it was rear-guard action for the remainder of the match, and as referee Shah blew for full-time, PMC took pride in their 2nd victory of the season and their 1st clean sheet. There were automatic hand-shakes all around, with CMC showing the grit to play hard in the face of being 4-0 down and giving their all during the match.

Maurice with the big boot. A safe pair of hands for the clean sheet!

 Weijie marking Mark, who saw plenty of the ball after coming on in the 2nd half

The full-time team talk was an encouragement of the things the team did well, especially in the 1st half, using speed and width to good effect. Having taken all 3 points, the only downside of the victory was chalking up another 6 demerit points which hopefully would not come back to haunt PMC when the league stage closes. As with all matches, the team continued to learn and grow together. David closed in prayer, thanking God for the victory and for keeping the team free from serious injuries.