The Ramblers Adventure 2009

To everyone associated with this team... Thank you for a memorable journey. We hope you will enjoy the video.

Cheers!!!

Title Challenge ends...

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Ramblers Through To 2nd Successive Quarter-Final!

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Pre-Chinese League Friendlies

Friendly #1

Ramblers Vs Macallum

Date: Wed., Sept. 2nd, 2009

Venue: Padang Polo

Result: Ramblers 3 - Macallum 1

Scorers: Seng, Chard, Wei

Friendly #2

Ramblers Vs CRC Veterans

Date: Fri., Sept. 4th, 2009

Venue: CRC

Result: Ramblers 5 - CRC Veterans 1

Scorers: Sin (X3), Derek, Ah Or

Friendly #3

Ramblers Vs Timoran

Date: Sat., Sept. 12th, 2009

Venue: Penang Free School

Result: Ramblers 1 - Timoran 2

Scorers: Keon

Friendly #4

Ramblers Vs PYFC

Date: Sat., Sept. 19th , 2009

Venue: Penang Free School

Results: Ramblers 4 - PYFC 1

Scorers: Keon, Benni

Friendly #5

Ramblers Vs Inpro SC

Date: Sun., Sept. 27th 2009

Venue: Teknik School

Results: Ramblers 2 - Inpro SC 3

Scorers: Poay, Benni

Edged Out In Extra Time

Ramblers were finally halted at the semi-final stage of the Chinese Super League by Inpro SC, thus denying them a first Final appearance at City Stadium. It was a heart-breaking moment in a dull match but Inpro dealt the decisive blow 5 minutes into extra-time when a through ball sent their striker clean on goal and he kept his nerve to place the ball low and hard beyond the keeper. Surprisingly, Ramblers failed to produce their usual never-say-die attitude and as the minutes ticked away, Inpro knew that the 1-0 result was enough and defended stoutly. For Ramblers, it was another disappointing result as their semis curse struck yet again. Will they ever appear in a Final? We would like to think they will. But in the mean time, there is obviously lots of work to be done for the boys in blue before we can see that being a reality. And the upcoming Chinese League represents the best occasion to prove that they deserve a Final appearance.

Final Score:

Ramblers 0 - Penang Chinese Sports Club (Inpro SC) 1

Ramblers Triumphs On Penalties

Ramblers emerged victorious and booked themselves a semi-final date with Penang Chinese Sports Club at the USM Stadium this Wednesday by prevailing 3-2 in a tense penalty shoot-out after both teams played out a 0-0 draw.

On a wet and muddy pitch, the referees were reluctant to go ahead with the match but after consulting the managers of the 2 teams decided it would proceed as planned. Injuries and suspension of several players forced management to reorganize the Ramblers line-up with Poay filling in at sweeper together with Puga as his defensive partner, staying in front of stand-in keeper Adrian and pushing libero Chard up to midfield.

The match started sluggishly as both teams adapted to the soft and unplayable conditions of the Teknik pitch, with players slipping and sliding everywhere. The water puddles on the field were making it difficult for our speedy wingers Keon and Ming but proved lucky for the defense as a sloppy tackle from Poay let in the Anak Malaysia striker to drill a shot low pass Adrian. However, to the custodian's relief, the ball got stuck on the water puddle just on the line! Chard came in to clear and in doing so had a brief altercation with their star-striker Mynn whom also slided in to try and push the ball beyond the line. The referee intervened and when order was restored had blown for a free-kick.

The second-half didn't go any better and so it was inevitable that it had to be down to penalties to decide the winner although Chard was sent-off for a reckless challenge. Benni stepped-up to take the first but their keeper guessed correctly and palmed away his effort much to the shock of Rambler's regular penalty taker. Thankfully, Anak Malaysia's first attempt was also off target as their kicker ballooned it inches off the top left corner. Sin and Poay scored the next two just as Anak Malaysia converted theirs. And when Keon missed his, it was a going to be a tense finale. But the overwhelming support of the Ramblers bench for their keeper Adrian reverbated throughout the pitch as players from De'Butterfly and Macallum whom had finished their game also came over to watch. Everyone including those who did not get to feature like Aaron, Au, Tee Oon, Max, Michael and the injured Chris as well as the fasting Man showed great character and had got behind their stand-in custodian unselfishly. And it helped as the rapturous support put-off the takers attempt and Adrian dived correctly to push out his kick. Puga then converted his to the delight of the men in black. And as nerve-wrecking moments go, Adrian then saved the last kick from Anak Malaysia to help send his team through to the semi-finals and ensuring a first feature for Ramblers in a stadium.

Final Result:

Ramblers 0 - Anak Malaysia 0

(Ramblers won 3-2 on penalties)

Come On Guys!

Let's face it. We're just not good enough. I didn't say we aren't good... just not good enough. At least for the moment. I mean, come on, we have more luck hitting the posts and side netting than actually putting the ball where it should be.. in the back of the net! And we've been conceding almost at will!

We've had some great inclusions to the team this season, namely Man and Puga. In addition, we've successfully maintained the squad from last year as well. And nobody can deny that we've played some pretty awesome games this year; Bomba, Tanjung Bungah Rangers, Kampung Makam, Inpro, and the list goes on, every member of the team weighing in with their own contributions. But at the most critical moments, we have always fallen.

And everytime we fail, these are the most common things you will hear:

“The referee was bias”

“We played a good game. Just no luck lar”

“The defence was weak”

“Keeper should have saved that 2nd one”

“He should have put that into the net”

“The tactic was off”

Aren't you sick of the excuses? - Well, I am.

This article isn't aimed at berating anyone. Nor do I want to highlight our shortcomings. Nope. That wasn't my intention. I think we're all big enough to realize that ourselves. But there's also absolutely no point in trying to mask things as they are.

As in any team, we all want to move forward. And we should! This squad has the best potential to accomplish great things. ALL our players will easily walk into any other team, save maybe CRC. Our commitment and desire in games are unmatched, our fighting spirit – unbelievable. No team in their right mind would want to face us. So we should be more than just luckless losers. We deserve better! Much better.

I know that some of you (including myself) might have grievances with management and fellow players about a lot of things. Some don't get enough playing time. Some have issues with tactics. Some are under-rated. Some are played out of position. And some are not played at all! But I believe that management always tries to do their best to accommodate each player's needs according to the situation(s). And sometimes we might not agree with their decisions. I think it happens in every team from Manchester to CCFC. However, we should also bear in mind that they are not perfect and are also subjected to the same mistakes as any other person. Don't you agree? To be fair, Michael's done a fantastic job so far by making sure our schedules are correct, the jerseys are washed, the medical kit is sufficient, and all our players are informed for games (although there were the occasional missing SMS to some players!)

But despite all of that, it is us, the players, who ultimately determines the outcome of a game and the destiny of a club. And this year's Chinese League in September is the best occasion to make that happen; to be Champions. We were semi-finalists last year and ever since then we have only grown in strength. Sadly our results this year reflect otherwise. And although a LOT of people have their own ideas as to why it's happened, we only have ourselves to blame – we win as a team, we loose as a team, doesn't matter if you started, were subbed-in or you stood by the sidelines supporting. The truth is, we lacked the killer edge, we took too long to make that pass, we hesitated in front of goal, we allowed the ball to bounce, and we didn't mark the opponent tightly enough. It wasn't the referees, nor was it the pitch, or the tactics. We just didn't take our chances and we gave the opponents theirs.

After the Chinese League, some players might leave for better playing time, others might have job commitments, and there are those who would be furthering their studies. By fate, we were brought together as a team and we definitely rocked the status quo – CRC were shocked, Inpro were beaten, Kampung Makam had a real fright. So I say we put aside our differences and ego, learn from our mistakes, swallow our pride, and fight as a TEAM for that cup because this year might be our last as an original squad, and we sure as hell deserve it. I hope that everyone will stay on for this tournament for Penang might never see a better team than this one for a long, long time to come.

Results

Chinese Super League:

Opponent: Macallum

Date: 16 August 2009

Venue: Penang Free School

Time: 5pm

Score: Loss 0-2

Mixing Young & Old

Penang Sports Club vs Ramblers Orange

There was a surprise in store for Ramblers players as there were quite a few teenagers making their debuts for 'the senior team' after playing several rounds for the 'junior team' Jit Sin School. The most intriguing partnership was in central defence with playmaker Pei sitting at the back with a youngster whose name I've forgotten (many apologies). With other youngsters featuring at left, right back & goalkeeper, it was an experimental backline but with the match only being billed as a friendly, Michael was happy to give the Jit Sin boys a run out against an experienced line up.

Ramblers started very well with Jason and Derek forming a solid partnership in central midfield, frustrating the opposition with intelligent positioning and decisive interceptions. Ramblers scored to put the black shirted players ahead - with justification but then the injury that changed the game - the left back went down and struggled to continue. He was taken off, a central midfielder was put on with Derek moving to left back. Mustapha identified this as the moment where the game changed and I wouldn't disagree with him!

I got this lovely set of stud marks from Jason 30 seconds before our goal but
unbeknownst to me, I gave him his own set in the 2nd half!

Penang Sports Club then managed to find a bit of freedom in midfield and started to break into the attacking third which they previously failed to do. It wasn't long before an equaliser came - from a bad catch from the goalkeeper. A high ball was lofted in towards the far post, the young man caught it but with the wet conditions, the ball dropped out of his hands when he landed and trickled over the line. The second goal we conceded came from a bad clearance as a ball whipped in from the left was half cleared by Pei's partner - straight to their deadliest striker, Alan - a mere 18 yards from goal. The third goal (and probably nail in the coffin) came from a bad decision by Derek as he tried to step up to play Ah Tong offside. When the yellow flag didn't go up, the experience of the striker made sure the left back paid for his lack of judgement.

The second half saw a reshuffle with many of the substitutes given a run out and Derek partnering 'Vision' in midfield. They and Jason (and later 'Makelele') all linked up well in a 5 man midfield with there being many neat passes between them. The best combination saw the youngster and Derek playing a one two allowing the latter to hit a first time shot past the PSC keeper - straight into the middle of the post! The lanky midfielder also had the second best chance of the match when a great cross from the left found Derek alone on the penalty spot. Sadly he couldn't twist his head enough to steer it into the side of the goal and out went the second best and last chance of the match for Ramblers. Despite all their hard work to put pressure on the back four, the black team struggled to create any notable chances in the last 20 minutes.

This was possibly because the backline had a lot to cope with! Penang Sports Club created a lot of chances stretching the defence and were playing their own combination of passes in front of our defence. We were fortunate to get away with just one goal in the second half.

However it was a great workout in fantastic drizzly conditions and more importantly a time to blood some youngsters. They were impressive - they could control and looked extremely comfortable on the ball, they looked for simple passes, they were athletic and worked hard when Ramblers didn't have the ball - basically all the attributes Derek wished all his KDU players had! It was obvious that they had played together and trained well under Eric for several years. With such potential, Ramblers Orange could be strong for another few years yet.

(written by reporter Derek)

Penang Sports Club 1 vs 4 Ramblers Orange

Missed chance

Ramblers missed a great chance to consolidate their 3rd place position when they allowed FBN to come back from 3-nil down to tie the scores at 3-3. Starting with only 8 men on the field, FBN looked to be in for a mauling by Ramblers, but the all-blacks somehow failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage and FBN held on until they had a full 11 players on the field. By then it still seemed impossible that FBN would provide any kind of resistance especially when Heng scored a brace, Poay bamboozled their defence for his 9th goal of the tournament after a fantastic lay-off from Wei, and Keon had rattled the bar!

But Ramblers looked complacent and FBN pulled a goal back when a shot from out of the box flew past the outstretched arms of Rambler's stand-in keeper, Chard. And they added another just after the break as a fightback was now seriously possible. A simple strike after their forward was left totally unmarked in the centre of the defence gave the custodian no chance and reduced their deficit to 3-2. Ramblers were now feeling the heat as they tried desperately to wrap up the game but found heavy resistance through FBN's towering, hulking foreign import manning their defence!

Then against the run of play, FBN scored again as their striker lobbed Chard from the edge of the area to tie the scores at 3-3 after some slack defending. Ramblers then responded by pushing just about everyone forward in an attempt to secure a win after all the good work in the first half had been undone in the second. But try as they may they just couldn't get the win they needed going into the last match this coming Sunday against high-riding Macallum.

Final Score:

Ramblers 3 - FBN 3

Robbed!

After months of hardwork and determination, proving their doubters wrong and surpassing pre-season targets, it all came down to this 1 match – the quarter-finals of the FAP Div. 3 League. It was suppose to be a match that came too soon in the fixtures as both teams, favorites, after impressive performances in their group games squared off for a berth in the semis on a hazy evening.

But TAMilan's adventure came to a halt this year as they were ousted 3-1 by Rek. Kg. Makam. The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow and it came not from a lack of spirit, nor was it from playing badly, or because their opponents were better. No! It came as a result of bias refeering that was akin to broad daylight robbery! Rek. Kg. Makam was handed the win from a generous referee who thought it was right to rob a team of first-timers their moment of glory as TAMilan were barely 45 minutes away from making an appearance at the City Stadium.

For the whole game, but the first 10 opening minutes, TAMilan outfought, outhought, outrun, and outplayed their more fancied opponents. Playing the ball smartly, spraying passess across the field and defending intelligently. Kg. Makam for their part resorted to playing the bully-boys with the referee seemingly closing more than just one eye on some very questionable tackles from the team in lime green. However, TAMilan were not to be intimidated and they had 2 good chances early in the first half to bury the ball but Brown and Ming somehow missed glorious sitters, with the former shooting into the side netting, the keeper lying on the floor defeated and the goalmouth gapping. Darlington's freekick from nearly 30 yards caught their custodian unawares and skimmed the top right hand corner only for it to bounce to Brown, who chested the ball and promptly fired it into the side.

Then, Jason scored from a glancing header from Ming's pintpoint corner kick midway through the first half to hand them the lead. But a shot from outside the box early in the second half found its way into the back of the net after Chris failed to see the ball whizzing pass a sea of bodies in front of him. Rek. Kg. Makam then added their second when Darlington was deemed to have fouled the onrushing Kg. Makam player on the edge of the box although it was clearly a 50-50 ball. The player collapsed in a heap, screaming in pain, and that obviously convinced the referee to award a freekick much to the dismay and surprise of Darlington. The resulting freekick was dispatched to Chris' left and the Kg. Makam players erupted in joy as they were now 2-1 up. And in the dying minutes of regulation time, a counter-attack from a corner had Adrian and Suresh facing 2 sprinting Kg. Makam players bearing down on goal. The Kg. Makam winger strided into the box before releasing a pass to his striker to tap home but the linesman had raised his flag for offside. The referee then blew for a goalkick but then rescinded his decision after heavy protests from the Kg. Makam players! It sparked scenes of disbelief and disappointment from the TAMilan bench that the referee was so easily swayed in his decision. More incredibly was when just prior to that “goal” there were 9 more minutes of regulation time left to play after checking with the ref as the corner was being taken, but he blew for full-time after TAMilan kicked-off to restart the game.

Nevertheless, it was a performance worthy of praise and it took the combined efforts of everyone, from the management staff, to the coaches, to all the players, and not to mention the supporters as well, for getting them this far on their debut season. If anything good did transpired from this game, then it must surely be that TAMilan is without equals on a level playing field.

TAMilan... YOU GUYS ROCKED!

Ghost Buried

Powerhouse Brown - Hero

Ramblers finally ended their hoodoo against Penang Sports Club (PSC) when they grinded out a 3-2 win on Tuesday in a pre-Div 3 warm-up match. It was a solid, matured performance by Ramblers who could have scored more than the three goals if the bar was slightly higher by an inch as Heng and Keon both rattled it in either half with the keeper already beaten. But a pair of mistakes by Chris, who otherwise had a good game, allowed PSC to come back twice!

Defending a corner

Azrul had fired Ramblers ahead midway through the first half after Ramblers confidently controlled a large chunk of the game. A clearance by Derek after Jason had won the ball lead to the nippy winger blasting the ball pass the keeper. But then Chris spilled a speculative shot and Tong was on hand to equalize going into half-time.

Wei

Ramblers pressed hard for a goal as the midfield dominated their older opponents and Brown came on to provide more firepower upfront. And the move clearly worked as Ramblers went 2-1 up when Heng buried the ball pass the keeper 10 minutes after the restart. However, their joy was shortlived when Vijay's cut-back across the Ramblers goal was failed to pick up by Chris allowing their hulking number 8 to slot the ball into an empty net. 2-2!

A Clearly Jubilant Heng and Ming

Surprisingly, Ramblers rallied and they didn't show any of the nervous displays that had previously surfaced when such situations appeared (e.g. against Bintang Biru, NTFA, PYFC "B", De'Butterfly). And Brown came to the rescue when he outmuscled the PSC defenders to slot pass the onrushing keeper. Just rewards for an excellent display.

Brown making a pass!

Final Score:

Ramblers 3 -PSC 2

Thumping Win!

Ramblers scored a sensational 5-0 victory over AIA to move up one place into 5th in the ongoing Chinese Super League match with a Keon hattrick, and one a piece from Wei and Brown. The all-blacks dominated the game from start to finish, putting even more pressure on their opponents who now find themselves in the lower rungs of the league table.

Our Three Marksmen: (L to R) Keon, Brown, Wei

Final Score:

Ramblers 5 - AIA 0

Ramblers Back on Winning Note

Up against the tournament organizers, Ramblers needed to pick up the precious 3 points to revive their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals of this league. And they duly did it with an angled drive from Au, an opportunistic goal from manager Michael, and a sublime chip from Heng. But it was a match marred by 2 red cards, one a horrendous kick from the keeper into Heng's throat as the custodian came out to challenge for a 50-50 ball.

Missing the suspended Poay and starting with only 10 men, Ramblers knew the task wasn't going to be an easy one. But they rose to the occasion and held out admirably until the arrival of Brown midway through the half. By then, Ramblers were already down 1-nil as early as the 5th minute, conceded when Chris somehow couldn't hold on to a freekick dispatched by Nara and allowing it to spill over the line. However, the presence of powerhouse Brown midway through the half reinvigorated the team and a teasing cross from Max found Au unmarked on the edge of the area and the gangly midfielder took a touch before sending the ball pass the keeper. Minutes later, just as Man. United's new number 7 was making his debut, Rambler's very own showcased his predatory instincts by knocking the ball pass the keeper to give us the lead. It was Manager Michael's first goal of the tournament! And Heng put the icing on the cake when he chipped in the third after good work from Man had allowed the striker supreme to beat the offside trap. But it was not all smooth sailing for Ramblers as a misplaced tackle left Nara with a free ball in the area, but Chris was on hand to thwart the bald striker from close range and palmed away the ball to safety.

3-1 to the good and Anak Malaysia were in freefall.

Even then they were never going to just give up. Ming reduced the deficit for Anak Malaysia as a cross shot somehow found its way to the top left corner of Rambler's goal. 3-2 and they sensed a comeback was possible. But that was before their keeper stuck his studs dangerously into Heng's throat. The big man collapsed in a heap and the custodian was given his marching orders. When play resumed, Ramblers tried to finish off the game by pressing for another goal. With Anak Malaysia defending desperately, they had Nara sent off unnecessarily when he handled the ball from a corner. It was his second yellow card and the referee had no choice but to flash the red. 11 against 9 and everyone knew it was game over as Anak Malaysia held on till the final whistle with a respectable 2-3 lost.

Final Score:

Ramblers 3 - Anak Malaysia 2

A Series of Unfortunate Events

It was a top-of-the-table clash but the hype was probably subdued because both teams had already qualified for the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, the action on the pitch was far from it. Equal on points but with TAMilan perched above the rest on goal difference, the only thing worth playing for was the title of group champ. And both teams went for it passionately, albeit with different approaches.

The younger and fitter TAMilan versus the composed and experienced NTFA. In the end, the older men triumphed 3-2 in a game that TAMilan will have felt hard done by. A controversial penalty when the game was still tied at 0-0 was just the beginning. A corner from the left was chested by Keong but the referee blew for a handball. The penalty was saved brilliantly by Suresh but the referee had it retaken as Wei was deemed to have entered the box when NTFA's penalty-taker was running in to smash the ball. And, they didn't waste the second one.

But Heng would have none of it as minutes later he got to the end of a beautiful through ball by Siang, dribbled the last defender and although the keeper did come out to challenge for the ball, it somehow escaped his grasped onto the path of the grateful striker to level the scores at 1-1. TAMilan were pretty much in control from then on as Poay, Jason and Siang combined well to string together some nifty passes. Our newly acquired winger Azrul was doing fairly well down the left with his simple touches and strong running down that flank. The debutante even had a shot palmed away by the keeper but Heng couldn't get to the loose ball in time.

After the restart, TAMilan could sense that NTFA's legs were creaking and they were getting tired really fast. And so the all-blacks upped the tempo as NTFA defended in numbers and look to hit TAMilan on the break. Unfortunately, for all their dominance, and with the powerful Brown replacing Heng in attack, TAMilan failed (again) to make their superiority count. Although they have a gifted pair of attacking midfielders in Poay and Siang (think Scholes and Lampard), they were lacking someone whose creative spark could unlock defences, someone in the mould of Riquelme or Xavi. And so as it happens so many times in football, if you fail to capitalize on your advantage, then the team is living on the edge.

NTFA struck unexpectedly with a glancing header as their number 20 ghosted in to place the ball pass Suresh from a cross down the right. Then a corner shortly afterwards saw a header placed firmly down to the bottom left post after Keong had cleared his line before the ball was played safely out of the box. TAMilan rallied after that goal and continued dominating possession, punctuated by occassional demands of the referee to change the ball although it was ideally pumped. This had TAMilan players stumped but did provide a welcome breather to NTFA.

Relentless attacks finally yielded a goal when Siang won a penalty after being fouled in the box and Poay stepped up to take the spotkick. The number 2's penalty was put too near the keeper's right but he was alert enough to place the rebound pass the keeper to close the gap to 3-2. It was pretty much one way traffic after that as NTFA held on desperately for a win and dislodged TAMilan from the top of Group A.

Final Score:

NTFA 3 – TAMilan 2

Ramblers Wings Clipped By De'Butterfly

The 3rd American President, Thomas Jefferson, once said, “.. the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” But if he were to look at Rambler's performances in the Chinese Super League week in and week out, I am sure he would beg to differ. Another dominating performance undermined by another heart-breaking result.

Ramblers went down 1-0 to De'Butterfly in the dying minutes of a match the all-blacks controlled from the start. Having won all their previous encounters and never conceding a goal against their rival, Ramblers looked in menacing form as Chard rattled Tony's crossbar from a freekick early in the game and the keeper had to be alert again to acrobatically palm away a thunderous drive from Man. The big man pulled off another desperate save with his feet when a cross on the left found an unmarked Wei at the far post who didn't put enough power into his shot.

With the absence of first-team strikers Heng and Brown, Chien was working as hard as he could upfront with some very smart runs, causing the De'Butterfly defence to stay on their toes while Shukor and Wei were bombing down their flanks, supplying cross after cross. Poay, Man and Jason made up the midfield trio and De'Butterfly responded to Rambler's dominance by defending stoutly, playing on the counter-attack and booting the ball forward to their nippy striker to run onto, reminiscent of England. To be fair, their tactic did yield a shot that Chris dealt with comfortably, and Adrian had to be alert to divert out a shot with the goalmouth at their striker's mercy. Besides that, Chard and his defence were never seriously threatened.

As the second-half resumed, the backline was totally revamped with Keong replacing Sin, Max coming on for Tee Oon, the injured Chris going off for Adrian, and Man taking his place beside Chard whereas Benni was introduced at the expense of Wei. Unfortunately, barely 10 minutes into the game, Chard injured himself going into a tackle and Rambler's libero had to be subbed. Benni was then moved back to the defence, pushing Poay into a striker's role and Au coming in at midfield. The sudden reorganization did unsettle Rambler's for awhile and De'Butterfly took advantage of it by increasing their tempo. And it was not long before the substitute keeper was called into action, rushing off his line twice to cover the striker's shooting angle for the marksman to pull his shot wide and once dealing with a long freekick.

But normal order was resumed shortly after up the other end when Ah Or, Shukor and Poay carved open De'Butterfly's defence time and again but failed to finish off their chances. As the minutes ticked away, desperation became evident in Rambler's play. Keong and Max were overlapping at will down the left and right respectively while Ah Or took on 2 to 3 players each time he had the ball at his feet; the young gun drawing numerous fouls from the panicking De'Butterfly defenders. However, this left the backline exposed with only Man and Benni available to thwart off their counter-attacks, one of which resulted in their striker shooting directly at the grateful custodian.

And so, as in many games, Rambler's domination without being able to capitalize on it proved to be their undoing when a long freekick, after Au was caught offside and with Keong out of position, allowed the De'Butterfly winger a clear run on goal and he lobbed the ball over the advancing Adrian to break Rambler's hearts. A jubilant De'Butterfly then proceeded, in the words of Mourinho after a game against Totenham, to “park a bus” in front of their goal and dented Rambler's hope to climb up the table and rue their luck once again.

Final Score:

Ramblers 0 – De'Butterfly 1

Cometh the hour, cometh the men

The stage was set. On a humid Tuesday evening, in a significant encounter, all that stood in the way of TAMilan SC qualifying for their first FAP Div. 3 Quarter-Finals was high-riding Inpro SC. As it should be, with no other Division games scheduled, this match took centre-stage and it felt like Wimbledon's centre-court, with fans thronging the sidelines to watch a match that had top-billing written all over it. And they were not to be disappointed.

TAMilan SC emerged victorious after a 5 goal thriller that saw Inpro SC fighting back with Chard's own goal and a dubious looking penalty. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Or in this case, men. TAMilan's strikers finally emerged from the shadows of their midfield supremos of Poay, Darlington, Ming and Siang with Heng netting a brace and Brown breaking his duck to add the other. However, credit must also go to the whole team as every player in a black jersey that came on gave their all. Tee Oon who was deputising for an injured Max, Siang who played the first-half despite being down with fever the day before; Chris, Poay, Seng and Keong who were nursing injuries, all these players as well as the rest who either started or came on later in the game played with both heart and determination, and some would even say more.

As early as the first minute, Ming had a good chance to put them ahead when a Poay through ball sent him onside with only the keeper to beat but the custodian stood his ground and pushed Ming's attempt around the post for a corner. The boy-wonder had a similar situation a few minutes later but fluffed that as well. Heng held the ball up brilliantly as he played in Siang with a cheeky backheel that nutmegged the dazed Inpro defender only for Siang to shoot too early and wide off the left post. Inpro also had chances of their own as Chris saved 2 long range efforts and Adrian hacked clear a loose ball for a corner after the big-man palmed away another goalbound shot.

Heng then eased TAMilan's nerves as he tussled for the ball with the lanky centreback and won that challenge before sidefooting home from inside the box to put them ahead. But minutes later, Inpro equalized when a teasing cross from the right flew pass the outstretched arms of Chris only for Chard to slice it into his own net as he swung to clear. It was the second own goal they have conceded in 2 games.

One of the main reasons for TAMilan's success this season has been down to the effervescent Poay. And the number 2 took on 2 defenders on the byline to feed Heng to make it 2-1 to TAMilan just before the break.

TAMilan emerged in the second-half with Adrian replacing the injured Chris in goal, Brown coming on for Siang and Wei taking his place in a defensive midfield role with Man partnering Chard in the centre of the defense. And TAMilan started with a fast tempo game, deflating the already tired Inpro players and forcing them to make mistakes and unnecessary fouls. The Inpro defense had no answers to Brown's raw pace and power and the TAMilan striker battered through their brittle defense repeatedly, drawing foul after foul from their now nervous players. Either that or he was marginally offside due to his (over) enthusiastic runs. Meanwhile, Ming echoed the charge given by Poay earlier on about fighting for every ball by marauding upfield with it and scurrying back to help Keong when we lost it, slotting in a few shimmies in between.

Brown was justly rewarded for his hunger midway through the 2nd half when a long freekick from Chard was allowed to bounce by the Inpro defense and Brown nipped in to head the ball pass their keeper to put TAMilan 3-1 up.

Coach Mustafa then sent on Au to add steel to the midfield and to preserve the lead. But he was soon caught in the centre of a questionable decision from the referee. As the game wore on and TAMilan found themselves on the front foot, Inpro reduced the deficit through a dubious looking penalty when Au was deemed to have over impose his strength on the Inpro player via a bodycheck in the box during a corner. Despite heavy protests from the TAMilan players, the referee waved off any appeal and Adrian was sent the wrong way to make the scores 3-2.

Both Poay and Shukor could have put the result beyond any doubt nearing the end of the match. A low freekick from Poay broke through their wall, took a heavy deflection but had not enough power to trouble the keeper – the fortunate man just managing to claw the ball away. Moments after that, Shukor curled the ball narrowly wide off the left post when he received a great ball from Ming.

But try as they may, Inpro couldn't trouble a resilient looking TAMilan looking to book their place in the quarter-finals and when the final whistle blew, there was only joy and jubilation for the all-blacks.

Final Score:

TAMilan SC 3 - Inpro SC 2

Ramblers Go Down.. AGAIN!

Another woeful defensive display underlined another frustrating evening for Ramblers who slipped 2 spots down to 6th in this 15 team league, succumbing to a disappointing 3-1 loss to league leaders Farquhar Rangers “B”. Despite the flattering scoreline, Farquhar Rangers “B” were being pinned back in their own half for much of the game.

But a misplaced pass from Keong and an own goal from mistake-prone Adrian proved costly as they held on for a memorable victory. A consolation goal from Man was all Ramblers could show for in a match they dominated but lost. Such has been their predicament this year with injuries and their defensive frailties affecting a majority of their matches. This pales in comparison with 2008, the boys in blue keeping 9 clean sheets in their first 10 matches with only 2 goals conceded.

Ramblers began the match the better of the two as Heng and Ming repeatedly took on their ageing defenders but were repelled continuously by their more physical approach. With one eye on this Tuesday's Division 3 game, they probably held back to stay clear of injuries. Farquhar Rangers “B” were primarily playing on the counter-attack as they struggled to close down our midfield livewire, Poay, and the more industrious Jason. With play concentrated mostly on the opponent's half, it was perhaps a real shock to see Farquhar Rangers “B” take the lead midway through the first half. Keong's weak inside pass to Jason was intercepted by a grateful Hwa who sprinted clear of the shell-shocked Man to place the ball low and beyond Michael. That goal prompted Ramblers to up the tempo and as they went in search of an equalizer, a cleared corner fell to Hwa who flicked the ball over the advancing Adrian. He then sprinted pass Keong on the middle line and proceeded on goal only for Man to shepherd him to the right where he crossed low and hard to the centre. What was to follow was typical of his form as the recovering centre-back, Adrian, sliced the clearance into his own net! The hands-on-his-head routine and the look of disbelief has been quite the hallmark of this once reliable player as he is left pondering again on what went wrong.

Remarkbly Farquhar Rangers “B” did add another goal just before the interval, again from Hwa as he collected a through ball and despite being bodychecked by Adrian, managed to get to the ball and place it beyond a static Michael who failed to close down the pacy striker.

Coach Mustafa's side switched to a 3-5-2 formation and continued laying siege after the restart, replacing Ming with Brown and taking out Au for Wei. If the general perception that Brown lacks the intelligence to play upfront, then he always makes up for it with his sheer power and determination. The fearsome striker literally and physically battered their defence, once flooring 2 defenders in succession as they attempted to muscle him off the ball. His presence breathed life into Ramblers as the minutes ticked away. Shots by Man, Poay and Brown were dealt with rather uncomfortably by their keeper as their defence looked nervous and shaky. Ah Or was thrown into the fray 10 minutes into the second-half and the diminutive winger also threatened on several occasions. It was inevitable that Ramblers would soon nick a goal. And it came from Man, whose shot flew just inches wide off the post minutes earlier. A corner from Shukor was headed powerfully into the net by the unmarked centre-back turned midfielder as a deflated looking Farquhar Rangers looked at each other for answers.

However, at the final whistle, it was Ramblers who needed answers of their own as another dominating performance was not justly rewarded. A team built on a solid defense was missing once again as individual errors littered the match and cost them dear.

Final Score:

Ramblers 1 - Farquhar Rangers "B" 3

The Great Escape

Ramblers were given a real fight by basement side CCFC on Saturday in their Chinese Super League match but eventually grinded out a 4-3 win after leading 1 nil and allowing CCFC to stage a dramatic fightback, taking the lead twice! Max and Brown's first goal of the campaign, including a stunner from Shukor and Poay's 5^th goal in 7 games was enough to see Ramblers take all 3 points from a breathtaking match.

Fielding a very solid side which included JJ, Jason, Hasrul, Roy and Fajar, CCFC didn't look like they belong rooted to the bottom of the league. But within 10 minutes of the match, Max had suggested otherwise by drilling in goal number 1 after being picked out brilliantly by Puga unmarked. Roy and Johnny seemed agitated by such a lack of concentration and they rallied their troops. Fajar and Hasrul responded aggressively by marauding down Rambler's left hand side time and again which had the less pacy Michael on duty. And their countless raids finally yielded a goal when a long cross over Michael allowed Hasrul to race ahead of the veteran and he delivered a pinpoint cross from the byline into the box. The ball sailed over Adrian's head and Jason chested the ball down before unleashing an unstopable shot pass Chris to tie the game. CCFC build their confidence on that goal as Ramblers looked for answers. As the men in black went in search of another goal, Poay skimmed the crossbar and JJ was a massive figure at the back, repelling attack after attack almost single-handedly.

CCFC, who seemed unperturbed by Ramblers' reputation, took a surprise lead when Fajar crossed to Roy on the edge of the box after a botched sliding clearance from out-of-form Adrian to smash the ball crisply beyond the keeper's reach. That goal did little to suggest that Ramblers had deserved the reputation they had build so hard to achieve in the past year. So it was no surprise that CCFC adjourned for half-time with smiles on their faces while Ramblers were being given a lecture by Coach Mustafa.

The restart saw a trio of substitutions with Manager Michael taking over from Chris, Au coming on for Puga and Keong replacing Michael at leftback. Ramblers pushed forward optimistically, believing that a goal was inevitable and they peppered CCFC's goal with shots. Brown was making a nuinsance of himself and JJ was trying to cope with his physical play and off-the-ball runs. However, the pressure soon told as Brown shrugged off JJ's challenge to get to a through ball and rounded CCFC's custodian to level the game. It looked like normal order was restored. Au, Poay and Benni were back in control of midfield and they strung together some very intricate passess to leave CCFC's midfield chasing shadows. But Rambler's defensive frailties offered CCFC a glimmer of hope. A freekick out on the right was crossed in by Jason and Adrian somehow mistimed his clearance to leave the ball bouncing through his legs for Hasrul to pounce and left the number 7 free to take a shot. Although Michael did get a hand to his effort, he only managed to palm the ball in off his left hand post and CCFC celebrated another goal.

Shukor meanwhile had other ideas. Right from the kick-off, a cross to the left saw Shukor racing down the flank, beating the rightback and sending a low shot pass a desparing Johnny. The response was swift and exemplary of Rambler's attitude of not giving up. The battle from then on raged back and forth until Au, probably trying to emulate Kaka's first goal against Egypt in the Confed Cup, guided the ball over JJ's feet and the burly Omani bodychecked the gangly midfielder who fell in the box. The referee pointed to the spot and Poay stepped up to take the spotkick. He send the keeper the wrong way and claimed his 5^th goal of the tournament. CCFC did throw everything they had at Ramblers but it was probably too little too late and they held on for a less than deserved victory.

Final Score:

Ramblers 4 – CCFC 3

Black Horse Blacked Out

Two sublime goals and an assist from Chard, one a glancing header and another a long range grounder, sealed a back-to-back win for Ramblers against Black Horse. Poay and Ming were the other scorers as Ramblers picked up another 3 points to climb up the table despite falling behind midway through the first-half.

Final Score:

Ramblers 4 - Black Horse 1

Shocking!

It was to be a stroll in the park for undefeated TAMilan SC as they came up against 2^nd from bottom Bintang Biru who were fielding a relatively young squad. However, fate had other ideas and it tore the form book to shreds. TAMilan were gunned down by a very energetic Bintang Biru side with 1 goal in either half. And although Poay did pull a goal back for them, a mistake by Adrian was enough to hand over the 3 points to the young guns. TAMilan even had a man sent off for a questionable foul and Sin the leftback will be missing for the 2 penultimate games against Inpro and NTFA.

TAMilan, curiously looking nervous, was giving away the ball too cheaply in the early part of the game as they looked to pump it forwards to Brown whereas Bintang Biru played with abandon as young boys usually do with 3 for

wards. And although Darlington and Ming produced some very exhilirating pieces of

footwork and skill, there was no final delivery to Brown and Poay to finish

off. While TAMilan tried earnestly to replicate their superb performances in this league's last 3 games, Bintang Biru were just content to soak up the pressure and hit them on the break. Unfortunately, one such break caught TAMilan off guard. A through ball sent their winger sprinting on goal but Adrian was first to react, and as he attempted to win the ball back, he lost his footing, lost possession

in the box, and allowed the player to cross to the unmarked striker to shoot home

. 1-0 and even Bintang Biru couldn't believe it! The trio of Darlington, Ming and Brown quickly picked

themselves up and began their assault on the opposition goal but a series of bad luck, bad judgement, and a slew of nifty but ineffective shimmies was all they could muster in the first half, although Darlington did send 1 r

ocket of a shot whizzing just over the bar. Coach Mustaph

a even made an early subst

itution by bringing on Max at rightback and moving Adrian to the heart of the d

efence, sacrificing Man in the process, in the hope of injecting some attacking impetus into the game.

After the half-time break, TAMilan reappeared with guns

blazing and launched endless raids, pinning Bintang Biru in their own half. Ming occassiona

lly took on his markers and left them for dead but while a pass would surely pave an opportunity to level the game, he opted to shoot instead, leaving Poay and Brown looking on dejectedly and shaking their heads. Brown himself was battling on courageously alone upfront with little to show for whereas Poay toiled on despite his aching knee while Darlington and Keon tried their best to bre

ach their defence. As Bintang Biru was trying to hold on to their slender lead, TAMilan held on to the belief that a goal was not far off. And it arrived through a very familiar source. A loose ball was dinked into the far corner by Poay and it sent TAMilan and their bench into raptures.

That goal seemed to spark TAMilan into life and Jason wasted a fantastic chance to put them ahead when he collected a through ball and only had the keeper to beat. Instead he rounded the keeper, and with the goal mouth begging, he steadied himself but it was too late to produce a decent shot. Poay was also guilty of a miss he knew he should have buried away when he took down a long raking cross and blasted it wide off the keeper's upright. TAMilan were soon to rue those gilt-edged chances. Minutes later, Bintang Biru's marauding right-winger sent in a cross that bounced akwardly on the bumpy pitch and the linesman adjudged that Adrian had handled in the area in his effort to bring the ball under control. Penalty! With his head down and his hands on his hips, he knew his indiscretion had undone all the good work his team were doing. And it was not the kind of decision TAMilan were hoping for as they had fought themselves out of a difficult situation but failed to make their chances count. Bintang Biru's midfielder stepped up and although Suresh guessed correctly, there was enough sting to send the shot crashing into the net past the despairing keeper. As the minutes ticked away, TAMilan drove forward in numbers and eagerness but failed to snatch a late point as Bintang Biru held on desprately for the 3 points.

Final Result:

TAMilan SC 1 - Bintang Biru 2

Number of Hits on this blog by Country

Below are the number of hits by country on our blog. For example, there were 1255 hits by visitors from Malaysia and they made up 70.03% of all site visits. We would like to thank all those visitors whom have continually supported us by logging in to this blog. Your support has been invaluable and we hope that you will continue to enjoy our little adventures! Cheers!!!

Country Count
Malaysia 1255 (70.03%)
Unknown 325 (18.14%)
Australia 94 (5.25%)
United States 60 (3.35%)
United Kingdom 28 (1.56%)
Canada 6 (0.33%)
Singapore 6 (0.33%)
France 5 (0.28%)
Sweden 2 (0.11%)
Norway 2 (0.11%)
Netherlands 2 (0.11%)
Belgium 2 (0.11%)
Italy 2 (0.11%)
Germany 2 (0.11%)
Korea, Republic of 1 (0.06%)

Finally...

Ramblers finally notched a deserved victory after 2 lossess and a draw by beating Black Falcon SC 2-0 at USM field on Sunday. Under the sweltering heat, Ramblers went ahead through Keon in the first half and then proceeded to wrap up the game courtesy of former Black Falcon player and our leading scorer, Poay, in the second.

After being at the end of some very demoralising results, Ramblers took to the field with a sense of renewed optimism that the rot stops here. Passes were tidy and with Ming and Ah Or marauding down the left and right channels respectively, Black Falcon was on the back-foot. Heng held the ball up brilliantly, allowing Keon and Poay to break into space and Puga, our newest player, acquitted himself much better than last week with a solid defensive display at the heart of midfield. With the back-line staying firm, this time switching to a more zonal formation in the absence of Chard, it freed our more attacking players to venture forward and launch endless raids on the Black Falcon goal.

Heng had 2 glorious chances to put us ahead with his freekicks but saw 1 crash against the post and another turned over the bar by the outstretched arms of the keeper. But Keon made sure his chance counted as their keeper's attempted pass was intercepted by him and he cooly slotted it beyond the helpless custodian. However, Black Falcon did manage to hit Suresh's right-hand post in one of their few “adventures” up front but did very little to trouble the defence.

After the much-welcomed break, Benni replaced Keon and dropped back into a defensive midfield role in order to protect the lead. Black Falcon also appeared to throw everything at us in the hope of salvaging a goal. And while they were looking for one, Poay popped up with one of his own, taking his season's tally to 8 goals in 9 games! Heng, who seemed to revel in the physical challenges of the game, played in a beautiful through ball at the edge of the area, catching their defenders unawares and allowing Poay to pick his spot low to the keeper's right.

Black Falcon seemed deflated after that and whilst they huffed and puffed their way throughout the remainder of the match, Ramblers held on convincingly for a long-awaited win.

Results:

Ramblers 2 – Black Falcon 0

Crash And Burn

Chinese Super League Results:

Date: 31st May 2009
Venue: USM
Time: 5.45 pm

Result: Ramblers 0 - Synergy United 3

6 Star Performance by TAMilan

It was a tale of 2 halves as TAMilan SC routed Lumayan FC 6-0 in their Division 3 match yesterday to maintain a 100% win record after 3 games. This result has TAMilan poised to take a Quarter-final spot after completing half their fixtures and needing only 3 points from the remaining 3 games to get there. However, the result masked the realities of a very uninspiring first half and any thought of a possible rout of their opponents was not in evidence in the first 45 minutes.

The game began with both teams equally playing a cautious game with the bulk of the battle centered in the middle of the park where Darlington, Man and Poay were trying to contain and control. There was little fluidity and almost no creative spark by the man in black! Although Darlington's neat little shimmies and footwork was a joy to watch, he didn't deliver any dangerous crosses or defence splitting passess that threatened the opposition goal. So it was a surprise that TAMilan actually took the lead after about 20 minutes when the Lumayan defender headed into his own net. Although Lumayan themselves made TAMilan's job easier, the team just didn't capitalize on that advantage and allowed Lumayan to seize the iniative by launching raid after raid on our goal. And if it wasn't for their poor passing and atrocious finishing, we would have been trailing! As they were prodding and pressing for an equalizer, Heng benefited from a lack of concentration by their defence to exquisitely lob TAMilan 2 goals ahead for his first goal of the campaign and the first for any of our strikers!

The second half saw the withdrawal of a half-fit Adrian from centre-back to be replaced by Man. The midfield was reshuffled with Darlington moving into a more defensive position with Ming coming in at right midfield. However, it was shocking to see Lumayan taking a very physical approach to the game as they had done relatively well in the first half with their neat passess and movement. They seemed more content at swiping the feet of any player in black than playing the ball! Ming and Darlington were probably the 2 most fouled players with the former being hacked down in the box from behind with no penalty given.

But TAMilan was unperturbed by their rough house tactics and instead stepped up a gear. Poay notched his third goal of the campaign off his head by meeting Darlington's cross and doubled his goal tally from a sweetly struck shot to the bottom corner. At the back, Suresh made a fantastic double-save to deny Lumayan a goal and Sin hacked the ball clear off the line to prevent another goal-bound effort. But a rocket of a freekick from Wei and a Siang goal after a cheeky backheel from the outstanding Poay had split the Lumayan defence ended the match as a contest. Lumayan then had one man sent off as he fouled a clear-on-goal Darlington from behind. And as he was the last defender, the referee had no choice but to pull out the red card.

Final Result:

TAMilan SC 6 – Lumayan FC 0

Ramblers Fall To Georgetown

Georgetown United was next up in our quest for the Chinese Super League crown as they were one of the only two teams that had beaten us last year in the group stages with a 2-1 scoreline. As they had begin the campaign with 2 lossess, we knew this was not going to be an easy match.

Ramblers started nervously and Georgetown took advantage of that by focusing their attack on our right-back, Max. They launched ball after ball to Ah Hwa who was cutting thru the right like a hot knife on butter. Never known for his pace, Max had to use all his cunning and physical presence to cope with Ah Hwa's blisterring runs. But as Ramblers slowly found their footing, Georgetown was being pegged back by our attacks. And their defence was being run ragged by Keon, Heng, Benni and Poay. However, they couldn't find the back of the net with the best chance falling to Keon when the keeper was drawn out of position and the goal was at his mercy. The nimble flanker took one too many steps to steady himself but by then the Georgetown defence had recovered to block.

And that was to prove a costly miss. As Ramblers pushed in search of a goal, a long ball forward was easily shielded by Chard with the advancing striker hot on his heels. But when stand-in keeper Adrian came out to collect at the edge of the area, the striker nippily got in between Chard and Adrian to steal the ball and poke it into an empty net.

The second half continued in very much the same fashion as raid after raid on the Georgetown goal beared no fruit as we wasted good chances to pull the game level. Poay missed a glorious header and good chances also fell to Keon and Benni. Coach Mustafa even brought on Ah Or to beef up the attack and although he impressed, it was not to be Ramblers' day as we fell to another defeat to Georgetown United for the 2^nd year.

Final Result:

Ramblers 0 – Georgetown United 1

PYFC "A" Snatches Late Late Draw

PYFC “A” were let off the hook when they came back from 2-0 down to share the spoils with a Ramblers side itching for some payback for the quarter-final lost last season. A near post header from Alex and one from Ah Han leveled the scores after Ming and Poay had given Ramblers a 2 goal cushion. But the match was littered with a catalogue of fouls time-and-time again as PYFC imposed themselves physically on the muddy pitch.

The first half was a dour affair as both teams struggled to adapt to the poor pitch condition with good chances falling to Keon, Ming and Poay. At the other end, Ah Han had a goal disallowed for a clear offside and Botak crumbling ridiculously to the ground each time Michael came in contact with him... as if he was assaulted with a stick! But the tackles from PYFC “A” came in fast and hard and the referee did not do enough to protect the Ramblers players.

After the re-start, the match continued in similar fashion as Ramblers pushed in search of a lead while PYFC “A” resumed their hackman duties by chopping down any Ramblers player with a ball at his feet. Despite their passable impression of Blackburn and Bolton as bully-boys, Ramblers were not intimidated and took the lead after a Darlington freekick was knocked into the net by wonderkid Ming. This opened up the game and PYFC “A” tried to play football for the first time in the match. However, it was Ramblers' little midfield genius that stretched the lead further. A messy clearance found its way to Poay's feet and he gratefully curled the ball home beyond the outstretched arms of the keeper.

With the 2 goal lead we found ourselves crusing to a victory. But PYFC had other ideas and their persistent forays into our half saw a freekick conceded just outside the box with barely 10 minutes left to play. And when the ball was floated in, it took a wicked deflection and bounced to the far post for Alex to power his header into the net. Then straight from the re-start, possession was given away and a long punt forward to Ah Han saw him shrug off the presence of Man for him to stride into the penalty area to plant a low shot pass Chris.

It was to be our most costly 2 minutes as we threw away a perfectly good lead to allow PYFC “A” back into the game. But we are sitting confidently among the top 3 in the league with a 100% unbeaten record after 3 games. And, it's still a long journey ahead.. but we're in a good position.

Final Result:

Ramblers 2 – PYFC “A” 2

Ghost Buried in 4 Goal Win

The Ramblers squad are happy to pose at half time.

A lot can change over the course of a year. And Ramblers came into this match against the intimidatingly named Penang Chinese (whom are actually Inpro SC), and starting with 3 Myanmarese players, full of confidence after blowing away Old Man 4-2 in their opening Chinese Super League match last Sunday. About a year ago, at Vokasional field, we took a 3-nil lead only to see Inpro SC salvage a 3-3 draw. But lightning doesn't strike at the same place twice!

The Coach looks at the action with senior player, Max.

Breaking from conventional tactics, Coach Mustafa decided to go into the game with an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation after missing several regulars that included Sin (left back), Brown (striker), Darlington (midfield) and not wanting to risk the half-fit Keong and Chard. And it looked like a big risk as Ramblers struggled to find any rhythm or footing in the first 20 minutes of the game as Inpro dictated play with Lee and Owen pulling the strings for them. But as they failed to convert their chances and as the game wore on, Ramblers started to impose themselves. Slowly but surely we were sparking to life.

The midfield trio of Benni, Poay and Jason started to regain control of the midfield as wingbacks Ming and Shukor worked tirelessly to support Heng and Keon upfront. Benni in particular was in commanding form as he and Poay used the occasion to showcase their mesmerizing talent. And it was no surprise that Benni was the one who instigated and finished off the move that gave us the lead. His cross-field pass to an overlapping Shukor was sublime, but when he ran into space and received the ball and knocked it pass the keeper.. that was pure class.

Minutes later it was Keon's turn as he pounced on a loose ball from a Heng free kick to fire home. Penang Chinese did have their chances but whenever they got pass our defenders, Chris was there to smother the danger. As Penang Chinese went in search for a goal to pull them back into the game, Shukor fired in goal number 3 to send us into an ascendancy. And half-time couldn't come sooner for them.

The Ramblers goalmouth was busier in the second 35 minutes.

Second-half saw a more invigorated Penang Chinese with the introduction of Loon and Rustam. They began well by bombarding our defence with wave after wave of attack. Then from successive freekicks, they found their elusive goals. The first came when a foul by Adrian on the edge of the area allowed Lee to curl the ball pass the despairing Chris. The second sparked wild celebrations by Penang Chinese as Lee again stepped up to send the ball into the bottom corner of the net. 3-2 and we were rocking. Was it going to end up like last year? They continued to pour forward in numbers and even had a goal disallowed for offside which we were just thankful for.

Poay - The fourth goalscorer

But Poay had other ideas. A beautiful exchange of passes with Keon put him through to place the ball pass the advancing keeper to seal our win and dashed the hopes of the Penang Chinese players. And when the final whistle blew, it was mission accomplished!

Final Score:

Penang Chinese 2 – Ramblers 4

Old Man's Debut Wrecked By Ramblers

Ramblers ran out 4-2 winners against Old Man in their opening Chinese Super League match. 2 goal hero Benni and 1 from Wei killed off the contest in the first half as Old Man tried to come back into the game in the second-half. Ex-Johor striker Ramlee pulled 1 back for them before half-time and a weak backpass from Sin resulted in another but it was not enough to stop Ramblers from steamrolling over their veteran opponents.

Next game... Penang Chinese @ Inpro SC

Final Result:

Ramblers 4 - Old Man 2

Weekend Friendly Result

Versus: Penang Sports Club
Date: 1st May 2009
Time: 5.45 pm
Venue: Penang Sports Club field
Result: PSC 3 - Team Orange 1

Bomba's Fire Put Out

A matured performance by TAMilan SC shrugged off the challenge of the firemen by posting an emphatic 4-1 victory over their more illustrious opponents. Darlington was the catalyst of this memorable win as he scored 2 and set up another for his protege, Ming, while the 4^th was an own goal after good pressure from Brown.

A clash of jersey colors, a slippery pitch, a defence devoid of the crocked Chard and Keong, an unavailable Heng, with Brown unable to arrive early and Poay reaching just in time, set the tone for the match as Coach Mustapha pondered back-and-forth over team selection and formations. In the end, he decided to make do with the best he had in a 4-4-2 formation and the team did not disappoint.

Chris started in goal with Sin, Man, Adrian, and Max making up the back-four and protected by Jason as the defensive midfielder. Siang, given his first start, was pushed to the right while Ming appeared on the left, both of them flanking the unlikely pair of Shukor and Poay in attack. Darlington played at the head of the midfield diamond, seemingly as the attacking midfielder and playmaker supreme.

The game started nervously for TAMilan as Bomba looked to stamp their mark within the first 15 minutes. Poor passing, sluggish movement and confused looks by TAMilan were worrying the bench as Bomba looked to pump the ball to their number 12. One of these raids actually put him through on goal but a timely sliding tackle by libero Adrian in the box thwarted his attempt and Sin cleared the danger after the ball rebounded free. Corners and freekicks then followed as the referee seemed to be on their side and the players started to wonder if it was going to be one of those matches where the opposition would benefit from bias refereeing.

But if there was one thing that has come to represent the hallmark of this team, then it must surely be their resilience. We withstood wave after wave of their attacks with Man absolutely brilliant in defence and slowly but surely, we started to come back into the game. Siang and Ming started to switch flanks like Robben and Duff did for Chelsea, while Darlington oozed panache and class with his nifty footwork and shimmies. One of these actually left 2 Bomba players sprawling to the ground with a mixture of amazement and frustration as they had tried to tackle him off the ball. He even had 1 offside called against him although it looked like he was clearly onside when the ball was played to him.

With Darlington in scintillating form our first goal soon arrived when he lured 3 Bomba players out to the right and he crossed to an unmarked Ming to head home from barely 6 yards out. TAMilan started to grab a stranglehold on the game and an excellent exchange of passes between Poay and Siang bewildered the opposition to leave the former with just the keeper to beat. Whilst it was an applaudable move worthy of synonymity with Barcelona, the similarities stopped there as he couldn't keep his shot down and blazed it over the bar.

Putting that miss aside, TAMilan continued to press forward and it was Darlington who reaped the fruits of his labor. With the Bomba players following him like he was the Pied Piper, he dribbled his way around them and a cross-shot actually caught their keeper unawares, prompting him to inadvertently palm the ball into his own net for goal number 2. Bomba did try to come back after that and a bone-crunching tackle by Adrian left a Bomba player writhing on the ground a few yards outside the box. The resulting freekick was spilled by Chris and the thankful Bomba striker rushed in to knock the ball home.

The whistle for half-time soon followed and after some encouraging words from the Coach, TAMilan was back on the field again and they continued where they left off. The effervescent Ming seemed to have a telepathic understanding with his mentor as he and Darlington tried to carve open the Bomba defence with a string of very good interchanges. But the 3^rd goal would arrive from the other flank. Overshadowed by Ming in the first half, Siang looked hungrier and more determined in the second. His movement suddenly had purpose and his desire renewed. With hardman Max providing cover, he ventured forward a lot more and one of his forays ended with their defenders upending him in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Darlington stepped up for the penalty and with a sense of assuredness and nerves of steel, he drilled the ball low and hard to the keeper's left, and although the custodian had got a hand to the ball, it was just impossible to keep it out. It was the nail in the coffin for the men in black. By now Brown had come on for the ineffective Shukor with Keon replacing Poay. The tireless Jason anchored the midfield with aplomb and with our back-four faultless, Bomba looked deflated with whatever they had thrown at us repelled time and time again. However, we were not done yet. A corner swung in from the right caused a lot of confusion in the box as Brown harried their defenders and it resulted with the ball in the back of the net off one of their own players! There was still time to bring on Au, Wei and Seng as we looked to consolidate the win. And when the final whistle blew, we knew it was just the kind of performance that will get us far this season – Bomba had been given a masterclass! For us, it was 2 wins out of 2 and on course for a quarter-final berth.

Game set and match.

TAMilan 4 - Bomba 1