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
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