A pulsating FAP Div.3 match versus Penang NTFA was abandoned as the whistle blew for half-time with the heavens pouring down heavily, reducing the field to a giant pool of water. At that stage, Team Orange had copped a goal to drag themselves level against their more fancied opponents. A brilliant corner from Ming was somehow put into the net by NTFA's defender and we were grateful for the goal as they had dominated the match with little to show for it.
Team Orange faced a true test of their credentials as dark horses in this year's FAP Div. 3 by coming up against the very experienced and very slick Penang NTFA. Penang NTFA had played in many cup competitions and once appeared in the M-League and judging from the M-League emblem still showing on the side of their sleeves, they were sending out a clear warning that they meant business. And as soon as the whistle blew to start, they got down to it. Our midfield trio of Darlington, Jason and Kugan was being run ragged despite their best efforts to contain the centre of the park whereas Poay, who was starting as our lone striker, was left isolated up front. Ming was our only lively player as he seemed to revel in the pressures of a high-stakes game. But it was not so for our other winger, Keon, as he looked jaded and out of ideas as their right-back bullied him repeatedly into submission.
NTFA was keeping a close watch on Darlington as he continously ran into 2 opposition players closing him down everytime he got the ball. However, with the control of the game in their hands, it was surprising that they lacked any bite in the last quarter of the pitch as they were limited to shots outside the box that were going wide. It was true that they were peppering our goal with shots after shots but the defensive quartet of Sin, Adrian, Chard and Max did well enough to snuff out the dangers as Chris was hardly tested, only getting his gloves dirty with the occassional routine catches.
But not for the first time, we lost concentration in the defence as NTFA's gangly No. 11 found himself totally unmarked at the far post and he squared a pass to his striking counter-part to poke the ball home into an empty net. It was deja vu all over again as the goal was eerily similiar to the one we conceded against PSC just a week before. A floated cross from the left as the defence pushed for off-side seemed to caught Max off-guard as he failed to spot the striker lurking in just behind him and left us chasing the game from then on.
Then heaven's gate started to open, and with the onset of heavier rain also came a dose of good fortune. Yet before our goal, Darlington served notice of our resolve and fighting spirit by curling a free-kick from the edge of the area inches wide of the left-hand corner. And next came the equalizer as Ming curled in a ball to the back post from a corner, and as their defenders watched flat-footed, Jason powered a header towards goal that was somehow directed into the back of the net by their defender to tie the game.
With the rain pouring down heavily, both teams had a hard time getting a stranglehold on the game and when the referee blew for half-time, we knew the game would be called-off as the pitch was now turning into a pool!
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