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

Same Mistakes Haunts Orange

A disappointing 2 nil lost to Citibank, littered with a catalogue of errors, provided a worrying problem ahead of Team Orange's Division 3 match versus the firemen on Thursday. A poor backpass by stand-in libero Adrian to a hesitant Suresh prompted Man to intervene with devastating result as their striker robbed Man off the ball and slotted it past the helpless Suresh for Citibank's opening goal. Their second came from a set-piece as ex-Ramblers star, Chong, floated in a free-kick to the far post for his unmarked defender to power home a header.

The first half was a dour affair with Team Orange having the bulk of possession and better chances. However, they failed to produce anything out of it and whilst Siang's deflected shot was brilliantly tipped over the bar, Citibank's rearguard stood firm. Derek, Poay and Au bossed the midfield, with Derek outstanding in an anchorman's role. His positional and passing qualities was called to the fore as we were missing the ever-dependable Jason – and he did not disappoint. Wei, who started as the lone frontman in the absence of Heng and Brown, looked lost and isolated upfront as Keon labored almost ineffectively on the left. Citibank also had chances of their own as Lee headed just narrowly wide from a decent cross and their diminutive striker shot poorly at Suresh as he was being pursued by Adrian and Man. Au and Poay both had shots taken from out of the box but unfortunately we could have profited from a bit more accuracy.

The second half saw the introduction of Seng for Keon and Zambri for Au as they continued where they left off – in search of that elusive goal to put Team Orange ahead. But it was ironically Citibank, who was clad in a bright orange outfit, that took the lead from that poor backpass. Adrian should have hoofed the ball clear instead as he was clearly in control over his smaller opponent. But because he failed to do so, Citibank went 1 nil up – simplicity should have been the key. Team Orange responded to that set-back as they laid siege in their opponent's half but were being outmuscled by the very physical Citibank defenders. And as they failed to put the ball past Karthik in Citibank's goal, they pierced our hearts with their second goal off Chong's free-kick. It was a replicant of the goals Team Orange conceded in their games against PSC and NTFA as the opposition player was left unmarked at the far post! Clearly this has to be addressed prior to our match this Thursday.

As the minutes ticked away, Citibank was contend to soak up the pressure and hit us on the counter-attack as our players pressed valiantly to reduce the deficit. However, it was all in vain and when the whistle blew for full-time, the team in orange was clearly happier than the team named after it.