Playouts Vs SCC Tigers 10 May

Playouts met SCC Tigers in a fiercely contested battle, ending the day 4-1 on the wrong side of the scoreline. As Arsene Wenger said later, “it wasn’t a 4-1 game”, but football’s like so.

The afternoon started off well enough, with Playouts streaming in in a timely fashion for a warm-up and a team brief, which we’ve been lacking for the past 4-5 games. The game kicked off fast and furious, with SCC Tigers moving the ball around quickly and giving Playouts no time to settle into the game. Playouts started with a pretty strong line-up with Shaun in goal, Ben Chong GM and Adrian across the back, Geoff Jan Ed and Duns in mids and Raj with Izzy up top. It took us awhile to settle down, by which time SCC were up by 1 goal. The first half quickly ended, and none to soon, for the setting sun was sapping away our juice.

The second half started on a brighter note for Playouts, with Abiel and Zhichun coming in. We started to control play more and saw lots of the ball, while SCC were busy chasing down the ball. Parked in SCC’s half for the opening 10min, we got a deserved break when Izzy’s snapshot slipped past the keeper to nestle in the back of the net. 1-1. The game was evenly contested, despite the physical advantage that SCC held, what with a 9-man strong bench and towering behemoths everywhere in their team. Unfortunately, on one of SCC’s breaks, Ed slipped just at the moment he jumped to head a ball clear, and the SCC giant behind him gleefully headed home. 2-1 to SCC.

The game was still on even at this point, but the lack of subs on Playouts bench was telling, as the tired legs couldn’t quite keep up with the fresh players being introduced from the home team. Abiel had some good incisive runs, and Jansen connected well with Chong on several freekicks to set up a few half chances. Geoff was ever the tireless runner, and Jansen was omnipresent. Dunstan’s lack of match fitness, having just returned from his China sojourn, might have been evident today, but one should never discount our magic Duns anyway. GM was immense in defence, clearing every loose ball, while Adrian had a tough day in the office against some very robust opposition on his flank.

As Playouts pushed forward in a bid to find the equaliser, SCC caught us out on another quick break, with a series of accurate long distributions, ending with a well-taken shot into the top corner. 3-1 to SCC. With little more than 10minutes to go, it was a tough hill to climb. SCC had one last good break, rifling home a shot past 2 defenders and the keeps. 4-1 to SCC. It wasn’t a 4-1 game, but football can be a cruel game.

Man of the Match – Shaun, heroic keeping saved us at least 3 good goals, especially one peach of a one-handed point blank stop. Shaun wanted to play keeper cuz it’s more exciting than striker, and he sure got his fair share of the ball today.

Cheers to SCC for a good game.

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Match Report by SCC Tigers

Dempsey was in perfect condition for the top of the table clash between SCC Tigers and Playouts. No rain, plenty of sunshine and a warm afternoon. Tigers had a large squad of 18 and once again thanks to the other 8 squad members who had to sit this one out. Some weeks we have too many, some just enough and others the bare
minimum 11. To the 18 that were there thanks for your patience on the subs rotation and to Naka and GD thanks for coming down to support and making up the cheer squad! Tigers lined up as follows:

Marc G
Matt F Simon T Richard Simon B
Adam B
Yossi PJ Richie P Marcus
Luke

We had a really strong bench with Whibs, Pat R, Kai, Matt S, Jon M, Lucas and Duffs.

The first 15-20 minutes were all Tigers as PJ and Richie moved the ball wide to Yossi and Marcus, Luke’s strength and pace caused the Playouts defenders a lot of trouble up front, Adam stifled any break thru in the
centre and the back four comfortably held of the breakout attacks. I don’t think Marc saw the ball in that period. The breakthrough came on 16 minutes when Luke picked up the ball on the right of the penalty area and advanced into the box. His first shot was blocked but he was first to react and he drove home from a tight angle.

One up and we should have pushed on but this seemed to kick start Playouts who started to find their own rhythm playing some neat football and quickly closing down our midfield. They had a few good counter attacks and seemed to be able to win a lot of 50/50 with there skill and determination. Marc dealt well with the odd long range shot well. The Guv swung some changes, Pat, Kia and Matt S on to try and wrestle control back. Tigers had 2 or 3 chances but the Playouts keeper did well to keep the score at 1-0 at halftime.

2nd half started with:

Marc G
Mike W Simon T Lucas Simon B
Matt S PJ Jon M Pat R
Kai Duffs

It was Playouts who came out firing and for 10 minutes they dictated the game and got a deserved equalizer when we gave away a free kick on the right, the kick was half cleared and the subsequent shot came through the pack and somehow squirmed under Marcs diving body. Tigers then kick started themselves and used the wings
more. After a few half chances eventually on 55 minutes Matt S received the ball wide and he swung over a great cross to Kai who was in the right place to bundle the ball home. 2-1 and we relaxed more.

The Guv rotated Yossi, Marcus back on out wide, Luke in the centre, Richie at fullback! Adam at the back. In what has become typical style of the Tigers we played strongly for the full 80th minute and after both Kia and Duffs went close with headers in the last 10 minutes we closed out the match with a couple of classic goals. The first from a pinpoint cross from Matt S again that found the marauding right back Richie P out wide in the penalty area. His first touch controlled the ball with his right, he made the angle a bit better with a shimmy to the left and then beat the keeper, with his left again, with a great shot. The fourth came as Playouts pushed forward to try and get
back into the game, Adam’s sliced 9 iron clearance was pinpoint enough to skim off a defenders head into the path of Yossi on the right. Yossi’s pace had been effective all game and with the Playouts defenders pushing forward he needed no invitation to drive into the box and finish Benayoun style.

Final score was 4-1, Playouts proved why they are hot favorites for a promotion spot with a very competitive performance. They have good pace, tackle hard but fair and are well organized. Most of all they are a very sporting team with a great attitude and an obvious love for the game. Good luck in the run in guys and we look forward to the rematch at the end of the season. Ref I hardly noticed today so he must have been very good.

Tigers, despite having to satisfy a big squad, were back to playing the ‘SCC Way’ and the rotations never upset the balance of the side or the way we played. All contributed well but special mention to Yossi for his pace down the right, Matt S for some great assists, PJ for getting through 55 minutes! Richie for volunteering to go fullback (or
wide half back as he calls the role), duffs for his defensive duties (something you dont normally expect!) and the rest of the squad for a good afternoon out. MOM however goes to Luke who once again proved a handful upfront and when asked to do a job in centre mid did so with great endeavor.

Playouts Vs Central Park 0-6 mauling

Playouts Reunited crumbled to their second consecutive defeat of the season after a heart-breaking 6-0 defeat to a rampant Central Park. Without 70% of first team regulars, a lengthly one-month and a severe drop in fitness, Playouts was at best, second best.

Thanks Central Park for the thorough lesson on the football field. In doing so, serving as a comprehensive wakeup call that couldn’t have come at a better time. Playouts will hope to bounce back as they face leaders SCC Tigers next week.

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Match Report from Central Park

Central Park came bouncing back after some inept performance in their last game against Barclays Capital by thumping familiar rivals Playouts Reunited 6-0 at Bedok Green Secondary School. Stefan opened the floodgates after just 3 minutes from the spot and added his second and Sharks 4th just before half-time. Aaron found the net twice while Naoki got his name for Sharks 3rd in the first half. The most unlikely name of the scoresheet though was Michael Wong who scored his first ever goal from his goal line.

Sharks injury list look ever increasing with the likes of Kelvin and Vincent out for the game with the former out for the rest of the season with a facial injury. With Naoki back in the team after missing out on last week defeat with a sore ankle, Sharks look for further reinforcements in the form of old rivals East Avenue with Mohammad Yus, Radzly and Azri being drafted into the side for possibly the rest of the season or even further than that as the team look to beef up its team after some unfortunate injuries which has plagued the team for the season. Sharks opponents today however was a pale shadow from their last meeting in March when a whole army of 20 players turned up as Sharks went down 4-2 over at Marsiling Secondary.

Central Park started the game in positive fashion and the early exchanges proved telling as a long punt from Michael was handled in the box after just 3 minutes. Up step Stefan who gave the custodian no chance as he stood rooted from his spot. The goal seemed to spark a little life into a disarray Playouts side who was almost outplayed in every department as Brendan, Yus and Stefan played key roles in the middle of the park to stifle their opposite number. Barely 20 minutes into the game, Sharks got their second after a floater from Zhuoneng, whom was criticised for his inept display last week found Brendan who headed into an onrushing Aaron in the box and the forward made no mistake from close range. Naoki managed to end his barren run with his team’s third when his fluke shot went thru a sea of legs and into the back of the net as Sharks looked convicingly comfortable for the break before Stefan made sure of the 3 points just before the break with Sharks 4th of the game.

Second half saw Sharks making a couple of chances with the number of personnel they have on the bench but the changes doesn’t seemed break any rythmn in the team as they continued to dictate the game. Nonetheless, Playouts as always doesn’t give up that easily as they went in search of the elusive goal to bring themselves back into the game and they had several close shaves with their closest coming off the bar which summed up their day in front of goal. Play however seemed to stall into a pedestrian stage as both teams keep missing the final pass until the 60th minute. A loose ball collected by Michael in goal as he slowly picked it up for the long punt into the opposition half. With his punt almost dead centre, it innocuously flew above the sea of players and as his opposite number began to sense danger, the custodian inexplicably punched the ball into his own net as Michael celebrated his first ever goal and probably his last as well from where he was standing. That seemed to deflate the spirits of the opposition whom before that, was fighting to get something in the game. As the clock ticked by, Asawin who was here just for a game before flying back to Bangkok released Aaron with a peach of a pass and the forward found the bottom right hand corner for his team’s sixth and final goal of the game.

The beaming manager commented, ‘To be winning by such a margin against an opponent who we know on their day could beat anyone, you don’t ask for anything more.

Playouts vs Madcats (Div 6 Match 1) 20 Jul 08 0-1 Loss

The wise men of old often say…there is no better way to start afresh than to start afresh late. Truly, in accordance with their pearls of wisdom, some of our wiser Playouts followed the words to the letter. Three latecomers decided to penalize the team by sauntering their way down to Woodleigh Park for our opening fixture. Shame on them. To top it all off, despite having a pool of nearly 30 players, we conspired to churn out just 11 for our very first match of the league season.

A dry, bumpy pitch awaited this match, surely a rarity in Singapore. The Madcats kicked off what would prove to be a game full of action but few goals. Both sides started warily, neither wanting to give possession away cheaply, stroking the ball around and testing the defences. However, it didn’t take long for the first sign of action. A ball over the top of the Playouts defence caught out a fast retreating Adrian, who to his credit and defence, had just foraged upfield to lend assistance to a Playout attack. The Madcats winger took advantage of this and scampered down the left before sending in a deep cross. The ball eluded the centre backs but found an onrushing Madcat who nodded the cross goalwards and surely, a goal was on the cards! Lo and behold! Playout custodian Christopher Check got down faster than a freshly released inmate gets down to Geylang and parried the header. However, in the ensuing melee, the leathery sphere was scrambled in despite the best efforts of both a sprawled Chris and Zaishao. 1 – 0 to the crazy felines.

The early shocker jolted the Playouts out of their lackadaisical approach. The first half saw possession equally shared by the two teams. Kong had the half’s two best chances, when he saw two freekicks clear the horizontal by the merest of centimeters. The game was proving to be a matter of inches, with chances few and far between. Daryl was enjoying the freedom of his left midfield role and he performed with aplomb, laying up an inviting cross for a marauding Isa who was just beaten to it by the Madcats keeper. The clearance fell to Dunstan, who killed the ball with the deftest of touches and chipped it goalwards in an attempt to catch the keeper who had came off the line. A splendid defensive header from a covering Madcat ensured nothing but a corner came out of this.

From the resultant corner, Tze Chong got his head to a great cross from Jansen only to see Boon Hai flick the goalbound effort over the crossbar. A close shave but one that reflected the urgency shown by the Playouts.

The midfield battle was being closely contested with the Madcats just edging the Playouts out with their greater hunger. Boon Hai and Guoming were putting in double shifts to deny access and that kept us somehow in the game. It was truly a tight tussle for control in the middle of the park.

Tze Chong and makeshift centreback Zaizhuang were combining to great effect in protecting Chris’ goal, mopping up loose balls and winning towering headers. On more than one occasion, the two kept the Playouts in the game with brilliant covering tackles.

Edwin added superb defensive work to incisive running down the left in support of Dunstan, but the injury sustained to his left leg hampered his runs on countless occasions. Dunstan was running his knickers off as well, but the covering defenders did well in cutting out our supply lines. Jansen on the right was also having little luck with his opposite number, getting a big fat zilch on his ole scorecard.

 The half ambled to a lazy end as both teams kept possession to ward off the sweltering heat and reduce fatigue. Madcats went into their dressing room 1 – 0 to the good.

A quick team talk and tactical reshuffle later, the Playouts returned for the second half hoping to eradicate the deficit. True to their verve, the Playouts dominated possession in the second half and pinned the Madcats in their defensive third. A combination of sound goalkeeping and misplaced balls kept the Playouts at bay.

The Madcats were attempting to soak and strike and on a few occasions managed to get behind the Playouts back four. The pacy wingers were taking the heat off their beleaguered defence and nearly sneaked in a second when their big guns just missed a header off a free kick on the left edge of the box. The Playouts were living it close to the edge in their attempts to break even. Another raid from the Madcats culminated in a curling effort that had Playout Chris beaten but the frame of the goal kept the shot out.

Adrian pushed up further to assist Jansen who was getting no change out of his marker, but somehow the bad blood between the two has not dissipated with time and the connection went missing. Adrian thus reverted to hard tackling to cut out counter attacks and he did this on many an occasion with superlative results. Go on son!

Edwin continued his fine work on the left throughout the second half but it was the work from Tze Chong and Zaizhuang that was catching the eye. We might finally have found an excuse to rid us of our “other” centrebacks!

Down the other end, the incessant Playout raids nearly bore fruit when a clever pass from Guoming released Kong down the left. Taking the ball well in his stride, Kong found himself one on one with the Madcat stopper. His unselfish square pass looked like it was sneaking in at the far post and with Isa in close attendance, an equalizer was beyond doubt. But as they say in Swaziland, when you step on dog poo poo, you don’t get any breaks. Isa slid in to poke the ball home and at this juncture, all his wrongdoings of his 50 years came back to punish him. The ball took a wicked hop off the chapped goalmouth and nicked Isa on this shins, and instead of settling in the back of the goal, we had to settle for a goalkick as the ball was diverted agonizingly wide of the right upright. Centimeters.

Dunstan went on to win a freekick at the left byeline which Kong belted in with gusto, only to see the shot graze the horizontal. Our starman just couldn’t score, not even in a whorehouse! Chin up Kong! Pants down.

Determined to get something out of the match, the Playouts pushed players up in search of a goal. Each attack was repelled by good defending from a well-marshalled Madcat backline and when Isa created half chances, the efforts troubled only the nesting magpies in the trees above the grounds.

Father Time soon decided to call it a Sunday and as the shrill from the referee’s whistle sounded, heads dropped and arms were raised. Alas for the Playouts, the arms will have to wait.

Well played to the Madcats for putting on a resilient display but surely no one can begrudge the Playouts for not trying. In fact, possession and domination could be said to have belonged to the Playouts. But at the end of the day, they count for Sheet if they don’t produce the goals. So till our next endeavour, we’ll have to put up with the tossing around in our beds replaying the missed opportunities till we get to right them. Unless the tossing around is with someone else

Chin up Playouts!