FC MYK

3

vs

Central Park

1

Central Park is plagued by another slump that has seen them lose their third game in a row. The Sharks seem to be fond of dropping points at First Toa Payoh Secondary School, and even the absence of their manager for their game against FC MYK did not help. Captain Vincent and Muru made their long awaited comebacks, but couldn’t provide the extra spark needed for a victory. Making it worse was the long list of defensive absentees, including Shahril, Anuar, Vince and Zhuoneng.

The Japanese team once again held a vigorous pre-match warm-up by playing a mini game in their half. This however did not seem to tire them out, as they came at the Sharks with guns blazing from the first whistle. The boys in yellow did not seem to be able to handle the pressure, with MYK bursting down the flanks in numbers. Luckily they couldn’t seem to find the final pass, and most of their shots flew wide of the mark. Those that hit the target though, were expertly saved by Mizan. Then against the run of play, Central Park took the lead.

A little one-two between Heng Li and Jason saw the former put through. At the edge of the box, the diminutive striker took a touch past his marker and let fly his trademark lob-shot, which deceived the MYK goalkeeper to sail into the top corner.

MYK seemed even more determined after going behind, and began playing down the middle more through their skillful playmaker. The lanky midfielder cut through Central Park’s defensive barrier time and again, but somehow couldn’t seem to find the target. The Sharks, as usual, then meekly gave up their lead. Defending from corners seems a tall order for the boys in yellow of late, and this one was no exception.

An MYK player leapt above his marker, to head past the hapless Ryan who was guarding the far post. Another good chance fell to Jasdeep, when Chris Lam proved his dominance in the air once again to flick a through ball into the forward’s path. But Jasdeep’s fierce drive kept rising and didn’t trouble the keeper.

The Sharks were lucky to go into the break all square, as they withstood wave after wave of MYK attacks. Debutants Dennis and Omar were given their bows in the second half, ably replacing Vincent and Ryan. Muru too made his return after more than a year out. As the half progressed, most of the play became concentrated in midfield, with little action in the final third on both ends. Central Park’s best chance fell to Jason, when the excellent Brendan robbed the ball at the edge of the MYK box. Jason latched onto the loose ball, and dispatched an angled effort that fizzed a mere inch wide with the keeper well beaten.

The tiring MYK were content to hit the Sharks on the counter, and the tactic paid dividends when a poor touch by Charlson put pressure on his defense. The ball rebounded into the path of a MYK winger who whipped in an early cross into the box. Dominic failed to keep his line, playing a striker onside. The skillful forward flicked the ball up past his marker, and slammed the ball past the flailing Mizan.

The Sharks then poured forth in desperation, with defeat looming once again. Aaron and Heng Li had half chances, after both finding themselves in the box with pockets of space. But they failed to trouble the keeper, sending their efforts well wide. Then the hammer blow came, when Central Park once again lost possession in a dangerous position. The MYK striker was put through on goal, with only Mizan to beat. The big man in goal seemed to have forced the forward wide, but the speedster managed to hit the ball across goal, and an onrushing teammate was on hand to tap the ball into the empty net.

With not half the season gone, the Sharks still have time to get out of the relegation zone. But they need to find a winning formula quickly, or else a spot in division 4 spot awaits next year.

The manager who was recovering from a viral fever commented, 'We are going thru a bad patch and it's thru hard work from everyone for us to save the season.'

He added, 'We just needed a little more luck and hopefully we can turn things around in the next couple of weeks before the holidays.'

YDM United

3

vs

Central Park

1

Central Park faced YDM at First Toa Payoh Secondary school, eager to avenge their injury time loss to The Usual Suspects last week. However it wasn’t to be despite a battling team performance.

The Sharks were lacking the services of veteran strike duo Heng Li and Isaac, allowing Jason to spearhead the attack. With Mizan returning to the side, Christopher Lam completed the front two pairing. Alfred stepped in to join Ryan in the centre of midfield.

YDM got the better of the opening exchanges, displaying some fluent passing and movement that’s been a hallmark of their side. Central Park was left chasing shadows in midfield and couldn’t retain enough possession to mount a serious goal threat. Charlson faced the brunt of the YDM attacks, with much of the play coming down his flank. But the diminutive fullback contained the threat well.

Tempered flared when a YDM striker caught Vince with his studs, leaving the Central Players incensed. The same forward however let his football do the talking minutes later. An innocuous long ball led Sharil to head the ball back to the onrushing Mizan. But the pass was too short, allowing the YDM attacker to reach the ball first and poke it into an empty net.

The Sharks kept their heads up and managed to get back into the game. Their best opportunity of the game then fell to Christopher. Jason intercepted a careless pass by YDM, skipped past a challenge and bore down on goal. With only one defender to beat, he squared the ball to Christopher. Despite having acres of space, the burly Aussie couldn’t beat the YDM goalkeeper who got down well to save.

Harold then had a couple of free kicks on the edge of the area, but both sailed wide. The next best chance fell to Brendan, when he found the ball at his feet during a goalmouth scramble. His shot however was deflected into touch. Central Park then lost key defender Vince. He bravely blocked a cross but rolled his ankle in the process, an injury bound to keep him out for a few weeks.

The second half saw the Sharks gain confidence and press forward more often. YDM on the other hand seemed content to absorb the pressure and counterattack. Central Park’s pressure finally paid dividends when Harold burst down the left flank in typical fashion to fire in a low cross. This put the defence at sixes and sevens, and the ball fell to new boy Khairul who made no mistake from two yards. With things all square, the boys in yellow seemed intent to go for the win. Central Park prodigal son Chris, who returns for 3 weeks, was next to let a chance go begging.

After being put through on goal, the winger blasted the ball past the hapless YDM keeper… only to see it rebound off the post. Harold reacted quickest to the loose ball and unleashed a full-blooded volley destined for the back of the net. But as luck, or bad luck rather, would have it, Khairul stood in the way of the shot and saved YDM from a certain goal. As the Sharks pressed forward, they inevitable left gaps at the back, which the pacy YDM forwards, were quick to exploit. One breakthrough found the winger one on one with Charlson.

The fullback was unable to stop the speedster though and he raced through on goal. Without breaking a step, the striker let fly a near-post shot which beat Mizan and bulged the back of the net against the run of play. It went down hill from there for Central Park. The striker was put through once again, and Mizan had little choice but to bring him down. Luckily it was at the edge of the penalty area, and the big man was only given a yellow.

But this was soon a moot point, when a desperate back-pass from Harold was chased down by the same YDM forward. Not able to handle the ball, Mizan challenged for the header, only for the referee to blow for a contentious penalty. YDM then converted to complete a miserable afternoon for the Sharks.

The manager commented, 'We blew our chances in front of goal today. We had at least 3 chances that could have found the back on the net but we were wasteful. The opponents on the other hand had 3 and they took all of it.'

He added, 'We are just not taking our chances in front of goal and this was a problem about 2-3 seasons ago when we just seem to have a quality forward that can bang in the goals at will. Hopefully we can sort this out.'

The comments by the manager coincides with the club's top scorer Heng Li who have been a pale shadow of himself in front of goal. The club's all-time top-scorer have only found the net a miserable 3 occasions in 27 games this year.

The Usual Suspects

3

vs

Central Park

2

Another tough test awaited Central Park as they took on the much-improved Usual Suspects side, who boasted a contingent of players all at least 6-feet tall. The Sharks were once again missing a regular goalkeeper, but this time Chris did a tremendous job deputizing between the posts for Mizan.

Harold had picked up a training ground injury and was limited to the use of his left leg, but he still commanded a place in the starting lineup. Jason too was a rare first-11 selection, partnering Isaac up front.

Both sides kicked off in the blazing hot sun, playing on the small Peirce Secondary School pitch for the first time. The Usual Suspects quickly took control of the game, and began pelting the Shark’s penalty area with long balls. However the central pairing of Anuar and Vince held firm, denying the boys in white any clear chances on goal. Still, Chris was kept busy and consistently showed a safe pair of hands. Harold was the first casualty of the game early on, and was replaced by Ian. Having to shift to the left side of midfield, Jason began to have an impact on the game. A move down the left saw him cut past his marker and swing in a low cross.

A miscue by a defender put Isaac in the clear and the forward made no mistake, slamming the ball past the keeper at close range. The goal seemed to lift the Sharks, who started to assert themselves. Minutes later, Isaac had another chance on the edge of the box, but he shot wide. Good work by diminutive striker Heng Li then set up Isaac with only the keeper to beat. The target man somehow contrived to lose control of the ball, which the custodian happily parried away.

Then came a moment of controversy. After a harmless Usual Suspects corner was cleared away, the referee ordered the set piece retaken, to the bewilderment of the boys in yellow. The whites converted the subsequent corner, when the striker arrived ahead of Chris to head home. With things all square, the Suspects began attacking with more fervor. Jeffrey in particular was given a torrid time by their left winger. Finally one such foray beat the fullback, and Vince had little choice but to upend the speedster, who made a meal of the slight tug. Chris however kept his composure and saved the resulting penalty when it looked destined for the top corner.

Zhuoneng eventually made his appearance in the second half, replacing the tiring Jeffrey. Brendan made his debut for Central Park, replacing Ian on the right. The Suspects seemed more determined than ever, and peppered the Sharks defence with long passes and shots. But their all-out attack tactics left space for Central Park to exploit, and they took full advantage. Jason and Brandon were put through down the flanks time and again, but their crosses were well cleared by the towering Suspects’ defence.

They weren’t completely infallible though, and proved that when Heng Li swung in a corner to the near-post. The Suspects’ captain scuffed his clearance, and Jason headed the ball past the keeper at point blank range for an unlikely lead. The Suspects couldn’t believe they were behind and continued to burst forward in numbers. Chris proved his worth once again when a Suspects striker unleashed a goal-bound shot, after finding himself in the clear. The big Aussie reacted swiftly to palm the ball round the post. The relentless pressure though, finally took its toll. Another corner for the Suspects was headed home with aplomb, when Issac lost his man in the box.

Central Park’s counterattacks still looked dangerous however. Heng Li and Jason soon found themselves clear with only 1 defender to beat. But the former’s pass proved too heavy and the chance was wasted. Harold also had an opportunity when put through down the right, but the Suspects keeper saved his shot well. The whites never stopped pushing for all three points, and they won themselves a corner in the dying seconds of the game. This last chance was well taken by their midfielder, who slipped his marker to power the ball into the far post. Three corners settled the game for the Suspects, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the Sharks, who deserved at least a draw for their efforts.

The disappointed manager commented, 'The 3 points was all for the taking but somehow, we didn't make the chances count. We were struggling in the 2nd half and couldn't hold up the ball to cause any danger especially in the last 10 minutes of the game.'

He added, 'It was disappointing to lose that way but the boys need to bounce back this coming weekend'.

When he was further asked about Jason's inclusion in the team, he said, 'He got himself in the scoresheet again but besides that, he needs to improve his game all-round to cement his place further.'

Team H

3

vs

Central Park

3

Central Park had one of its biggest turnouts, when 19 people came for the crunch match against old rivals Team H. In the last outing, the Sharks went down 3-0 at Meridian JC. Despite the huge turnout, regular goalkeepers Mizan and Aaron were both missing, and proved crucial to the end result. Anuar bravely stepped up between the sticks, with Sharil taking injured captain Vincent’s place as last man. Debutants this week included Barun Chandra and Daniel and Barnes.

Central Park took some time to get going, as Team H typically produced some fluent passing with their central midfielders and wingers prompting the surge forward. Daniel looked a little lost in his opening match in centre midfield, but used his height to his advantage in winning several headers. Team H was closing down fast, and the diminutive Zhuoneng was caught out in possession. The resulting through pass found an unmarked striker who bore down on goal. His shot went very close to Anuar, but the inexperienced keeper let it slip past him and into the net.

That seemed to wake the Sharks up. Heng Li saw more and more of the ball, and a typical jinking run saw him slip past his marker. He squared the ball to the onrushing Jas, but the striker’s weak shot was palmed away by the goalkeeper. But Li wasn’t about to give up. Another foray down the right flank gave him the opportunity to cross. This time it was met by Issac, but once again the keeper parried the shot away. However the Sharks’ target man pounced on the rebound and duly slot home.

With the game all square, some changes were made, with Brendan, Dominic and Barun all coming on. The substitutions were inspired, as the yellows started to control the game. Harold beat his marker but could only shoot into the side netting, while Barun kept the Team H defenders on their toes with his pace. Eventually a good pass sent Barun bursting down the right. His cross went deep, and hit the far post. Harold was quickest to react, slamming the ball into the net from close range.

Central Park took this lead into the second half, but were soon pegged back again by the boys in black. Chris took over from Li on the right, and his contributions were telling. The Aussie had a tremendous opportunity to extend the lead, when Barun beat his marker and slid a through pass into Chris’ path. But with only the keeper to beat, the winger let the ball run through to the waiting Harold, who hit his shot high and wide.

The Sharks were left to rue the miss, as Team H soon found the back of the net from a well taken corner. The boys in yellow weren’t done however, with Barun looking a ready replacement for the long absent Muru with his pace a constant thorn in Team H’s side. His final contribution was to cut through his marker, and just when he looked to restore Central Park’s lead, he blasted the ball wide.

Isaac replaced him in a bid to win the game, but to Central Park’s horror, the referee awarded a penalty as Shahril took his man out at the edge of the box. Anuar dived the wrong way, but the shot bounced back off the crossbar and was cleared, to the relief of the yellows. The game was up for grabs as both sides exchanged blows. A good move by Team H down the right then saw their winger laid the ball up for their excellent number 9. The midfielder then unleashed a left footed thunderbolt that gave Anuar no chance.

With defeat looming, Jason was sent on in the dying minutes. The Sharks kept up their relentless pressure, and Chris found himself with a good opportunity when the ball fell at his feet in the box. But the burly forward’s shot was deflected into touch for a corner. Harold then whipped in a fierce cross with almost all the Sharks pushed into the area. The ball sailed passes everyone, with Team H failing to clear. Jason was first to react to the loose ball, and hit it straight and high. This cross-shot caught the defence by surprise and hit the back of the net for a last-gasp equalizer.

The final whistle blew seconds later, with the draw a deserved result for both sides.

The manager commented, 'A game like this was always going to be difficult after a long break and the players took sometime to get back into their normal tempo. We deserved to win the game based on our first half performance though Team H deserved it just as much in the second half. Thus a draw was probably a fair result.

When queried if Jason deserved a place in the starting eleven after his point grabbing performance, the manager added, 'I don't see why not if he keep doing this on a regular basis.'

Central Park

4

vs

FC MYK

2

The Sharks were on the hunt, hungry for a win after a bitter loss last week. This week’s victims, FC MYK.; a fit looking Japanese team who actually played a mini-game before the match, while Central Park went through a light warm-up. The Sharks were missing key defenders like Anuar, Vince and Vincent, but they were ably replaced by debutant Dominic, with Sharil stepping in as the last man. Two more forwards made their bows in the yellow shirt, Jess from the UK and the man from Japan Shindo, who would face compatriots in his very first game

The yellows made a very shaky start, with MYK displaying some slick passes in the opening exchanges. However the defence held firm with the impressive pairing of Sharil and Dominic marshalling the back line. Some slack play in midfield let MYK break, and their striker was put through on goal, but Sharil, ever alert, put in a tackle just as the forward was about to pull the trigger. A few more forays down the left flank kept Charlson busy, but the opposing winger failed to threaten.

MYK continuously peppered Mizan’s goal with shots, but the calm keeper kept everything out. With over ten minutes gone, Central Park then began to get a grip on the game. Harold broke free of his marker on the left and closed in on goal, but couldn’t make the final pass. Issac and Chris in particular provided the aerial threat, which MYK’s defenders couldn’t cope with. The Japanese defence finally crumbled, when a mistake in midfield allowed Heng Lin to latch onto a loose ball and whip in a cross. Issac missed it, but Harold rushed in to unleash an unstoppable shot which bulged the top corner of the net.

The Sharks kept up the pressure after the restart, with Jess being introduced into the fray. He was an able replacement for Chris, winning the aerial battles with ease. Minutes after coming on, some good attacking play found the striker free in the box, and he duly converted for his debut goal.

MYK began the second half as they did the first, displayed a desire to attack with their newly introduced playmaker pulling the strings. With their first foray forward, the playmaker was put through on goal. He coolly rounded Mizan to score, putting MYK right back into the game.

The Japanese side surged forward with confidence, putting enormous pressure on the Sharks. Then came the moment which may have turned the match around. An MYK striker was put through again, beating Charlson for a golden chance to equalize. He chose to side foot the ball into the bottom left corner, but the excellent Mizan got down to palm the ball round the post.

Moments later, Shindo flicked on a header for Issac to chase, and chase it down he did. Displaying a typical hunger to score, the burly forward bulldozed past his marker to slot the ball past the hapless goalkeeper. The two-goal advantage didn’t last long though. MYK weren’t done yet, choosing to focus their attacks down the right flank. A cross then evaded the Sharks’ defence, and was duly headed in at the far post by a Japanese attacker.

With the restart, Issac, Chris and Heng Li continued to combine well, showing Central Park’s voracious appetite for goals. The pressure paid off when Issac was put through by a brilliant pass from Heng Li. The big man held up the ball well, and laid it off to the waiting Harold. Still left with plenty to do, the winger turned his marker inside out before blasting the ball into the far post. This seemed to deflate the Japanese team, and more chances came the Sharks’ way. One opportunity saw Heng Li left with the simplest of tap-ins, but the diminutive winger couldn’t find a way past the keeper. In the dying minutes, Jason was also put through down the right. His cross was parried by the keeper, but Ian somehow missed the follow up when it seemed easier to score.

The 4-2 victory was a welcome result for the boys in yellow, after coming off the back of two consecutive losses.

The manager commented after the match, 'We were playing on the edge today and we knew that our defense was in trouble for the second half. Nonetheless, we took our chances upfront and it somehow put the team in good stead. It was quite a roller-coaster ride and some of our defending today could just give anyone a heart attack!

Central Park

3

vs

Gabrielite Remix

4

The Sharks put up a battling performance, but were eventually narrowly downed by Division 1 side Gabrielite Remix in their very first cup game of the season. Strikers Heng Li and Issac were missing, as was captain Vincent, who has yet to recover from a broken wrist. Trialists Joshua, Jung, Jia Kai and Ming Quan all came in to bolster the thin squad.

As expected, the skillful Gabrielites pegged the Sharks back, especially on the right flank. Their right wingers gave Vince a torrid time, and the boys in yellow could count themselves lucky not to go behind early on. Some good interplay from the Gabes found a striker unmarked on the edge of the area, but his shot went wide of the post. The Sharks further survived a host of freekicks and corners, only to be almost undone by an own goal when Jung decided to the clear the ball in an unusual fashion, curling a shot on goal which went narrowly wide.

Central Park struggled going forward, losing many headers to the tall Gabes backline. Brendan managed to break down the left, evading his marker twice to send in a cross. A deflection off a defender found Jason lurking in the box, but his near post shot was saved. The Gabes keeper looked increasingly uncomfortable with high balls, spilling a few crosses, but remained unpunished before the break.

The sun peeked out from behind the grey clouds for the second half, which proved to be far more action packed than the first. The Gabes struck first, when a foray down the left beat the diminutive fullback Zhuoneng. The Gabes winger then squared to an unmarked striker, who backheeled the ball beyond Mizan. But Central Park responded not long after. Chris provided an extra dimension in attack, and proved his worth with another fortituous goal to his name. A poor clearance by the keeper was brought down by the Aussie striker who attempted a looping shot from distance. A deflection must have distracted the keeper, who let the ball slip through his fingers to nestle in the back of the net.

Gabes continued to pour forward, with the excellent Anuar cutting out passes and keeping their strikers at bay. But it was some slack defending from the Sharks that allowed their opponents to score again. A slaloming run by the Gabes attackers found their striker one-on-one with Mizan, with a strong suspicion of offside. But the referee allowed play to go on, and the forward made no mistake with his finish. A mere five minutes later Chris caused problems in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Ryan coolly stepped up to convert the penalty and put the Sharks level again. Central Park then finally got in front in spectacular fashion. Harold opted to shoot from a freekick over 30 yards away, and was duly rewarded when the error prone Gabes keeper somehow spilled the shot.

At this point, all the yellows had to do was not make any more mistakes with less than 10 minutes remaining. It wasn’t to be however, with yet another poor refereeing decision proving the turning point. The Gabes cut through on the right wing to float a cross into the box. Their tall target man clearly controlled the ball with his arm before slamming the ball into the bottom corner to make it all square again.

With the score at 3-3 at full time, the match went into ten minutes of extra time. Harold took a shot from the kick off, forcing their keeper to punch the ball into touch. Nothing came out of the resulting corner, but moments later Central Park’s best chance came. A great diagonal ball by Ryan found Harold lurking on the right flank. However, the final cross evaded the charging strikers. Then Gabes struck the fatal blow. Precise passing in midfield ended with a through ball being threaded through to their target man. He made no mistake from 6 yards to settle the game.

Central Park however, will be glad this was not a league game, and can take comfort from mounting a decent challenge against a Division 1 side.

The fuming manager said, 'It was daylight robbery. When you see your team fought so hard against a team that tried every dirty trick in the book to win a game and ultimately get let down by the referee, it's just beyond belief.'

He added, 'The boys fought really well and the team lined up pretty well in the first half. At extra-time, we knew that we stood a good chance if we can hold them off till the penalty kicks but at the end, we just ran out of steam. That's twice this year that we have gone out in extra time against a Division 1 team.

Central Park

0

vs

Team H

3

The Sharks were brought back down to earth by yet another team wearing a black strip. Central Park couldn’t capitalize on their good start to the season, by going down 3-0 after a dismal performance at Meridian Junior College. There was an emotional return for Michael, called out of retirement due to the absence of Mizan and Aaron. Diminutive trialist Darren was a welcome boost to the depleted squad and Issac finally returned from injury to lead the line in attack.

With the sun beating down on the big pitch, the Sharks began the game looking like fish out of water, unable to string even 3 passes together. Team H started with only 9 men, but had the upper hand in the opening exchanges. Their burly forward constantly gave Steven the run around, whipping in some dangerous crosses. The boys in yellow survived an opening onslaught, only to concede a free kick 30 yards out. The defence however couldn’t get organized and were caught out by a floater to the back post. The tall Team H striker was allowed a free header, and duly hit the back of the net. Central Park kept their heads up, and managed some good inter-passing on the left, with Harold the impetus in attack. But they neglected to create any meaningful chances before the break.

Team H finally had their full complement of players in the second half, bolstered by a pacy right winger. Jason came on for Darren. Vince’s prophetic words came back to haunt the team, when he said the team’s performance couldn’t get any worse. Merely 10 minutes into the restart, a freekick was conceded on the right. The curler to the near post was met by Vince, who unwittingly turned the ball into his own net. Two goals up, Team H then took their foot off the pedal, allowing Central Park to surge forward. Heng Li released Jason down the right, but Issac could not connect with his cross.

A corner from Harold was met by Charlson, but the attempt at goal was cleared off the line. The injured Steven was beginning to tire, and Team H’s right winger took full advantage. Diagonal balls from midfield found him time and again, keeping Michael extremely busy in goal. Eventually the Sharks’ defence cracked open, when the winger beat three players and rifled a low shot beyond Michael. Central Park’s best chance fell to Jason, when Ryan slid a through pass. But the striker rushed his shot, which was comfortably saved by the keeper.

The final whistle put an end to a miserable Sharks outing. 3 trialists arrived late on the scene, but would have been a welcome addition to the tiring Central Park side.

The manager said after the game, 'We just did not turn up today. It's forgivable when we were unable to take advantage of the numerical superiority but to concede and being pegged back during those period is rather humiliating.'

He added, 'We were trying to be over-elaborate today when a simple pass to the nearest man would have done it. It doesn't help that we lack movement of any sort and that makes it easier for the oppposition to pick us off.'

Molly Misfits

0

vs

Central Park

1

Central Park kick-started the new season in the best possible way; with a hard fought victory. Mizan regained his place between the sticks, while Zhuoneng returned despite having injured his finger. Brendan was missing in midfield, leaving the Sharks short in the middle. Anuar filled that gap, after making a comeback from injury. Former captain Jeremy Chua made a guest appearance, providing moral support from the sidelines with his son.

Molly’s Misfits looked an intimidating opponent, towering over most Sharks’ players. This gave them the advantage in the early stages of the game, controlling possession and winning every header. The boys in yellow took a long time to get into the game, but managed to withstand a barrage of Molly pressure. The Division 3 newcomers came close when their stocky midfielder let fly a thunderbolt from 20 yards, only to just graze the crossbar. As Central Park slowly began to impose themselves, the chances started coming. Harold found himself with space on the left flank, and whipped in an inch perfect cross met by Jason. His header looked goal-bound, but bounced off the inside of the post and into the goalkeeper’s relieved hands.

Some good work by Heng Li also found him clear on the right, but his crossing left much to be desired. One quick break left Jason in acres of space, and he laid the ball into the path of the onrushing Harold, but his side foot shot was superbly stopped by the keeper. Molly looked especially threatening from corners, but failed to register a meaningful shot on target.

The second half looked a more even contest, with Chris replacing Jason upfront. Jarni took his place on the right as Sharil slotted into the defensive midfield berth. Molly continued to bombard the Sharks with aerial balls, and came close to equalizing from a corner, which Zhuoneng cleared off the goal line. A series of corners flew in, but Molly couldn’t capitalize on their superior air power. Central Park surged down their flanks, with Ryan, Li, Chris and Harold all exchanging passes. The Sharks almost scored, when Harold whipped in a cross which eluded all the Molly defenders. Chris ran to meet it on the far post, only for the enormous Molly’s keeper to block his point-blank strike.

The Sharks’ exploited the left flank time and again. One cross by Ryan was met by Li’s back, and the ball somehow landed in front of a bemused Harold, who completely scuffed his shot on the back post. Jarni’s follow up promised an almost certain goal, but he could only shoot wide. The breakthrough finally came when Harold beat his marker on the left flank again. His low cross was converted by Ryan, who made no mistake when the chance arrived. The Sharks weren’t done yet, as another cross by Chris was met by Harold. But the latter’s shot kept rising. Molly had their chances as well, but a superb Mizan kept their shots away from the back of the net.

Central Park eventually ground out a satisfactory result, but an injury to the captain Vincent left a sour taste.

The manager commented, 'Our profligacy in front of goals meant that the match was always on a tightrope. We didn't create enough chances in the first half but in the second half, we made Molly's work really hard as the team kept them running.

He added, 'It's always good to register a win on the first game but let's not get carried away and focus on the next match to ensure that we keep our concentration compared to last season.