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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. |
