Ale Vasco v Central Park

Having several players opted out at the eleventh hour for the morning kick-off was not the best preparation the Sharks can have against an experienced Ale Vasco side. Perhaps, the writings were on the wall when the Sharks were struggling to field a side on their past 3 morning matches. It's rumored that a management meeting will be held to ban morning kick-offs. The Sharks started with 10 men on the pitch for the first 15mins of the game. Third-choice keeper Isa started in goal in the absence of number one Shawn, who was down with a stomach virus. Sarhan, Najib and Marzuki were notable absentees in defence and on came Azman, Jeremy and Zul to take their position as the team back-four with regular Irman. Suhaimi, Brendan, Farhhad and Nawi form the quartet in midfield and Michael was the lone striker upfront till  Kelvin arrives and took his place from Jeremy which was moved in midfield and Nawi who eventually moved up to partner Michael in attack.

Play was even with both sides making consistent attack in the first 5mins of the game. Sharks fired the first salvo when Michael broke Ale Vasco's backline off a pass from Nawi to score his 3rd goal of the season. A goal down early in the game, the opponent conjured up attack of their own with their wingers and through the heart of the Sharks defence. With persistent attack of the right, Zul conceded a free-kick when he fouled Alvin with a rather mistimed than malicious tackle with earned him his 3rd yellow card of the season. Sharks were punished from the free-kick when they failed to spot Naren off the far post and his header left custodian Isa stranded. With 25 mins gone, the score remain unchanged till Nawi pops up to put his team in the lead. Ale Vasco passing game began to take it's toll on the Sharks players and they conceded a leveler just before half-time from Justin. Sharks started the second-half with only a single change with Zul taking over the custodian role from Isa. The fast-tiring Sharks started the match in pedestrian mode with short burst in attack from Suhaimi on the left flank. Brendan and Jeremy ran tirelessly around the middle of the park to but were often ran ragged. Ale Vasco began to control the tempo of the game and they were duly rewarded when a defensive lapse allows their top scorer to put his team ahead for the first time, beating Zul on a one-on-one encounter.They could have increased their lead shortly on two encounters but were bailed out by the agility of Zul. The save of the game has to be when Ale Vasco's Thomas header were tip over the bar when it looked to have the word 'Goal' written all over it. Three consecutive corners soon followed and the Sharks defence were clearly having problems with the opponent dangerous in-swinging corner and they were duly punished when Thomas corner went directly into the net. Ale Vasco's Matthew put the final nail on Sharks coffin late in the game off a pass from team-mate Eric after he pressured Irman into submission from an innocuous attack which left the Sharks manager totally disgusted after the match.

The manager offered no excuses after the match but were clearly disappointed with the result. He added that 'The players were literally struggling in the unforgiving weather in the second-half.' When asked if there would be a difference in result with the availability of several players especially in midfield and defence. He said 'It does not matter which players turned up for the game, it's how the players selected performed which ultimately counts.'

'The team was punished as a whole and they have to take the responsibility of the defeat. It seems that they forgot that defending and attacking is a team effort.'

With the Sharks 2-5 defeat against Ale Vasco in their grey outfit, the team has now been at the wrong end of goal feast following their 4-6 defeat against the Italians last season and 3-4 defeat at FFF FC last weekend. The Sharks will go into a 3 week break and will return in 21 March against another tough opponent, the International Football Academy Under 18 team.