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Central Park snapped out of their horrific run of games in Division 2 and made a winning return to Division 3 against old rivals Barclays Capital. Despite the victory, the match was marred with a contentious sending off of Baclays Capital midfielder shortly after Sharks had taken the lead thru Ian Ong. Sharks took advantage of their numerical superiority with further goals for Ian Ong and Isaac before Anuar sealed the win with a beautifully flighted freekick just before full-time as Sharks look set to bury their calamatious Season 14.
Sharks made several changes to the line-up which included some suprise faces. Aaron return to the team after a year's hiatus to take over Michael's position in goal with the former's knee problems looks set to be a thing of a past. With Sharks missing several key players in the team with the likes of Vincent on an overseas trip and Harold's NFL participation, the news of Betrand making a late withdrawal due to fever on Saturday night meant that the team were down to the barebones, However, they welcomed back Graeme recovering from a hamstring injury and Brendan coming back to the lineup after missing last weekend relegation dogfight. Anuar took over the sweeper's role partnering Steven in the middle while Graeme were lined up in an unfamiliar role partnering Isaac upfront. Sharks welcomed back Christopher Lam after a successful trial last weekend while Ian Jones was another trialist turning out for the team on the wing.
Barclays were missing their forward much to the relieved of the Sharks backline. The opening exchanges were fast and furious with both sides intent to start the season on a high note. Sharks however created quite a number of opportunities but as usual, the final ball seemed to be missing as Barclays defense held firm. The best chance fell to Graeme who only had the custodian to beat after a poor clearance from the backline but the converted striker failed to hit the target, only managed to hit the side netting. Ian Jones had a good run out as the heat looks to be taking on his tool though he still manage to show a couple of nice little touches. In the middle, Christopher were at the heart of most of Sharks attack though he too felt the heat taking on his tool. At the back, Anuar and Steven marshalling of the defense meant that Barclays attack were kept to a minimal though they did have a great opportunity to take the lead when Aaron miskicked his clearance. However, the shot came straight back to him, much to his relieve. With both sides cancelling each other out, the half ended on a stalemate.
The second half started with Graeme being pulled back to midfield and Ian Jones coming off for Ian Ong. It didn't took long for the latter to make his mark this time round as he took full advantage of some poor defending to score into an empty net after some good work from Isaac. That seemed to put the verve back in Sharks game but shortly afterwards, Graeme was invovled in a controversy as he brought his marker down in the middle of the park. Despite the entaglement that ensued, a shove from the opposing player was enough for him to be shown the red card while Graeme escaped with a yellow card. Barclays was incensed with the decision and despite their insistent to see the tough midfielder being shown a similar color, the referee stood by his decision though by now, the chaotic nature of the sending off meant that it was sensible to bring Graeme off.
The game opened up a little though it wasn't until the 69th minute that Sharks doubled their lead as Ian Ong showed true grit and composure to score from the narrowest of angle. Barclays never recovered after that and Isaac scored his team's third a minute later. Just before the final whistle, Anuar scored his team's fourth with a beautifully flighted free-kick just outside the area to ensure that Sharks starts the season on a positive note.
The manager commented, 'It was definitely a morale boosting victory and winning the first game is important.' When asked about the sending off, he added, 'The sending-off was a bit harsh but while Graeme is no angel either, whenever you put your hand on your opponent, it doesn't leave the referee much choice and based on that alone, the opposing player don't have a case. You just can't do that especially in front of a referee.'
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