Central Park

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vs

Prestige Marine Services

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Season 11 kicked off early for the Sharks as they face off against Prestige Marine on Sunday at Bedok North Secondary School in a Division 4 tie. Sharks were left to rue the missed opportunities to take all 3 points as they threw away a comfortable 2-0 lead courtesy of a double from Na'eem at each half. Prestige however fought back when they took full advantage of a very poor wall from the Sharks midway into the second-half before levelling the tie shortly afterwards as both team shared the spoils in an entertaining game which swung from one end to the other.

With the team still fresh from the 7-0 hammering in their final game of Season 10 last week, the manager made known of his presence in this season opener. Sharks started the brighter of the two teams as Prestige were unable to find the time and space to get their passing game going. The were several familiar faces in the opposition team but Sharks didn't let that get into their head and went on to take the lead in the 11th minute when Heng Li put a nicely placed ball for Na'eem on the far side as the forward sidestep the onrushing custodian and calmly put the ball into the empty net. That seemed to give the opposition added impetus to take the game against the Sharks but while Jeffrey were tried time and again on the right side, his determination made him no pushovers as he contained his nifty opposite number. At the other end, chances were created with Heng Li particularly a thorn in the opposition defense and Murugesan were unlucky not to give his team a second goal when he went on one of his marauding runs but his finishing left much to be desired. Prestige however remain dangerous and they were unlucky not to have level the game midway in the first half when a series of corners found one of their man in the box but his header just missed the target by inches. As both team tried to gain the upperhand in midfield, Stefan combined well with Jeremy Lee in the middle of the park to cut off the supplies to the opposition forwards. Half-time approaching, Na'eem could have added his tally but his shot was way off the target as Sharks went into half-time with a 1-0 lead.

Second-half barely started when Na'eem gave his team their 2nd goal when the opposition defenders made a mess of a loose ball as it trickled slowly into goal. That seemed to put the Sharks on the backfoot as they allowed the opposition to dictate the remainder of the game in the centre of the field. Upfront, Sharks were given half-chances but the final ball was disappointing. That seemed to provide the opposition confidence that they could get something out of the game as they romp forward in numbers and Sharks begin to play without the confidence of their first half showing. Prestige managed to reduce the deficit when Sharks took too long to build up a wall just outside the area and Michael in goal was easy pickings as the free-kick just went pass the non-existence wall. With the game for the taking, Prestige threw man forward in search of the equaliser and they were justly rewarded 10 minutes to time. On the other end, Sharks could have had the final say on a number of occasion but the final ball and decisions made were found wanting as both team shared the spoils.

The manager whom were clearly unhappy with the result commented, 'The first goal was disappointing. It wasn't a scorcher or a pile-driver and to concede such a soft goal after working so hard for most part of the game is disappointing. At this point, the team should be experienced enough to know what to do when they take the lead and kill the game off.