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Central Park continued their 100% record for 2012, with a convincing victory against Singapore Pirates who were second in the league table before this week. The Sharks built on a strong performance against the British Exiles in the last outing, despite conceding unnecessary goals which made the game look closer than it actually was.
Mizan resumed his primary role of custodian, while Jeffrey was placed in an attacking position on the right. Jason replaced Harold on the left, with the speedy winger sidelined through a groin injury. Zhuoneng also made his first appearance after a few weeks out of the game.
A tough test was expected from the Pirates, after they experienced a good first half of their campaign. However the Sharks were now playing with a newfound confidence and took the game by the scruff of its neck early on. With Ryan and Brendan expertly marshalling the centre of midfield, the link between attack and defense was consistently present. In their very first shot on goal, the Sharks went ahead. Brendan exchanged a one-two with Jason on the edge of the area before putting Heng Li through on the left. The diminutive forward then swung in a cross which found the unmarked Brendan, who headed the ball into the top corner.
The Pirates then put together a few dangerous looking forays into the Sharks’ third, but Vincent and Anuar paired up well to hold the line, leaving Mizan with only routine saves to make. Going forward, Jeffrey and Vince combined well down the right to send in cross after cross. In one such attack, Jeffrey burst past his marker to send an in-swinger to the back post. Heng Li was on hand to head it in… but somehow failed to find the target when it seemed easier to score.
The striker was put through once again down the left flank, and as the goalkeeper narrowed the angle, Li chose to shoot instead of passing to his better-placed teammates. The Pirates pressed, but were constantly hit on the counter. As the ball was cleared to Issac, he laid it off to Jason, who beat a defender and advanced on the Pirates’ goal. His shot found the target, but failed to beat the keeper who showed a pair of safe hands.
The second half saw Chris and Jess come on to good effect, while Li was shifted to the right. With only a few minutes into the restart, Jess made an immediate impact. Cutting past his marker, the striker unleashed a shot just outside the box, which beat the keeper at his near post. This seemed to spur the Pirates into action, who proceeded to dominate much of the attacking play. Mizan in particular needed to be sharp when he expertly tipped over a speculative long range volley. The corners rained in, with Central Park being put under pressure for much of the early proceedings. However this left space for the attackers to exploit. Li broke down the right on many occasions, but his final cross left much to be desired. He could have scored again, when he found himself with only the keeper to beat. His trademark chip was a let-down this time though, flying high and wide. The Pirates then made them pay for their wastefulness. Exchanging a number of passes in midfield, their captain found himself with the goal in sight. As the Sharks defenders scrambled to block his shot, he instead passed to an onrushing forward who blasted the ball past Mizan.
Shocked out of slumber by the goal, Central Park sparked back into action. Chris didn’t let his injury last week get in the way of his heading prowess, constantly winning headers in the attacking third. The stocky winger wasn’t just good in the air though, he beat 2 players down his flank to send in a pass to Isaac. The striker only needed the faintest of touches to restore the Yellow’s two goal cushion. But this proved short lived. As the Pirates pressed, the Sharks were forced into making more mistakes in defense. Their weakness against corners showed once again, when a Pirate was left unchallenged to power a header into the back of the net.
Central Park had time and space to make a few opportunities count but their passing let them down, setting up a nervy finish. However with 2 wins on the trot and 1 or 2 promising additions to the squad, 2012 looks like it could be a promising year.
The manager commented after the game, 'The team are playing with renewed vigor and belief for the past couple of games. Most importantly, they are enjoying the game more and players are working for one another; clearly one of the epitomes of what the club is all about.
He added, 'They clearly didn't let their head down despite the past couple of demoralising defeats. Hopefully we can build up from here to ensure a strong finish to the season. At the same time, the management would like to take this opportunity to wish the team a prosperous New Year! |
