|
Sharks season just started as their unbeaten streak were ended abruptly by Gabrielite Remix on Sunday at Springfield Secondary School as they were gunned down 1-3 with the consolation goal coming from Harold Ho. Gabrielite got in front in the first half and consolidated their lead till half-time as they added 2 further goals to notch their first win in the season. Sharks on the other hand never really got into their rythmn and they were further compounded when Graeme got himself sent off for a second bookable offence after just 35 minutes. Nonetheless, Harold grabbed and reduced the deficit but it was no more than just a consolation goal at the end.
The game was leaning towards an upset with Gabrielite all fired up for their first victory of the game while Sharks on the other hand, came with a bare bone team with particularly in attack as they missed the likes of Isaac, Murugesan and Naoki. At the back, Charlson were serving his one match suspension for the game as the opposition made their intentions clear right from the start with several forays in the wings. That seemed to set them up nicely for the rest of the game as Sharks found themselves uncomfortable being on the backfoot. Just as quickly, Graeme were flashed his first yellow after just 10 minutes into the game which clearly resulted from a shove on his back as he handled the ball. Nonetheless, Sharks were not getting any rub off the green as Gabrielite controlled every aspect of the field while the boys in yellow were clearly mere pedestrians. With their tails up, they got the lead that they deserved when a rather porous defense allowed the forward to shimmy his way into the box. However, Harold almost got his team back into the game when he was put thru but the post denied him at the other end. Just when Sharks were getting into their groove, they found themselves playing with 10 man when Graeme was found again to handle the ball. That left the referee with no choice but to send the midfielder for an early shower as Sharks began to regroup for half-time.
In the second-half, things took to the worse as Vincent brought his man down in the box and the opposition made no mistake from the spot. They soon added another to take a commanding 3-0 lead. The game was over for the Sharks as Gabrielite took full advantage of the demoralised Sharks but somehow, they couldn't take their chances in front of goal. At the other end, Harold kept his team's spirits up when he reduced the deficit when he found the custodian off his line. However, that goal was no less than just a consolation as Gabrielite consolidated their lead to grab their first win in the season.
The fiery manager blasted his players after the game and commented, 'The were no excuses for today's performance. We were just plainly bad in every department and the way we played, we weren't hungry enough.' He however added, 'It was hard to play with 10 man but to have a referee who clearly was way below what teams in ESPZEN's should expect, that makes a bad match worse. Somehow the level of refereeing has been going downhill.
|
