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Central Park had one of its biggest turnouts, when 19 people came for the crunch match against old rivals Team H. In the last outing, the Sharks went down 3-0 at Meridian JC. Despite the huge turnout, regular goalkeepers Mizan and Aaron were both missing, and proved crucial to the end result. Anuar bravely stepped up between the sticks, with Sharil taking injured captain Vincent’s place as last man. Debutants this week included Barun Chandra and Daniel and Barnes.
Central Park took some time to get going, as Team H typically produced some fluent passing with their central midfielders and wingers prompting the surge forward. Daniel looked a little lost in his opening match in centre midfield, but used his height to his advantage in winning several headers. Team H was closing down fast, and the diminutive Zhuoneng was caught out in possession. The resulting through pass found an unmarked striker who bore down on goal. His shot went very close to Anuar, but the inexperienced keeper let it slip past him and into the net.
That seemed to wake the Sharks up. Heng Li saw more and more of the ball, and a typical jinking run saw him slip past his marker. He squared the ball to the onrushing Jas, but the striker’s weak shot was palmed away by the goalkeeper. But Li wasn’t about to give up. Another foray down the right flank gave him the opportunity to cross. This time it was met by Issac, but once again the keeper parried the shot away. However the Sharks’ target man pounced on the rebound and duly slot home.
With the game all square, some changes were made, with Brendan, Dominic and Barun all coming on. The substitutions were inspired, as the yellows started to control the game. Harold beat his marker but could only shoot into the side netting, while Barun kept the Team H defenders on their toes with his pace. Eventually a good pass sent Barun bursting down the right. His cross went deep, and hit the far post. Harold was quickest to react, slamming the ball into the net from close range.
Central Park took this lead into the second half, but were soon pegged back again by the boys in black. Chris took over from Li on the right, and his contributions were telling. The Aussie had a tremendous opportunity to extend the lead, when Barun beat his marker and slid a through pass into Chris’ path. But with only the keeper to beat, the winger let the ball run through to the waiting Harold, who hit his shot high and wide.
The Sharks were left to rue the miss, as Team H soon found the back of the net from a well taken corner. The boys in yellow weren’t done however, with Barun looking a ready replacement for the long absent Muru with his pace a constant thorn in Team H’s side. His final contribution was to cut through his marker, and just when he looked to restore Central Park’s lead, he blasted the ball wide.
Isaac replaced him in a bid to win the game, but to Central Park’s horror, the referee awarded a penalty as Shahril took his man out at the edge of the box. Anuar dived the wrong way, but the shot bounced back off the crossbar and was cleared, to the relief of the yellows. The game was up for grabs as both sides exchanged blows. A good move by Team H down the right then saw their winger laid the ball up for their excellent number 9. The midfielder then unleashed a left footed thunderbolt that gave Anuar no chance.
With defeat looming, Jason was sent on in the dying minutes. The Sharks kept up their relentless pressure, and Chris found himself with a good opportunity when the ball fell at his feet in the box. But the burly forward’s shot was deflected into touch for a corner. Harold then whipped in a fierce cross with almost all the Sharks pushed into the area. The ball sailed passes everyone, with Team H failing to clear. Jason was first to react to the loose ball, and hit it straight and high. This cross-shot caught the defence by surprise and hit the back of the net for a last-gasp equalizer.
The final whistle blew seconds later, with the draw a deserved result for both sides.
The manager commented, 'A game like this was always going to be difficult after a long break and the players took sometime to get back into their normal tempo. We deserved to win the game based on our first half performance though Team H deserved it just as much in the second half. Thus a draw was probably a fair result.
When queried if Jason deserved a place in the starting eleven after his point grabbing performance, the manager added, 'I don't see why not if he keep doing this on a regular basis.' |
