Scorers : Scorchers FC --- Keeper own goal, Albert
Ocean Aquarium --- ???

In a match that was supposed to mark the comebacks of Ying Hao and Nathan, Scorchers FC were stunned by news that due to unforeseen circumstances, Ying Hao would not be able to arrive for the game. With a depleted squad, it meant that Scorchers FC had to play the entire match with 10 men against Lake Ocean Aquarium's 11.

Nonetheless, Scorchers FC started brightly and had decent possession of the ball. Despite playing up front on his own, Albert was making a nuisance of himself for the defenders as he chased for every ball. As the minutes passed by, Scorchers FC were definitely fancying their chances despite being 1 man down. It was, however, obvious that the deficit of 1 man up front meant that options were limited and the final pass was sorely lacking.

Indeed, it was Lake Ocean Aquarium who took the lead first. From a long free kick, a Lade Ocean Aquarium player launched a powerful shot towards goal. The swerve of the ball deceived keeper Nathan and by the time he could react, he was unable to stop the ball from entering goal via the underside of the bar. 1-0 Lake Ocean Aquarium.

If playing with 10 men was not hard enough, surely the situation of having to come back from 1 goal down would have proved to be a daunting task. Scorchers FC, however, was not just about to throw away the match. Pushing centre midfield Ser Hwee into a more advanced role, Scorchers FC poured forward in search of the equaliser. After waves of attack which proved to be futile due to the lack of the final pass again, Scorchers FC finally got their break. A mis-hit shot by Shahril bounced high up and towards the keeper. As the keeper rushed forward to retrieve the ball, pressure by Ser Hwee made him hesitate and resulted in a shocking mistake by the keeper as he hit the ball into his own net. 1-1 and the game was back to square one.

Smelling a comeback, Scorchers FC continued to attack and got their second goal when an Ocean Aquarium defender allowed the ball to bounce past him into the path of Albert who was left unmarked in the box. From a tight angle, Albert struck a well-angled shot that beat the keeper at his near post. 2-1 Scorchers FC as Albert wheeled away in delight having scored his 3rd goal in as many games. Play continued and there was not to be much action anymore before the referee blew his whistle for the break. 2-1 to Scorchers FC at the break.

Second half saw Scorchers FC continuing to press hard right from the restart as Lake Ocean Aquarium looked determined to get the equaliser. The first chance of the half was to fall to Scorchers FC as a through pass by Leonard saw the ball travel into the path of Ser Hwee who opted for the pass to Albert instead of shooting himself. The keeper gladly smothered the ball as a great opportunity went begging.

As the match went on, fatigue started to creep into the players of Scorchers FC. The situation was not helped by numerous dubious offside decisions made by the referee against Scorchers FC. In fact, it was from one such decision that Lake Ocean Aquarium started a quick counter-attack that saw them grab the equaliser. From the free kick, play was switched from the right flank towards the left. As Weilin tried to intercept the ball, he was seemingly pulled down by a Lake Ocean Aquarium player. Alas, the referee kept his whistle in his hands and another Ocean Aquarium player was able to pounce on the loose ball and calmly chipped it over the oncoming Nathan. Protests by the Scorchers FC players were futile and the score was now 2-2.

The remaining of the match proved to be uneventful and as the referee blew his whistle for full time, Scorchers FC players would have felt hard done by the numerous offside decisions against them. It was yet another case of what could have been.

Verdict ---
Not helped by the numerical disadvantage, we can feel satisfied with the result as we showed once again the mental strength in coming back from a goal down. Final pass has to be worked on and it was obvious that the basic passing of the ball was very rusty. Hopefully, with more games in the future, these problems can be ironed out.

Line-up ---

Nathan, Weilin, Ak, Cz, Pompi, Leonard, Ser Hwee, Shahril, Kenneth, Albert