Match Review: Singapore Football Club vs 1TM Latini FC

• GK Santino Shepherd
• DF Roberto Bruce
• DF Jahan Rezai
• DF Jack Cullinane
• MD Tim Walter
• MD Sam Gravatt
• MD Joe Claridge
• MD Michael Campion
• ST Liam Shotton
• -- Ryosuke Ataku
• -- Akil Pompey

• MD Nick Marsh
• MD Wes Adeyemi
• MD Tom McElligott

Clash of the Titans

Saturday saw the two top teams in Cosmo face off in what was supposed to be the 3pm heat of midday Singapore. However Zeus was out delivering thunderbolts to mark the occasion which delayed the match twice, but we were lucky to get in 80 minutes for two teams at pretty much full strength. We always knew the match would be a cagey one as neither team wanted to give an inch and playing on the smaller pitch 2 pretty much guaranteed that outcome. Prior to the second lightening delay and 3 minutes into the match there was a controversial moment where Liam and Pete challenged for a 50/50 ball just inside the Latini penalty box. In our opinion Liam got there first and was then met with a strong challenge by Pete. Latini was convinced there was nothing in it and it was simply a coming together, which was the decision of the officiating crew. With no official Cosmo VAR and without the ever-present SFC video the answer may never be known. After the restart of the match after the second lightening delay both teams proved to see what spaces the other would provide them. SFC were focused on taking space away from Latini’s strength on the counterattack by dropping deeper and making them build attacks through possession. That plan was working well until Sharples, typically the finisher of these breaks, played provider and played a quick switch to Duplo who found some space on the right flank. With everyone expecting Duplo to take a touch he instead played a deft first time layoff pass to Jamie who was wide open to slot home the first goal of the match from 12 yards out. SFC simply had to tip there had to a very clinical sequence and finish. 1-0 to Latini. SFC continued to fight for knockdowns and when moments came to get control of the ball played some decent football, but were only able to create some have chances from outside the penalty area. However, SFC were able to pull a goal back when Liam was able to get a foot to a cross from close range to make it 1-1 at the halftime break. For most of the second half SFC were comfortable soaking up a bit of pressure and starting to combine more passing sequences as the match opened up. Liam found himself clear on goal in a 1 on 1 with Pete not long into the second half, but Pete stretched his big frame and made a great save. SFC had more control of the match in the second half and found themselves with a great opportunity from a free kick 25 yards away from goal. With the quality of Claridge and Campo we knew we had a golden chance to challenge Pete. Joe struck a lovely curling effort over the wall and what looked like into the lower corner before Pete pulled off a miraculous save getting a firm hand the the ball. The rebound bounced straight to an on-rushing Ataku who had the goal at his mercy from a few yards out but missed the target just over the bar. We would have bet our house on Ataku putting it away in the recent form he’s been in, but the footy gods can be cruel and it would have been harsh on Pete’s original save to concede from the rebound. As the match I’m entered the final 5-10 minutes Latini seemed to find their groove a bit more and had we played the full 90 we are sure it would have been an exciting last 10 minutes for both teams. The match ended 1-1, which one could debate was a fair result, but SFC left wanting more. Once again a great battle with Latini and a continued Cosmo league rivalry. Though there some hard tackles as can be expected from a match like that it was played in an excellent, competitive spirit. Quentin and the officiating crew did a great job on the day given the moment and the desire of both teams to win. Looking forward to the replay.

• Pete O'Brien GK
• Charlie Stark DF
• Ben Tomlinson DF
• Fraser Anderson DF
• Jordan Laing DF
• Sam Balls MD
• Samuel Taylor MD
• Jamie Roberts MD
• Mike Sharples ST
• Luke Townsend ST
• Jacob Saurin ST

• Taishi Fukuda DF
• Jonathan Cloak DF
• Jamie Townsend MD
• Joshua Welch MD
• Nick Verill ST

SFC were our 3pm opponents on Saturday. After last season’s close battle for the Cosmo title and with both teams in good form going into the game, it promised to be an entertaining fixture. The game started typically with tackles flying in as both teams tried to stamp their authority on the match. On 4 minutes, SFC played a long ball over the top that split our defence and sent Shots chasing after a chance on goal. He was met by POB who kept himself big and the effort went well wide. SFC’s shouts for a penalty were waved away by the officials. Unfortunately, the Singapore weather meant that there was a break in play as we waited for the thunder and lightning to disperse. When the football resumed, 1TM settled well and created a few half chances and looked a threat from the resulting corners with Didge and Frando going close. On 22 minutes, we opened the scoring after great play from the edge of our box saw us counter quickly. Sharples retrieved the ball out on the left and switched play with a long diagonal for Duplo to latch onto. Duplo dribbled into the box before squaring to Ruby’s well timed run and our number 8 finished well with a great first time strike. 1-0 Disappointingly, our lead only lasted a short while as on 28 minutes we conceded a sloppy corner and were slow to react to Shots’ run to the front post as he diverted a decent delivery into the net. 1-1 There were few chances of note for the remainder of the first half. Both sides had decent possession but the defences were standing firm. HT 1-1 In the second half, the match continued to be a battle to keep hold of the ball and try to exploit any spaces. Sam Rat, playing against his former club, Tinks and MOM, Ruby, worked tirelessly in and out of possession and won countless duels to keep 1TM pushing on up the pitch. SFC have a wealth of talent within their attack and managed to carve a couple of openings. The first was from Shots who drilled the ball from a narrow angle but POB got down well to make the save. The second was from a Claridge free kick on the edge of the 1TM area: The ball was whipped round the wall; POB managed to get across to just keep it out, but his parry went as far as the incoming SFC winger and with the goal at his mercy struck it high and wide. 1TM were spurred on by this let off and the remaining minutes were played in SFC’s half. Our final ball was not of our usual quality and so our front three had little to work from. We did create one final chance when some good interchange on the counter between Tinks, Flat White and Sharples saw the latter move the ball onto his right and force a decent stop from the SFC ‘keeper. Final Score 1-1 It was a highly competitive contest and both sets of players gave a good account of themselves. Although disappointed with the draw, we can take lots of positives from the game. A huge one is the return of JCG who came on in the second half and looked like he’d never been away. Well played SFC - another good battle to add to the growing collection. Thanks to the officials who did their best to allow the game to flow as much as possible and thanks to the GCs, Team Sharples and The Anderson Clan. MOM SFC - Shots DOD - Greedy Pig - poor kit admin MOM 1TM - JR Kit and balls - Frando