Good Dope Good Fun: SJSM 3 - Bethesda Bedok/Tampines 1

Hello all! Yes, I'm back, your roving reporter who doesn't rove that much at all and reports sporadically, at best. This time, I bring good news. Yes, to all you closet supporters of the SJSM soccer team, we have finally broken the streak of defeats that has dampened our spirits somewhat in recent weeks. On a real soggy pitch with more water than grass, we played our hearts out and worked for a real satisfying result.

Knowing that these guys are chummy with us on the league table, we knew we stood a fighting chance of taking home the 3 points. Once the match started, it was obvious that our tactics were spot on. Let me digress a bit.

In previous games, due to the lack of good control and passing, it was noted that our playmakers could not get the ball much in midfield and do something productive with it. Therefore, Ben came up with a radical idea of him moving to sweeper and controlling play from there. Taking into account our opponents, we decided on a 4-3-3. Ben would be last man, taking all goal kicks and free kicks. He can pump long balls pretty well, so the plan was to let him distribute from defence. This meant that the midfield was usually bypassed, so instead of wasting manpower in midfield, we went with a packed forward line to cause as much trouble as possible from Ben's raking passes. It worked to perfection.

Nicholas Liang ended up with 2 well flighted goals, Mathan with 1, literally nicked from under the keeper's nose. After our opener, Bethesda managed to equalise with a little assistance from the pitch. They sent a ball into our penalty area, which looked to be well covered by Nicholas Swee and our custodian, Jonathan. However, instead of bouncing forwards on the ground, the ball conveniently settled in a puddle of water, totally wrongfooting our poor teammates. The Bethesda forward recovered first, and slotted home for 1-1. We pressed on however, and the pressure on their goal was rewarded when a ball destined for the keeper's arms was stolen and sidefooted home by Mathan after he charged past the last man. A little hesitancy on the part of the defender and keeper did no harm to his quest. It was with this scoreline of 2-1 that we went into the break.

The 2nd half proved to be unrelenting pressure on their half, with their counterattacks not proving effective against our defence. With Ben as last man, he could coordinate the offside trap by himself. Nicholas added his second, and would have gotten a third, but for a brave save by the Bethesda keeper that saw him splash into a nice puddle himself.

Next week, we face another hopeful match, against Saved By Jesus United. This is a rallying call to all closet supporters to come out of your musty cupboards and cabinets and whatnot to cheer on your local footy team. There are a few tough fixtures left to face, and we want YOU on our side. See you there.