This is the start of something new.. don't you agree?

So it falls on my shoulders again to write the post-match report. Oh well. Don't blame me for telling the story as I see it.

On to the story...

ESMSCC finally snaps their poor run of form.

It was a dark and gloomy day. ESMSCC approached the field with trepidation; perhaps memories from the last time some of them played there still lingered. Heavy on everyone's thoughts was the long and painful cleaning proccess that would follow the game. Those who wore white felt their hearts sink even deeper. Perhaps the absence of the court jester, Ashrof, also played a part. We knew we would not be entertained by his unorthodox dribbles and clearances.

But not all was doom and gloom. Through some nepotism and cronyism, ESMSCC managed to secure 4 players on loan from our feeder club, BolasepakRI, to cover for the absences of Ashrof (family matters), Ahmad (Christmas Eve Party recovery) and Harun (as usual). Adib (since he's Nasir's brother), Muslim (since he overheard the conversation about the game), Syaiful (since we have trouble scoring) and Hasan (to give him chance to play one last time before he goes to the birthplace of Owen Hargreaves on exchange. But I ask, exchange with who? If Owen Hargreaves I don't mind) were drafted in to beef up the squad. It was a nice sight to see that ESMSCC actually had substitutes, signalling a paradigm shift in the plans of the management who initially wanted to bring football back to the time of Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore where there were no substitutes. And also to ensure that all players got to play the full game. Lower fitness standards put paid to that idea. It was also a pleasant change to see the (mainly) sky blue ESMSCC squad line up again.

ESMSCC started in the worst possible manner. Within 2 minutes, an unconvincing through ball found the opposition striker who had made a run across the blind side of stand-in right back Muslim. Our keeper, Zarir, hesitated and was slow coming off his line, presenting the striker with an opportunity he could not refuse. 1-nil to our opponents.

The rest of the half was a bore. Chances were minimal at both ends as our opponents took advantage of their early lead to slow things down, and ESMSCC took time to settle in. The half was only notable for off the ball incidents, like Abu pulling a Hatta and tearing his boots, as well as a couple off target shots from Syaiful and Dedi. The opposition left back was exposed time and again by Hatta and Nasir, using all the tricks in his book to stop them. Eventually, he took out his frustration on the only player he could catch, Huzer, coming in late for a tackle that Huzer had baited by cleverly delaying his pass till the last second. What Huzer did not count on was the opponents studs landing squarely on his ankle while his own studs were caught in the ground. Huzer was lucky to escape with only bruises while the opponent was lucky to escape with only a yellow card. Huzer, who had just entered the field, was forced off immediately to be replaced by Muslim, thwarting Muslim's plans for an early shower and rest.

The half-time team talk was simple, with the players being told that the pressure was off and they should go out and enjoy the game, while Raihan was told that he "can make the difference!" and Syaiful was told to "go out there and prove a point!" Most of the players looked delighted, but Abu seemed confused.

The second half continued to be frustrating for ESMSCC. The pitch made it impossible for us to string more than 5 passes together, forcing us to resort to an overly direct game. The opponents long ball tactic combined with our fine counter attacking play ensured that the inappropriately dressed referee was made to work extremely hard for his money.

ESMSCC was getting visibly frustrated at their lack of end-product despite constantly stretching the defence. Nasir started his trademark Dhalsim manouveres while Hatta surprised many by spouting religious exclamations. Perhaps he felt the need to address the religious imbalance caused by Hasan's unusual decision to display his legs.

And then Raihan started a run. The opposition defence seemed to do a good job by channelling him away from the goal and to the byeline, but just as they thought the job was done, a skip, hop and jump later the ball was in the back of the net. 1-1 said the scoreboard. ESMSCC's spirits were lifted, the scent of the elusive victory was hanging in the air.

ESMSCC went Charlie's Angels after that (i.e. to say: Full Throttle). The opposition seemed to be doing a good job clearing the balls as far as they could, but Adil and Nasir picked them up easily, constantly releasing Hatta for the counter attack. As time wound down, ESMSCC threw caution to the wind and gave all their midfielders the license to attack. One foray by Nasir later produced the results that Hatta was unfortunate not to have achieved. A teasing ball across the edge of the penalty box drew the keeper out before finding an unmarked Syaiful. The open goal beckoned, and he duly obliged.

ESMSCC did not let the celebrations get to their head, regrouping for some dogged defending to maintain the score. We held on well, repelling every attack despite Abu and Adib's best attempts to negate our good work (including a deliberate handball in front of the referee and a through ball for the opposing right winger). Safe hands from Zarir, valiant tackles by Huzer, clearing headers by Adib and Hasan as well as pure determination by Fadzli helped seal the win. The defence, well protected by the midfielders ahead of them, never looked like letting in another.

A late appearance by Q, who is recovering from injury, provided ESMSCC with a timely boost, renewing hope that he could be back for the busy back to school period to further strengthen their bid for 5 straight wins so that they can change jerseys.

The touch of post-match controversy this time was courtesy of Raihan who showed anything but when he responded with a curt "I know" after Dedi commented that he scored a nice goal. This exchange led some to speculate on a clash of personalities in the dressing room. As usual, Dedi seems to be thick in the action.

Man of the Match:
There are a few candidates for this-
Syaiful (good work up front)
Raihan (great goal)
Hatta (great work rate overall)
Nasir (hard work, good assist, let down by his less than savoury methods)
Dedi (tireless running on the flank, unfortunate not to score)
Please submit your vote in the tagboard. Winner of the MotM Award gets pride. Unfortunately, pride cannot eat.