As Coach Arasu pointed out, Jollilads never loses consecutively to the same opponents. Right from the kick-off, one could tell the difference in the team. There was an air of determination, focus and quiet confidence that was missing in the games against Gambas. With a high pressure game that required lots of hard work and stamina from the whole team, SCC were 'wobbly' throughout.
Kevin, the SCC keeper who also plays for NTU, made 4 superb saves that kept SCC in the game. In the 1st half, zhiwei's stinging shot drew a flying save from Kevin as he palmed the ball over the bar. In the 2nd half, aik leong's header from a superb zhiwei free-kick drew a reflex point-blank save. From the rebound, Chris was denied as Kevin recovered from the 1st save to smother the shot. As the SCC defence tired, Khai's speed took him past the defender and one on one with the keeper but Jollilads were once again denied. Contrast this to Harpreet, who did not have a notable save to make. It could have easily been 4-0 and this spoke volumes of Jollilads' penetrative attacks.
With unwavering focus and hardwork, Jollilads subdued the 'superstars' from SCC and were unlucky not to have won the game. The boys should by now know that if they put their hearts and minds into it, as shown by the games against Tiong Bahru (3-0), Amk Utd (3-0) and SCC (0-0), Jollilads will be a hard team to beat.
Starting Lineup: Harpreet, Chris, King Yau, Feroz, Jerry, Zhiwei, Fuhang, Aik Leong, Yusoff (Juffri), Khai, Fong (Jerome), Aik Leong
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In other news, the bench has been banned from communicating with the referee and the opponents. For more information and detailed analysis, pls contact Shahril.
As Sam said after the game, we need to stick together as a team and support one another on and off the pitch. Having said that, lets not harp on the off-pitch incidents. Lets focus on the football instead.
