Final Score: Black Knights 2 : 4 MFC (Guo Xian 1, Augustine 1, Alan 2)
Looking to bounce back from last week’s league defeat at the hands of British Exiles, MFC’s opponents this week were the all too familiar Black Knights. Spirits were high as MFCians knew that there was a win for the taking and were looking to end 2009 with a bang. MFC returned to their usual “home” ground at katong for the match. MFC were also looking to improve from the previous meeting between the two sides which ended all square at 1-1.
The turnout for the match was good with 18 players at Captain Eric’s disposal. Much less could be said of the field which was at its worse state in months. MFC began the match in a 4-4-2 formation with the emphasis on playing down the flanks and attacking Black Knights from the start. Cross also made a return between the sticks for MFC.
MFC were controlling the play right from the whistle. Midfielders Gerald and Chris Tan were distributing the ball well and stamping their authority on the match. Both players were tenacious in their tackles and won the ball off the Black Knight’s midfield many times. At the back, defenders Norris and Eric were also dealing well with Black Knight’s lone striker Dina.
MFC created many chances but failed to put them away. MFC finally took the lead when “super-sub” Alan entered the fray. With seemingly his first touch of the ball, he gave MFC the lead with a well placed shot into the back of the net after a cross in by Calvin. The pressure had finally paid off and MFC were good value for the lead. MFC tried to extend their advantage but to no avail. The half-time score ended 1-0 in favour of MFC.
The halftime team talk from Capt Eric mainly urged MFCians to press on to extend the lead. MFC reverted back to the usual 4-5-1 formation in the second-half. MFC began the second half in similar fashion as the first, attacking the Black Knights from the start. There were a few goal mouth scrambles as MFC were edging closer to doubling their advantage.
MFC finally doubled their advantage with Alan picking up his second goal of the match. There was certain confusion at first as the Black Knights were adamant that there was a hand-ball by Alan before the ball trickled across the goal line. But the referee awarded the goal despite the Black Knight’s protest. As the saying goes, “as long as it goes in, it doesn’t matter how it goes in”. 2-0 up and MFC were on course for a victory. At the other end, MFC’s keeper Calvin pulled off a good save from a Black Knight’s free kick.
MFC didn’t have to wait long for their third goal. Augustine pounced on hesitant defending by the Black Knights and shot low to the keeper’s bottom right post. The keeper tried but failed to get hold of the ball. Just as MFC seemed to be cruising, the Black Knights were awarded a penalty. The spot kick taker made no mistake and gave a glimmer of hope to the Black Knights.
MFC finally made sure of the three points with a fourth goal late into the second half. A quickly taken corner kick by Alex made its way to Guo Xian and he shot the ball low and hard through a sea of bodies into the back of the Black Knight’s net. As the match drew to a close, the Black Knights got their second of the match after a misjudgment by the keeper. However, he was not to blame as the heavy rain made the flight of the ball much harder to judge. The final whistle blew shortly after signaling MFC’s final match of 2009.
The match ended with a 4-2 victory for MFC. Captain Eric concluded in the post match briefing that the team performed well in the match and thoroughly deserved the victory. Smiles were seen on MFCians faces and we hope to see more of this in 2010. So here’s to welcoming 2010 with the hope of more victories and better performances! Wishing all MFCians a happy new year and all the best for your future endeavours in 2010!
High Points
1) Good turnout by MFCians
2) Great job from MFC’s defence to limit the attacking threat posed by Black Knights
3) Alan back amongst the goals for MFC
4) A win to round off 2009
Low Points
1) The few scuffles and arguments that could have been avoided
2) MFC players failing to put away numerous chances that were created
3) The state of the pitch
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