HOME UNITED THIS SEASON

"Qiu Li will look to fill the boots of HUFC legend, Egmar Concalves and judging from his performance so far, he should be able to meet the expectations of the coach and fans alike." -PC Foo - Die Hard Fan of HUFC

Name: Qiu Li
Jersey Number: 9
Position: Forward
DOB: 06.06.81
Nationality: China

Article by PC Foo - Die Hard Fan of HUFC

The Sleague is four weeks into its 12th edition and the usual suspects are up there in the league table. Defending champions SAFFC and Tampines are ahead of HUFC although HUFC have a game in hand. HUFC should be able to wrestle back top position from SAFFC after this Friday's duel with Senkang Punggol.

This year, HUFC assembled a squad that IMHO, is the most prepared to mount a serious title challenge since they last won the title in 2003. Lets look at the key players that can possibly decide HUFC's fate this season.

With 2005 AFF player of the tournament in goal, HUFC have one of the best, if not the best keeper in Asia in Lionel Lewis. Although HUFC has dished out the results so far, one will do well to take note that part of the credit has to be given to Lionel. He made numerous saves in the outings against Gombak and Liaoning when HUFC were leading by a single goal. His agile reflexes and excellent handling kept the opponents at bay and laid the platform for HUFC's victories in those games. His huge frame will come in useful in one to one and deadball situations especially most of the HUFC defenders are relatively small sized.

Captain S. Subramani possess an abundance of experience both from playing in the Sleague and with the national team. This is crucial especially HUFC seems to have a pretty young bunch of defenders this time round. His excellent reading of the game, coupled with his tireless running has made him a captain that young players like Sharil Alias can look up to.

China born midfielder, Shi Jiayi, is another player that has impressed so far. His distribution from midfield has been pin point and his ability to fetch and carry the ball has allowed him to contribute 2 assists in the game against Gombak. Seeing the way Jiayi plays reminds me of Surachai, the current assistant coach of HUFC. He has been pivotal in Singapore's defense of the AFF cup and he will be the main man to spray the passes from midfield for HUFC's pacy strikers to pounce on.

Joining Jiayi from Young Lions is another national stalwart, Sharil Ishak. This 23 yrs-old midfielder scored a brace in the opening game against Korean Reds and made an assist for Indra in that game before missing 2 games with injury. His creativity and excellent control of the ball complements the ball distribution skills of Jiayi and the two of them will look to carve out numerous opportunities for HUFC's forwards. Sharil Ishak is one player who has improved leaps and bounds since he made his debut with the Young Lions in 2003 and he is definitely one player that HUFC will do well to keep under its payroll in the years ahead.

The versatile Diakite Fode Bangaly has caught the eye by protecting the back four and his work rate in midfield. His header goal against Gombak is the 1st of many to come for Home United. The Ivorian looks extremely comfortable on the ball and from the way he has played so far, its hard to believe that this lad is only 22 yrs-old. He started in defence against Woodlands in the Singtel cup before being pushed up to midfield in the 1st four Sleague games. I suspect the coach will deploy Diakite in defence again when HUFC come up against the big guns like Tampines or SAFFC.

Fellow Ivorian, Kone Hamed has won 4 man of the match award from Sleague.com so far. 4 out of 4 man of the match is no mean feat! He is the star performer for HUFC with his mazy dribbling, tricky and pace down the left flank. His 2 crucial assists against Liaoning has enabled HUFC to come away with 3 vital points against a very stubborn Liaoning defence. IMHO, this 22 yrs-old Ivorian has more than filled the void on the left of midfield due to the departure of Sutee Susomkit and he is definitely one player that Singapore coach, should pay attention to.

Chinese forward, Qiu Li, is another player that HUFC has signed from Young Lions. This powerful built forward will look to fill the boots of HUFC legend, Egmar Concalves and judging from his performance so far, he should be able to meet the expectations of the coach and fans alike. The forward who has scored 19 goals last season has impressed with his strength on the ball and his shooting ability and has scored on his HUFC debut, just like Kone.

Lastly, lets take a look at Indra Sahdan, a player who needs no introduction. His past records speaks for itself and should he keep himself injury free this season, expect him to challenge Alam Shah and Duric for the top scorers title come end of the season. Judging from the supply of ammunition that he is getting from players like Jiayi, Sharil Ishak, Qiu Li, Kone, etc, it will be no surprise if he becomes the 1st Singapore born player to capture the award.

With the array of talents on show at Bishan, what are you supporters waiting for? Come on down to Bishan on match days and turn it into a fortress that opponents fear visiting!

(Congratulations PC FOO. You are officially our first HUFC die hard fan to walk away with a pair of complimentary tickets. Our staff will contact you shortly. Thank you!)